Start Licensing’s Ian Downes has good things to report back from a visit to WHSmith in Farnham when it comes to licensing and licensed products.
I remember seeing an account on X called WH Smith Carpet or something similar. The account posted photos from WHSmith high street shops of what it considered untidy shops, unloved displays and, you guessed it, worn carpets. I tried to find the account again this week but couldn’t – maybe it is no longer active or I ‘misremembered’ the account name. Anyway, the reason I was looking for it was so I could post a positive experience following on a visit to the Farnham branch of WHSmith.
This branch is on the high street and like a few other branches houses the local Post Office. I guess for a retailer like WHSmith this is overall a good thing – it keeps it at the centre of the community and, of course, some Post Office customers will want to buy envelopes, packing tape and greetings cards. I guess it can also bring challenges around space and also adds some extra responsibility to shop staff directing customers to the Post Office desk and so on. However, like many high street retailers I think WHSmith has recognised shopping times are changing and it has to try new things. It is also worth remembering that it is a retailer which has seem some of its core product areas become less popular – think newspaper and magazines.
Overall WHSmith seems to have evolved its high street offer and has moved gradually into new categories over recent years like crafts, board games, puzzles and toys. It has also focused on areas like confectionery and drinks and is very active in pushing offers and also supporting new brands; for example it has backed the drinks brand, Prime over the last year or so.
I think WHSmith Carpet would still have some gripes – for example I often find my way to the magazine racks in-store barred by a trolley that has been moved into place ready for a staff member to re-stock the shelves, only for the staff member to be called away to solve the riddle of the self service checkout. But, as noted earlier, my visit to Farnham WHSmith encouraged me that the retailer is getting things right and seems to have a good focus on what it is doing.
At the moment its focus has naturally turned to the Christmas market. To this end there is a strong offer on toys and games promoted by window posters. The offer is 2 for £20 from a featured range of items that includes licensed lines such as Barbie, Disney and Star Wars. This is a good example of how well known licensed brands are used by retailers to grab the attention of consumers. Within this context it is important that we don’t forget the value in well known brands and police their use in promotions.
One of WHSmith’s core areas is still comics and magazines, despite this being a challenging category. Within this space it was interesting to see the promotion of the new Sonic the Hedgehog comic. It was available in good numbers and was supported by shelf strips – it stood out in a crowded fixture. The clutter in this fixture is one of the criticisms levelled at WHSmith but, on this occasion, I think it had got things spot on. Seeing this launch made me quite nostalgic as I worked on the launch of Sonic the Comic. Given my veteran status, I think this underpins the fact that Sonic is now a classic brand.
The success of Sonic the Hedgehog has helped establish the gaming category as a strong one for licensing. It is now established as a trusted source of licensed brands. To reinforce this point, WHSmith featured Minecraft in its range of Christmas Gifts. This selection was well curated in-store and was competitively priced. Other licensed brands featured in this offer included Guinness World Records.
One thing this branch of WHSmith was doing well was the curation and management of dedicated fixtures and FSDUs. In the former category it had a well curated end cap fixture for Hello Kitty which included products from the likes of Kap Toys and Blue Sky Studios. It was a nice mix of products targeting the Christmas gift market.
There was also a FSDU dedicated to board games based on TV quiz shows including Catchphrase, In For A Penny and Deal or No Deal. Perfectly timed for the Christmas season – both as gift lines, but also for families looking for a new board game to play as a family. There seems to be an increased crossover from TV game show to board game – I guess licensors and licensees in that sector are more aware of each other these days and realise the market potential for these products.
There was also a well placed FSDU for chocolate advent calendars that included Bluey and Peppa Pig. These lines are competing with the likes of Cadbury, but the WHSmith buyer has recognised that for certain age groups Bluey and Peppa can compete with a brand like Cadbury’s.
There was also, not surprisingly, good space given to calendars. Generally licensing scores well in this category. It is always interesting to see how football clubs feature in the fixture with club brands like Liverpool, Manchester United and Arsenal. I realise these clubs are effectively national brands, but I wonder if a retailer like WHSmith could sometimes buy more regionally and in this instance include more local clubs – although I realise it may operate differently outside the M25.
One constant in the calendar market is the Cliff Richard calendar. Danilo has been working with Cliff for a long time and, if Sonic is a classic brand, then Cliff is an evergreen. This is a great example of how licensing partnerships can be nurtured and have longevity. Congratulations to all concerned with Cliff’s calendar.
WHSmith also supports the greeting cards market in depth and has topped up its year-round offer with Christmas themed cards. It manages this fixture well and generally it is relatively easy to shop by recipient and occasion – licensing features throughout the fixture. On a personal note, it was good to see Wallace & Gromit in-store, while it was also interesting to see a brand like Sindy featuring. It is easy to forget that the greeting cards category is one that needs a good supply of artwork coupled with a certain amount of freedom creatively. Card publishers are by nature creative businesses and are good at getting the most out of a licence. It is a category in which it often pays to loosen the creative rein.
Likewise books are still big business for WHSmith I imagine. It has a well-stocked selection of bestsellers and promotes some books by featuring them in a Bestsellers Chart fixture. It also makes good use of books and specifically licensed titles at the front of store. In Farnham, there was a tabletop display featuring gift friendly books priced at £6 and £8. This was entirely made up of licensed titles including LEGO, Disney and Peppa Pig – another live example of how licensing sells, but also one that I hope represents good value for all parties concerned.
It was good to see licensing and licensed products featuring across the store in WHSmith, but equally pleasing to see that the shop was so well presented and was packed full of compelling offers. I was also able to buy a magazine without vaulting a trolley which is always a bonus.
Ian Downes runs Start Licensing, an independent brand licensing agency. His X handle is @startlicensing and on Instagram he is @iandownesphotos – he would welcome your suggestions for what to look out for.
