Global licensing industry grows to US$271.6B

The retail and related revenue generated globally by the trademark licensing business increased to US$271.6B in 2017, according to the Annual Global Licensing Industry Survey by the International Licensing Industry Merchandisers’ Association (LIMA). The industry grew by 3.3 per cent as compared to previous year, where the total revenue was clocked at US$262.7B.

Royalty revenue from sales of licensed merchandise and services rose 2.6 percent to $14.5 billion. The top licensing property type was again Entertainment/Characters, with a 44.7% share of the market, accounting for $121.5 billion. Corporate Trademarks comprised the second largest segment, with its market share declining very slightly from last year to 20.5% of total retail revenues, thus accounting for $55.8 billion. Fashion accounted for $32.1 billion while sports got slightly better from last year at a 9.75% share accounting for $26.5 billion.

Some of the most significant growth came from property types that play somewhat smaller roles in the overall business, including publishing-based properties and art licensing. In addition, the music and celebrity categories saw growth reflective of the “influencers” effect. Though the U.S. and Canada remain the largest market for licensed merchandise and services, with revenue accounting for 58 percent of the global total, the strongest growth was driven from North Asia (up 6.2 percent) and Latin America (up 7.6 percent), primarily driven by growth in China/Hong Kong, Japan, and Brazil.

Apparel, toys, and fashion accessories continue to account for the largest shares of the business. Given a greater number of licensors seek to expand into more non-traditional categories, Casino gaming/lotteries increased by 9.6 percent. Home-related categories, infant, and video games/software/apps all showed growth higher than the overall 2017 average.