Fashion was the third largest licensing property type in 2015, according to LIMA’s second annual worldwide Licensing Industry Market Sizing Study.
The study showed that global retail sales of licensed merchandise reached $251.7 billion last year, representing a 4.2 percent increase from 2014. Most of that growth was from the entertainment, sports, publishing and celebrity properties.
The top five licensing property types are entertainment/character, corporate trademarks, fashion, sports and publishing. Fashion licensing generated $29.8 billion, or 11.8 percent of the total, at retail globally. That compared with entertainment/character, which generated $113.2 billion, or 45 percent, of global retail sales.
Among the top product categories, apparel — $37.9 billion or 15.1 percent of the total — and fashion accessories — $28.5 billion or 11.3 percent — were in the first and third spots. Toys placed second in the top three ranking, at $33.7 billion or 13.4 percent.
By geography, the U.S. and Canada saw sales increase 3.9 percent to $145.5 billion, but saw their global market share decline slightly to 57.7 percent of the total, compared with the 58 percent market share in 2014.
Marty Brochstein, LIMA’s senior vice president, said growth overseas is due to a “growing middle class that has more disposable income, and an infrastructure that is [improving] so there’s a better way of distributing the goods.”
The study found that retail sales of licensed product outside the U.S. and Canada totaled nearly $106.4 billion, representing a 4.8 percent gain from 2014’s $101.4 billion. Countries that saw market share gains in 2015 were Western Europe — in particular Germany, France and Belgium — and northern Asia, which includes China and Korea.
