The France Licensing Landscape
Licensing in many areas of Western Europe continues to thrive, despite inflation, which hit European licensed goods consumers hard. The region retains the second-largest market share in the world for licensed retail sales, generating nearly $63 billion of total global licensed revenue at retail in 2022. While its share, 18.5% of the global market ($340,823 billion), dipped slightly (0.5%), according to Licensing International’s 2023 Global Licensing Industry Study, France, along with Sweden, Greece and Portugal, all had above average market growth rates.
The retail landscape is fast-changing
The French licensing market follows many of the global trends, in terms of categories and spans various industries, including toys, fashion and fast-moving consumer goods. France also has a strong presence in publishing, leading to success for local editorial IPs like Astérix, Petit Ours Brun, Mortelle Adèle, Loup and Le Petit Prince.
“The retail landscape is fast-changing in France,” says Ali Sana, director, retail sales, e-commerce and marketing, France, The Walt Disney Company. “Retailers are consolidating market share and yet the market remains balanced between specialists, grocery and e-commerce players.
“Demand for licensed products remains strong and continues to grow. As one example, ‘Stitch’ is now a real star IP in France, across multiple categories.”
Strength of the Comic Book in Brand Licensing
In France, the birthplace of Asterix, comics are engrained into the cultural landscape. In fact, Statista data says France is the second-largest manga market in the world, topped only by Japan, resulting in significant demand for manga-related products, leading to success for licensed anime. Like board games and tabletop card games, comics were the go-to pastime when families were locked down and the sector continues to hit new heights.
French-Born Animation
As well as manga, there is a strong passion for anime in France, with some of the foundational technologies and early animated movies being created in the country as far back as the 19th century. Today, despite strong competition from the U.S. and Japan, France continues to produce regular anime content. In fact, 2022 saw the highest number of certified animated feature movies released in France (13) for over 15 years.
Impact of the Paris 2024 Olympics and Paralympics on Brand Licensing in France
The Summer Olympics is one of the most watched sporting events on the planet, with only the soccer World Cup and the Tour de France in cycling amassing more of a global audience than the 2 billion people that tune in to watch the world’s finest athletes compete at the pinnacle of their sports every four years.
“The Paris Olympic Games will of course be a great event for the whole country, putting the country in the world spotlight, with retail set to be boosted by increased tourism and engaged domestic shoppers,” says Sana. “Retailers such as Carrefour will take advantage of this throughout the summer with robust marketing campaigns. It’s an opportunity for brands and licensors to partner with those key retailers to reach an engaged audience and drive revenue.”
Challenges and Opportunities in France Brand Licensing
Falling birth rates challenge the kids’ marketing segment. In France, in 2023, 678,000 babies were born in the country, 6.6% fewer than in 2022, and almost 20% fewer than in 2010, according to the annual review, leading to some concerns in the kids’ product category, but other categories continue to thrive.
France Licensing Day and Licensing International Awards 2024
France Licensing Day and Licensing International Awards 2024 returns to Cité Internationale Universitaire de Paris in Paris, France, June 27. The event puts French licensing in the spotlight and offers delegates the opportunity to meet rights holders, licensing agents, manufacturers and retailers.
The article was taken from March's issue of License Global. Read the issue in full here.