Retail Monster’s Gemma Witts discusses retailers’ determination to come back bigger and better in 2021.
Last year showed that licensing is an industry which can move at speed, adapt and still keep delivering amazing products and programmes.
Against this backdrop, LicensingSource.net asks some key licensors and licensing agents for what they think will be some of the biggest opportunities for the industry in 2021.
Today: Gemma Witts, European md, Retail Monster.
“I don’t like the word ‘pivot’, but it is a word that I think best describes the reaction of many of our partners in 2020.
For licensees, it was the speed of product development to reflect the new world and how quickly they changed their infrastructure. For brands, it was those in the digital space which were able to move the fastest and saw the biggest benefits. But it was retail, where we witnessed the most monumental shifts – we all know that 2020 was the year that ecommerce came of age.
Many retailers were more engaged, and the new way of home working meant that we could build stronger relationships. We seemed to have a little more of their time, and they were more open to opportunities for 2021. There was a determination with many retailers to ‘get through’ 2020 and plan to come back bigger and better for 2021.”
This feature originally appeared in the spring 2021 edition of Licensing Source Book. To read the full publication, click on this link.
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