My first introduction to licensing was as a buyer at Woolworths, where Barbie, Disney, S Club 7 and all manner of licensed dress-up were the lynchpins of our children's clothing business.

Woolworths may have disappeared from our high streets, and is reportedly the UK’s most missed store, but the power of licensing as a driver of sales and profit continues to gather pace across the ever changing retail environment. 

From a fashion buyers’ point of view, the success of any licensed range or collaboration is dependent upon several key factors: partnership, product, price, positioning, timing and marketing. It is true that the “product is king”, and if you get the product right, success should follow, but is so much more complex than that.  

Understanding the “right fit” between a brand or retailer, and a license is the first hurdle. 

Will it appeal to their target customer, meet their needs, wants and desires? Does it offer the right balance of quality, design and price? Fundamentally, will it generate more profit from that floorspace, than a retailers’ own brand ranges would? 

Timing is critical, in line with a film or tv series launch, personal appearances, as is the positioning of the product, regardless of whether it is in the online environment or within a physical store. Is the brand or retailer going to support a launch with window displays, focal points and display spaces in store, with promotional banners & imagery online and the right mix of product to generate interest and excitement?.

I have always found that creating a cohesive range of clothing & accessories works really well, but makes so much more impact when supported by toys, books and giftable items. This approach has worked well for me on many occasions, when launching licensed ranges with JCB, Dinosaur Roar and Peter Rabbit, for example.