Disney to launch apparel for adults

Disney Consumer Products, the retail and merchandise arm of Disney UTV is all set to roll out their high-fashion branded apparel meant for adults featuring Mickey, Minnie and other famous toons. Disney hopes the move will help it broaden its consumer base, which is now heavily child-centric, boosting sales and profit margins with the introduction of higher margin products. Roshni Bakshi told Economic Times that the company hopes that adult-targeted products will contribute to 40% of sales within two years. Earlier this year, Disney tied up with real estate firm Supertech to launch Disney-themed decor in Delhi-NCR. Mickey and other characters feature on furniture, rugs, tableware, kitchenware, fans, paints, swimming pool and play zones in these homes. Disney has similar tie-ups with two other real estate players in Mumbai and Kolkata. The company hopes to create a new environment for brand licensing as they have compelling characters under the Disney and Marvel brands. The company said in markets such as the US, China and Europe, categories across apparel, footwear, sleepwear and accessories featuring Disney characters contribute close to half of its sales on average, while in Japan up to 60% consumers of Disney products are adults. Mickey & Friends products, including apparel, footwear, sunglasses, watches, tableware, wall decor, fans, bed linen, books, toys and stationery, sell in close to 5,000-plus stores in India. Company officials said the Mickey & Friends franchise rakes in $9.2 billion in global retail sales, and is the leading character of The Walt Disney Company. The kids market in the country is growing at a rate of around 30%. Most products are launched through collaboration with designers, licensees, manufacturers and retailers. In India, the firm has tie ups with leading stores including Lifestyle, Planet M, Globus and Cotton world to retail its Disney and Marvel T-shirts, scarves and watches for adults. In online, the company has tied up with Zovi.com and Myntra.com. The products feature characters such as Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy and Marvels super heroes including Iron Man, Spider-Man, The Avengers and Hulk.