Toronto-based licensing agency celebrates 15 years in business in 2021.
This month officially marks The Licensing Shop’s 15th anniversary in business.
The Toronto-based licensing agency was founded by husband and wife team, Steve and Nancy Fowler back in 2006. Steve had previously been president of video games developer 3DO Europe based in the UK, while Nancy was vp of worldwide licensing for Viacom Consumer Products and president of DIC Entertainment’s consumer products division, based in LA.
“We set out to become a ‘boutique’ agency meaning we didn’t want to grow so big that our clients weren’t working with us directly and daily,” explained Steve. “So we really have to pick and choose the brands we worked on carefully.
Since its formation, TLS has worked with brands including Pokémon, Shopkins, Star Trek, Skechers and Sesame Street. In 2016, it was awarded Best Character/Toy Brand Programme for its work with Moose Toys by Licensing International.
Overall, TLS has managed licensing programmes which have sold over $3 billion of retail sales in the US and Canadian markets.
“We are proud that we licence imaginatively and always strategically into an extensive scope of product categories, consumer experiences and co-brand collaborations,” Nancy continued. “Once we have created a brand’s licensing plan and have client sign-off, we find the appropriate licensees and retailers to partner with.”
Steve concluded: “Beyond the usual categories (apparel, toys, publishing, home, etc.), we have developed brand extensions into mint bullion and stamp collections, lottery tickets, video games and mobile apps, art exhibitions, pop-up stores, saunas, barbells, craft beer, cereal and even a municipal town.”
Want to read more news like this? Simply sign up to our daily digest by clicking here. You can also follow @LicensingSource on Twitter and @licensing_source on Instagram.
