The NBA on ESPN line includes T-shirts and hoodies from VF Imagewear, retro-influenced lifestyle T-shirts and hoodies from Sportiqe Apparel, fitted and adjustable hats from New Era Cap, novelty street signs and pennants from Wincraft and exclusive basketballs from Spalding. In addition, VF Imagewear and Wincraft have designed items with player nicknames and Sportiqe has produced illustrated tees.

“Launching a co-branded merchandise line that complements our NBA on ESPN RV campaign is a great way to extend the campaign to our fans,” says Chris Brush, ESPN’s vice president of marketing. “The illustrated T-shirts and other products in the collection showcase the humorous side of the NBA players and on-air talent who really resonate with fans.”

The three-year deal sees the production of layettes, blankets, bibs, body suits, tanks, socks, tights, leggings, slipper socks and booties. The line will launch this fall at retail. The deal was brokered by the Joester Loria Group on behalf of Baby Genius.

The U.S. food-maker has endorsed a 20-year license for up to 60 Cadbury Cocoa House outlets that will offer afternoon teas and a dedicated chocolatier service, according to published reports.

Cadbury had been in talks to open café outlets before its £11.6 billion ($17.8 billion) takeover by Kraft earlier this year.

The first sites will be in London and could open before the end of this year. David Morris, Harrods’ former director of food, beverages and restaurants, will head up the new venture as chief executive, with retail entrepreneur Marilyn Newman acting as chair.

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The Target pop-up shop for its exclusive Zac Posen collection will be open for 24 hours. The line launch will coincide with music performances by the Like and D.J.

The complete Zac Posen line will hit Target stores nationwide on April 25. The women’s collection, retailing from $16.99 to $199.99, features dresses, swimwear, skirts, tops, shorts and accessories, as well as a suit.

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Global Icons and Performance Brands will seek out merchandise partners for both the BMW and Mini brands in mobility, fashion, entertainment and lifestyle.

“We are honored to be working with the best in its class and look forward to carrying on the ultimate experience of the BMW and Mini brands through global licensing endeavors,” says Jeff Lotman, chief executive officer of Global Icons. “The combination of the outstanding brand equities and desirability makes for an attractive product portfolio that will shape the future of luxury retail.”

Global Icons’ clients include Acura, Bennigan’s, Captain Morgan and Dannon, while Performance Brands represents Aston Martin, Heineken, Nintendo and others.

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In the multi-year deal&#44, Food Network-branded menu offerings will launch in the coming months at a number of Major League Baseball ballparks, including Progressive Field (Cleveland Indians), Miller Park (Milwaukee Brewers), Busch Stadium (St. Louis Cardinals), Great American Ballpark (Cincinnati Reds) and Rangers Ballpark at Arlington (Texas Rangers). Delaware North’s sports service division will be rolling out the food line. Meanwhile, the company’s travel hospitality division is collaborating with Food Network Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto on Skewers, an Asian dining concept for airports.

“At Food Network, we are all about feeding people’s passions in fun and interesting places,” says Sergei Kuharsky, general manager of new business enterprises at Scripps Networks, a division of Scripps Networks Interactive, owner of Food Network. “This partnership with Delaware North Companies allows us to spread our table wider and deepen Food Network’s relationship with viewers who have always wanted to taste what they see us serve up on TV, online and in the magazine.”

Delaware North, a hospitality and foodservice provider, also has operations at New Jersey’s new Meadowlands Stadium, Boston’s TD Garden, Los Angeles International Airport, Kennedy Space Center and Yosemite National Park.

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Licensee Adjmi Cynosure Holdings will produce juniors’ sportswear, handbags, belts, scarves, hats, hair accessories and socks and hosiery for the collection. Footwear will roll out in October at the retailer.

“Selena Gomez is a positive role model for teens and her fans all over the world look to her for style inspirations,” says John Goodman, executive vice president of apparel and home fashion at Sears Holdings, Kmart’s parent company. “We are delighted to offer our customers the opportunity to emulate her style with affordable apparel and footwear options.”

Gomez is the star of Disney’s “Wizards of Waverly Place.” She is also cast in Twentieth Century Fox’s upcoming film Ramona and Beezus, which hits theaters on July 23. Gomez also recently released her first recording album, “Kiss & Tell,” from Hollywood Records.

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The new partners are VMC for a range of apparel accessories such as hats, gloves and scarves; Toybrokers for a craft product that lets Gogo’s fans make a rubbery pencil topper; Lightbody for celebration cakes; and Titan for a monthly magazine that is due to launch in September.

