LIMA: Sales of Licensed Product Up in North America

NEW YORK: Sales of licensed products increased in 2013, marking the third consecutive year of growth and resulting in $115.75 billion in retail sales in the U.S. and Canada, according to the International Licensing Industry Merchandisers’ Association’s (LIMA) annual licensing industry survey.

Character-related merchandise, which includes entertainment, TV, movies and celebrities, was the largest category, accounting for $2.66 billion in royalty revenues and an estimated $51.44 billion in retail sales. This is up 4.3 percent from 2012.

For the year, the licensing industry delivered an estimated $5.7 billion in royalty revenue in the U.S. and Canada, a gain of 3.3 percent on the prior year. Retail sales were up 3.25 percent on 2012.

“Licensing activity enjoyed strong growth in 2013, reflecting the importance of licensing as a business and marketing tool,” said Charles Riotto, LIMA's president. “Our industry and our members continue to strategically leverage the equity of their brands, characters, and intellectual property with even more creative and robust licensing programs that successfully connected with consumers and drove healthy sales.”