Global Sales of Licensed Goods Up 4 Percent

NEW YORK: Retail sales of licensed products hit $251.7 billion worldwide in 2015, representing a 4.2-percent increase on the previous year, with entertainment/character licensing remaining as the largest category.

Those numbers were released as part of the 2016 International Licensing Industry Merchandisers’ Association’s (LIMA) Annual Global Licensing Industry Survey conducted by Brandar Consulting. The report says that entertainment/character licensing generated $113.2 billion in 2015, representing 45 percent of the overall global licensing market. Royalty revenue from retail sales of licensed merchandise grew by 7.8 percent to $13.9 billion.

“The 2016 survey showcases the resonance that licensed intellectual properties continue to have among consumers around the world,” said Charles Riotto, the president of LIMA. “The size of the global licensing market is on the rise, and is showing strength as our industry expands into new corners of the world.”

The U.S. and Canada recorded retail sales of $145.5 billion last year, up by 3.9 percent and constituting a 57.7 percent share of the global market. Outside of North America, licensed retail sales rose 4.8 percent. Western Europe is the second-largest region, with sales of $51.8 billion, followed by North Asia (China, Japan, South Korea) with $22.1 billion.