Gogo’s other licensees include Bacup for footwear, Sambro for stationery, Portico for greetings cards, Pyramid for posters, Roy Lowe and Sons for socks, Infocado for calendars, Zap for bedding, Halsall for wheeled toys, Poetic Gem for apparel, MV Sports and Leisure for plush, Alpa for back-to-school and giftware, Vogue for lunch boxes and bottles, Winning Moves for top trumps and Penguin and Random House for publishing.

The brand is the No. 1 selling toy collectible in the U.K., according to agent Bulldog Licensing.

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Wow! Stuff has been tapped to produce a line of adult gift items for the new season, which premieres this Saturday and features the eleventh doctor, played by Matt Smith. The range for fall 2010 will include clocks, watches, desktop accessories and salt and pepper shakers.

Current licensees will also launch new lines such as master toy partner Character Options (fall/winter 2010), as well as Christy’s for dress-up (summer), Bon Bon for seasonal confectionery, Royal Mint for commemorative medals, Pyramid for posters and Ravensburger for jigsaw puzzles.

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The Katie Brown range for Meijer will include kitchen textile items, tabletop products, patio furniture, outdoor décor accents and gardening tools in two distinct lines—the Orchard Collection and Northern Shores Collection. This September, the line will expand into bed and bath products and home décor. During the holidays, the retailer will launch Katie Brown-inspired kitchen ornaments, stockings, skirts, tabletop textiles and accent tableware. In 2011, the range will extend to bakeware, pictures frames, a refreshed seasonal garden line, pantryware, fresh floral, room organizers and craft organization.

“This is an exclusive line of products that we and Katie have been working on for more than a year,” says Bryan O’Connell, group vice president of hardlines at Meijer. “It’s unlike anything we’ve ever done before in terms of creating a high-quality, great-value product line with an outside partner of Katie’s stature. We’re confident that Meijer shoppers will connect strongly to these designs, products and prices.”

The initial range of Katie Brown products are hitting all 191 Meijer stores now throughout Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Kentucky. Brown is the host of PBS’ “Katie Brown Workshop.”

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“Everything’s Rosie,” geared to kids ages 3 to 6, follows a girl named Rosie and her friends Raggles the blue rabbit, Bluebird, Big Bear, Oakley the oak tree and others. V&S Entertainment holds all licensing rights to the series and product negotiations are currently under way, including publishing.

“The vibrant color palette, eye-catching locations and endearing characters in ‘Everything’s Rosie’ have been designed and styled to capture the imagination of our preschool audience,” says Vickie Corner, chief executive officer of V&S Entertainment. “We look forward to the next exciting stage in the growth of this property and to developing ‘Rosie’ into a saleable merchandising commodity.”

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Both brands are featuring selections of original and vintage tees under the Roma, Casa Luker, Lulu and La Central labels.
Chucho and Palomita were created by Molly Robbins, a Mexico City native. She has secured exclusive rights to use trademarks and vintage art from a number of Latino companies, as well as creating her own designs. Both brands are manufactured by DLI and are distributed by West Coast Novelty. WCN also has relationships with NFL, NBA and MLB.

In other Walmart news, the retailer plans to begin selling 3-D televisions leading up to the holiday shopping season. Other retailers such as Best Buy, Sears and Amazon.com have already begun carrying 3-D TVs.

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Hat World plans to convert its Sports Fan-Attic, 37 in all, into Lids Locker Room stores. The company currently operates seven Lids Locker Room stores. Hat World acquired Sports Fan-Attic in 2009. The stores offer licensed sports headwear, apparel, accessories and novelties.

In addition, Hat World will transition its Impact Sport business into Lids Team Sports. Impact Sports, acquired in 2008, is a full-service team dealer, custom screen printer, embroidery and sporting goods distributor. Hat World has also rolled out a new Lids Team Sports logo and Web site at www.lidsteamsports.com.

“Under the Lids brand umbrella, we are building three, interrelated businesses—the hat business, the fan-oriented specialty chain and the wholesale team sport business,” says Kenneth Kocher, president of Hat World. “Our goal is to have the customer think of Lids first—whether they are thinking about the teams they play for or the teams they root for. We see lots of synergies in the way we market to this customer—for example, with loyalty programs that reward consumers for their overall business with Lids and with a common customer database supporting cross-selling capabilities.”

Hat World currently operates more than 900 mall-based, airport, street-level and factory outlet stores in the U.S. Canada and Puerto Rico.

