The International Licensing Industry Merchandisers’ Association (LIMA) – the world’s leading brand licensing trade organization – has announced that it will be known as Licensing International moving forward, marking a new era for the professional licensing community. This new brand identity is designed to better reflect the current state of the licensing industry and where it’s headed in the future.
The name Licensing International emphasizes the trade body’s global presence in 12 countries around the world and acknowledges the increasingly global scale of the industry itself. When the organization was first formed in 1985, around 70 percent of the world’s licensing revenue was produced in North America, but today, international markets claim over 40% of the roughly $270 billion in retail sales that licensing generates each year.
The transition also signifies the broader scope of the modern brand licensing industry, which now reaches well beyond the realm of merchandising. In an increasingly competitive retail landscape, licensing is now being utilized in creative and innovative ways that touch new and growing categories – from media companies launching into experiential services to the revival of iconic brands in new formats.
President Maura Regan led the transition to the new Licensing International brand identity, after a nearly year-long process of research and reflection. Under this new banner the organization will recommit and enhance its efforts on behalf of the industry it serves, including fostering the growth and expansion of licensing globally; raising the level of professionalism of licensing practitioners; and generating greater awareness of the benefits of licensing in the business community at large.
“As the leading facilitator in the licensing industry, we serve a growing, global community by connecting members and diverse brands across the world to invaluable insight and resources,” said Licensing International President Maura Regan. “Our debut as Licensing International symbolizes a new chapter for the community, and demonstrates our dedication to the licensing industry of tomorrow.”
The new website and member portal can be found at LicensingInternational.org.
