Bike specialist will be part of BLE’s Retail Mentoring Programme for the first time this year.
The Brand Licensing Europe Retail Mentoring Programme is continuing to add some big names to its line-up for this year, with Halfords signing up for the first time in 2016.
The Source caught up with assistant buyer Danni Slater to find out why the programme is so important, and get an insight into Halford’s ambitions within the licensing space.
Why has Halfords decided to sign up for the Retail Mentoring Programme?
We have had great success with our licensed products in the past, but in seeing such great potential at BLE we as a team are putting more focus onto our licensed goods strategy. There will be four of us involved in the Retailing Mentoring Programme – all from different buying teams.
What are you hoping to gain from being involved this year?
For us, this year is all about ensuring we are equipped to offer even stronger and more competitive licensed ranges which will appeal to our existing customer base and to new customers too.
Have you attended BLE previously? How valuable was it for you?
Yes we attended BLE last year for the first time;it was a great day for us and helped us make new connections with potential licensors. The only thing we were missing out on was time. We definitely want to stay for more than one day next year to really make the most of it.
How much has the Halfords licensing business grown over the past year/18 months?
Our licensed range has continued to grow massively over the past year, with plenty of new products making their way to our shelves and thankfully we’ve seen some great sales on the back of this. In particular, we have focused on the travel accessory and kids bikes ranges, and we also recently launched a fantastic Star Wars range as part of our gifting offer – it continues to go from strength to strength.
How will Halfords be looking to expand its licensing business going forward?
We are always looking for brand new opportunities, and the aim for us going forward is to work cross functionally to bring together licensed ranges that span many of our product groups… watch this space.
This year’s Brand Licensing Europe runs from October 11-13 2016 at Olympia, London.
Visitor registration opens in May at www.brandlicensing.eu. You can find out more about the Retail Mentoring Programme by clicking on this link.