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In the deal, Scholastic now holds all storybook and novelty rights for the series’ children’s book program. The publisher is planning a number of formats, including paperbacks, board books, novelty and readers—all targeted to kids ages 2 to 6. A January 2011 launch will include five titles (paperback, reader, sticker storybook, oversized board book with flaps and die-cut shaped board book), followed by another paperback and reader in April 2011.

“Teaming with Scholastic, who not only has a broad reach at retail, but also direct access to kids, teachers and parents through their unique distribution channels into schools, continues our tradition of working with the best partners around the world,” says Maureen Taxter, senior vice president of U.S. consumer products at Ludorum. “We have no doubt that, through their books, Scholastic will capture the beautiful graphics and great storytelling that makes Chuggington so special.”

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Beginning on Oct. 1, Adidas/NBA apparel will be available in Europe, coinciding with the EA Sports’ NBA Europe Live tip-off. The collection will include the on-court line, including authentic, swingman and replica versions of NBA player jerseys, as well as authentic team warm-up lines, shooting shirts, practice wear and Adidas Techfit base-layer compression and padded compression undergarments. In addition, the Adidas Originals brand will offer NBA Soul swingman jerseys, inspired by the NBA’s line of Hardwood Classics Nights products, as well as jerseys from popular NBA legends.

“The expansion of Adidas’ apparel rights in Europe gives us a true global
partnership that aligns perfectly with our collective strategy to continue
growing the game of basketball,” says Sal LaRocca, executive vice president of NBA Global Merchandising. “As the NBA continues to grow in popularity throughout Europe, authentic Adidas NBA apparel will be available to more fans than ever before.”

In other related news, Adidas and NBA have designed a new apparel line in anticipation of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, called The Gol! Collection. The line includes a T-shirt designed to resemble a soccer jersey and a matching track jacket with graphics celebrating the history of each soccer team. The collection is available in Bulls, Cavaliers, Celtics, Knicks, Lakers and Nuggets at www.nbastore.com. The Sports Authority, Dick’s Sporting Goods and team retail stores will also carry the line.

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Nintendo expects to launch the new device before March 2011. The company says the system will not require 3-D glasses and plans to provide further details this June at E3. The Nintendo 3DS would succeed the Nintendo DS, released in 2004, which has sold more than 125 million units.

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As licensee, Starlight will produce standalone DVD and Blu-ray players, portable DVD players, e-book readers, iPod docking stations and home theater systems under the Polaroid brand.

“We continue to break new ground in introducing simple, fun and real products to existing and new fans of the iconic Polaroid brand,” says Scott W. Hardy, president of PLR. “We’re impressed with Starlight’s innovative product mix and research and development team who share our vision to expand into more digital product categories that embody the spirit of Polaroid.”
Starlight Marketing Limited is a wholly owned subsidiary of Starlight International Holdings.

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In 2009, Toys“R”Us made a number of brand acquisitions, including eToys.com, babyuniverse.com and Toys.com, as well as obtaining the exclusive rights to FAO Schwarz. The retailer opened FAO-branded boutiques in stores. For the Christmas shopping season, TRU launched close to a 100 Holiday Express pop-up stores in malls and shopping centers.

Additionally, Toys“R”Us expanded its operations, opening seven new “R” Superstores in the U.S., bring the total to 26, and the first Babies“R”Us store in Hawaii, as well as new international stores through wholly owned and franchise markets. The retailer also continued converting existing stores into a side-by-side, combined toys and baby products format. These stores now total 64.

“Our strong financial results for fiscal 2009 reflect the ongoing successful execution of our long-term strategy,” says Jerry Storch, chairman and chief executive officer of Toys“R”Us. “The Toys“R”Us brand is unique and robust, and we were able to build momentum throughout the year by focusing on our core strengths and by being innovative in our offerings to customers. The continued integration of our toy and juvenile businesses and our focus on differentiated product offerings have helped drive our growth. Also, throughout the year, we continued to open new stores nationally and internationally, and to convert others to our side-by-side format. We are grateful to our customers and to our business partners who are supporting our growth as the world’s leading specialty retailer of toys and baby products.”

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The toy range is slated for a 2011 rollout at mass retailers, as well as toy specialty, catalog, Internet and department stores. Each product will be packaged with information on the importance of child-driven play and ideas for parents and caregivers.

“Exploration through play is integral to children’s healthy development, allowing them to interact with the world, practice problem-solving skills and discover their interests and passions,” says Lesli Rotenberg, PBS’ senior vice president for children’s media. “PBS is dedicated to helping guide preschoolers through the milestones of early childhood, ensuring every child has an opportunity to reach his or her full potential. Parents have told us that they expect to find PBS wherever there is a learning opportunity for their children, and we are pleased to have found the right partners to extend our mission.”

