Start Licensing’s Ian Downes reports back on the growing licensing presence at the Farm Shop & Deli trade show in Birmingham this week.
I spent a very productive day at the Farm Shop & Deli trade show last week. It was held at the NEC in Birmingham – although I am pleased to report the NEC’s bins had been emptied!
It is in fact a show that is co-located with a couple of other shows including the National Convenience Show and Foodex. I think the format of running shows that appeal to similar audiences in parallel works well and seems to deliver good visitor numbers. It is a model that I think we will see more often in the trade show world.
My impression was that the show was well attended and certainly felt busy. This is also in part a function of some aisles of the Farm Shop and Deli Show being populated by smaller stands sited close together, designed and priced I suspect to bring in smaller companies and producers. There was a real buzz at the show. The smaller stands are grouped together and this formula seems to work well in regards to giving smaller companies a chance to meet customers in a cost effective way.
I have also learnt over the years of attending this show not to eat too much before turning up. It is sample city – most exhibitors are very generous with their tasting samples. I always think it must be a slow week for the NEC’s on site catering concessions!
Both the Farm Shop & Deli Show and The National Convenience Show feature some interesting examples of licensing. Indeed one early observation at the Farm Shop & Deli Show was the growing numbers of non-food and drink companies attending. This is a reflection I think of two things – the growing recognition of the farm shop sector as a strong distribution channel for a range of products. There is a demand from these retailers for a diverse range of products, not least as consumers now see farm shops as destination stores and the second reason is that suppliers are more prepared to invest in exhibiting at shows like this in an effort to grow their retail network.
Attendees in the non-food category including giftware company Widdop & Co. This was its first time at the show and I think its motivation was around finding new retailers for its ranges which included a Disney Home range of products including ceramics. It is good to see licensees like Widdop & Co investing in shows like this and being prepared to seek out new retail opportunities.
Often in licensing the question from licensees is ‘what retailers have you got’ – the expectation being that there is a ready made retail network to plug into. Of course this is a legitimate ‘ask’, but it is good to know that some licensees like Widdop are proactively looking to build their retail network independently of the rights owner.
It was also good to see the Hooli Mooli Trading Company exhibiting. The owner of Hooli Mooli, Terry Taylor, has been a good supporter of licensing over the years, particularly art licensing. His current range includes cards and stationery from artists Emma Lawrence and Bree Merryn. It is good see art licensing being supported in this way and a good example of how licensees can work with artists to create ranges that fit with specific market sectors.
Art licensing allows licensees to take a more bespoke approach to product development.
There were a number of greeting cards companies exhibiting – again driven by the growing opportunity in the sector. It is worth noting retail attendees aren’t just from farm shops. Scanning visitor badges in the aisles I noted attendees from garden centres, visitor attractions, gift shops and specialist retailers like hamper companies. One standout exhibitor in the card category was Pigment Productions. Its cards are always bright, colourful and contemporary. The stand certainly caught the eye. Its current range includes a card collection called Everyone Is Lovely by Giles Andreae. Giles is a creative with a fabulous track record of success in the greeting cards industry. I imagine for retail buyers his is a name they recognise and trust. I can see this range proving very popular. Pigment’s stand was also a good example of how exhibitors can show retailers how they might display products in their stores and how a brand can help create impact in-store through display. A range like this one works really well visually with bold colours and engaging slogans.
Another interesting example of a non-food company exhibiting was The English Soap Company, which has a licence with Kew Gardens. This is a partnership that has been ongoing for a while and seems to be working well. It is, of course, a range that is a good fit for the retail sector served by this show and a reminder of the broad range of product categories that retailers in the sector stock. I think the English Soap Company has done a great job of bringing the brand alive in the category – design, packaging and product wise.
Of course, the bulk of exhibitors are in the food and drink category. Licensing played its part here as well.
I noticed that Jeremy Clarkson’s Diddly Squat Farm’s food range was featured on the Cotswold Fayre stand. Cotswold Fayre is a wholesaler in the farm shop market so I am unsure if this deal is a licensing one or a distribution arrangement. Either way, it is a great example of how brand opportunities are emerging from different media platforms these days- in this case a TV series available through Amazon Prime. The range includes chutney, mustard, honey and crisps. It also included alcohol including Hawkstone Lager. The range is well presented and captures the character of the TV series well using humour well – for example you can buy Bee Juice Rum and Cow Juice Vodka. The range is supported by initiatives such as point of sale kits. It is also linked into Jeremy Clarkson’s support for British farming.
Given the range is based on another farm’s brand you might think other farm shops might be reluctant to stock it, but I sense that they will look beyond this not least because of the publicity Diddly Squat Farm has achieved and the fact that Jeremy Clarkson has spoken up so publicly about his view that the public should be supporting British Farming. Furthermore the range has been put together well and has a good visual identity which when coupled with POS should stand out in-store.
It was also good to see Wensleydale Creamery back at the show. Its range included the Wallace & Gromit cheese range. This is a long-term partnership and one that has worked well. A great example of a licensee seizing upon a licensing opportunity that is authentic and very much grounded in the DNA of the licensed brand. I think sometimes we can miss opportunities like this one in the rush and push of commerce – it is worthwhile stepping back sometimes and delving deeper into content. Sometimes product ideas can emerge from a deep dive. It is also a good excuse to watch more TV shows and films for ‘research purposes’!
New English Teas is a company that is a frequent flyer at trade shows and a company that has used licensing to build its portfolio. It sells tea in gift formats like tins, caddies and gift sets. Its licensed portfolio includes Harry Potter, Winnie the Pooh and Peter Rabbit. It dips into seasonal opportunities like Christmas, recognising the gifting potential for the products and licensed brands. My unscientific analysis of New English Teas is that its commitment to licensing has grown in recent years, presumably as it has seen that licensing works. That said, it has built the licensed offering carefully seemingly nurturing ranges.
It is also interesting to see it using licences like the Flying Scotsman. I am guessing this works well for male gifting, but also opens up opportunities to supply gift shops in the heritage railway sector. A good reminder that there are opportunities for licensing in ‘special interest’ sectors and that sometimes retailers in these categories can’t create their own bespoke products and welcome the opportunity to buy into a recognisable brand that their customers know and trust.
It was also good to see some companies using the show to launch new licensed ranges. A prime example of this was Fruitypot showcasing its range of A Pinch of Nom jellies. Rather like the Clarkson’s Farm example, this demonstrates that brand licensing opportunities can emerge from a variety of sources these days.
Indeed the food and drink sector seems to be well tuned into this point and it seems that food manufacturers are looking for ‘authentic’ licensing opportunities that help them grow their reach and inspire new ideas for product development.
A final observation from my time at the NEC was from off the show floor. I noticed Starbucks has linked up with ex-Millwall player Harry Kane (yes I know he has rather more substantial claims to fame than a loan spell at Millwall…).
Under the banner of Kindness is the Goal, Starbucks is selling Harry’s Flat White with 25p from each sale going to the Harry Kane Foundation. This is a great example of a celebrity using their platform for good and, of course, a major retailer using their art form to support a positive initiative. It was good to see. As we enter the Easter weekend, it was good to see the message of kindness being shared.
Enjoy your Easter Eggs – hopefully they will all be licensed ones!
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.
