All Artwork ©SEPS

Whirlwind October

October has been very busy, here at Curtis Licensing.  Early in the month, Cris represented us at Brand Licensing Show in London. The show showcased over 220 exhibitors and more than 2,500 brands. Traffic at the Curtis booth was fairly steady throughout the show and we were fortunate to have good meetings. The feeling among our agents and show attendees was that the licensing industry is getting tougher. Companies are trying to reduce expenses by either using only artwork they can create internally, or by getting generic art straight from China. The need to be competitive in pricing is impacting everyone’s royalties, even the big licensors like Disney. Fortunately for us, we provide a combination of unique, copyrighted artwork with a desire to provide our partners with as much assistance as they may need to be successful…so we take on these challenges with a positive outlook!
 
Speaking of optimism, Gift Beat reports that 8 out of 10 retailers remain upbeat going into 4th quarter.  Reports indicate Halloween sales are up. Tabletop market reports from last week show that the market was good and the focus was making the e-commerce channel more relevant.  Mixed metals, blue and farmhouse styles seem to be trending and mugs are still going strong.
 
This month, we were happy to finalize a program with Mercuries Asia, Ltd for holiday home décor and Chesta Co c/o The Galway Company. for our Lowe’s direct flag program.  We also expanded our book program with Dover Publications which will now include 2 new books of kids puzzles and activities from our Jack and Jill magazine.  
 
October Licensee Spotlight: Art.com

 

On their website, Art.com uses a simple quote to describe themselves “We Are Art”. A simple statement, but one that describes them well. We have been working with Art.com for several years now and during that time, they have proven themselves to be a great partner in one of our most important categories. Art.com’s approach to making art-buying easy has always been on-point. At a time when many retailers are trying to figure out ways to be stronger online, Art.com has that down to a science. Their vast line of products (which go beyond flat artwork), their customer service and extensive selection of images give Art.com a solid edge. We are proud to have Art.com as our direct to consumer wall art partner and look forward to many more years together.
 
As always, we are here to help you so let us know if you have any artwork needs! You can reach us at (317) 634-1100.

 

Your friends at Curtis Licensing