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According to Variety, Avi Arad (Spider-Man) is producing and screenwriter Mike Jones is in talks to adapt. The last film adaptation was a live-action version in 1980 from Robert Altman. Robin Williams starred as Popeye and Shelley Duvall as Olive Oyl.

In 1929, King Features launched the first “Popeye” comic strips. The property then transitioned into cartoons produced by Fleischer Studios and distributed by Paramount Pictures. Popeye’s first licensing program included puzzles, dolls, games, books, banks, lamps and tin toys—many of which have become collectibles worldwide. One of the character’s biggest partnerships is with spinach; Allen Canning has distributed Popeye brand spinach since 1950.

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Supergirl by Nastia, targeted to girls ages 8 to 12, will feature active fleece, dresses and tunics, knit pants, signature Supergirl tees, dancewear, fashion leggings and shrug tops. The line, which will also be available at www.jcp.com, will retail from $20 to $38.

“Supergirl by Nastia provides our customers an affordable and accessible clothing brand that embodies Nastia’s strong, active and independent lifestyle and we look forward to introducing this brand to our customers this back-to-school season,” says Clark McNaught, senior vice president and general merchandise manager of JCPenney’s children’s division. “The launch of Supergirl by Nastia underscores our commitment to deliver stylish, affordable brands that respond to the needs of our customers. And as the exclusive retailer of this exciting new brand, it provides yet another compelling reason for customers to shop with JCPenney and strengthens our position as a leading destination for children’s apparel.”

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The latest licensees include:

• TV Mania, Collective Brands, Mlab Concepts and Aykroyds for apparel
• Simon & Schuster U.K., Egmont U.K. and Egmont VGS, Random House and Alligator Publishing for publishing
• Herding Heimtextil for bedding
• Trends International, Alpha U.K., Paperline Designs, Union-Transit Company for stationery
• Procos for party paperware
• Pyramid International for posters and badges
• Sandylion for accessories
• Rubies for dress-up
• Toyster for puzzles
• Vast Sky for backpacks

The film has already signed Spin Master as the master global toy partner for action figures, vehicles and role-play items; Paramount as global DVD partners; and THQ as global interactive games partner.

The Last Airbender hits theaters on July 2.

In MTV Networks International news, the following programming sales were made: “MTV Unplugged,” featuring Katy Perry, to Switzerland’s SF; Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart Global Edition” to Iceland’s 375 Media; “The Hills” and “My Super Sweet 16” to Ireland’s TG4; “American Mall” and “Rocko’s Modern Life” to Denmark’s DR Ramasjang; “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” and “TDS Global Edition,” both one-year extensions, to French-speaking Africa’s Canal Plus Horizons; “The Troop,” “Double Dare,” “El Tigre,” “SpongeBob SquarePants” and “Avatar: The Last Airbender” to Georgia’s Teleimedi; “Mind of Mencia” (seasons 1 to 4), “Trigger Happy TV” (season 3) and “Dave Attell” to Sky Mexico; “Jackass” to Panama’s TVN; and “Rugrats,” a renewal, to Ecuador’s Ecuavisa.

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The members are Patricia De Wilde of Marathon Media, Sidonie Herman of Perspective Entertainment, Franck Cymes of France Télévision Distribution, Antoine Erligmann of Nelvana/Corus Entertainment, Pierre Gaucher of RMP, Marie-Laure Marchand of Big Bocca TV & Licensing, Brigitte Legendre Benloulou of Moonscoop, Eglantine Deneux of M6 Interactions, Véronique Allaire-Spitzer of Moulin Rouge, Cédric Petitpas of Gaumont/Alphanim and Christine Blériot of Cyber Group Studios.

As previously reported by License! Global, Patricia De Wilde will serve as president and Marie-Laure Marchand and Franck Cymes, as vice presidents, acting as general secretary and treasurer, respectively.

The French Licensing Federation will serve as a think tank, information source and communicator for the industry.

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The appliance line is arriving now at more than 600 Tesco stores throughout the U.K. and Ireland, as well as online at Tesco Direct. The range has nine products, including a slow cooker and steam iron—all exclusive to Tesco.

“We have many retailers interested in using a familiar brand name for their business,” says Matthew Young, head of Electrolux Global Brand Licensing. “It’s much easier to ride the strength of a known entity. Consumers trust the brand name, retailers can spend less in advertising, and we can introduce our brands to even more customers.”

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