Hang Ten Home Collection Debuts at Bed Bath and Beyond

CHF Industries launches Hang Ten bedding line at Bed, Bath & Beyond stores and online as the brand builds out a home products business. The 42-piece Hang Ten collection includes comforters, duvets, pillow cases, throw pillions and tapestries. Licensee Kas Rugs also will add area rugs, says Hang Ten’s Denise Shelton. Meanwhile, Hang Ten licensee La Jolla Group. is expanding distribution for Hang Ten shorts and other apparel to Costco’s international stores, having launched the collection in the U.S. last year, says Shelton. La Jolla also is developing a Hang Ten Kids line for Costco in 2018. A Costco spokeswoman declined to comment.

Contacts:

CHF Industries, Frank Foley, CEO, 212-951-7800

Hang Ten, Denise Shelton, Licensing Dir., dshelton@hangten.com

Kas Rugs, Santhi Yarlagadda, VP Business Development, 800-967-4254

La Jolla Group, Daniel Neukomm. CEO, 949-428-2000

Burberry Beauty Brand Distributors Signing on with Coty

A larger-than-expected number of Burberry beauty products distributors are switching to new licensee Coty, driving a change in Burberry’s forecast for the beauty category’s second half revenue to flat from slightly negative, Burberry’s Julie Brown told analysts. Coty struck a deal with Burberry in April on a long-term global licensing agreement covering luxury fragrances, cosmetics and skincare. As a result of the new licensing pact, Burberry’s licensing revenue will increase 20% in the fiscal year ending March 31, 2018.

Contact:

Burberry, Julie Brown, Chief Financial Officer, +44 20 7404 5959

Starline Tours Developing La La Land Guided Tours

La La Land is taking it to the streets. Starline Tours signed a licensing agreement with Lionsgate and is developing a guided tour that will include stops at five locations in the Los Angeles area from the film, says Lionsgate’s Sheila Clarke. The tours, the timing for which hasn’t been set, will feature merchandise for sale, including t-shirts, mugs and other merchandise developed by Three-Ten Merchandise. Three-Ten also is selling licensed products as part of La La Land concert tour, which started May 26 at the Hollywood Bowl and runs through Nov. 5 with stops in the U.S., UK, Sweden, Indonesia and Turkey.  Lionsgate also is readying a licensing program for retail, says Clarke.

Contact:

Lioinsgate, Sheila Clarke, SVP Consumer Products, 310-255-3612, sclarke@lionsgate.com

Hello Sanrio Brand Targeting Older Audience

Sanrio is sharpening the focus for its Hello Sanrio brand — an umbrella for a range of the company’s characters including Hello Kitty, Gudetama, Little Twin Stars and others — on consumer ages 18 and older ages, says Sanrio’s Jill Koch. As part of that effort, the company is seeking build its base of collectibles licensees, which currently includes Tomy and Bandai, with an emphasis on some of its newer characters including Gudetama and Aggretsuko, says Koch.  Aggretsuko, a red panda that works for a trading company, is the most recent character, having been introduced via Crunchyroll and other online services earlier this year. “Right now we don’t have enough product out there for our 18-years-plus fan base so that has been one of our focuses,” says Koch. In addition to collectibles, the brand is being developed for mobile games. A release date hasn’t been set for the first titles, which are being developed by Hyper Hippo Games under a license it signed last year. Meanwhile, Sanrio is continuing with plans for Hello Kitty cafes, having added another food truck and opened a mini-café in the Westfield Mall in Santa Anita, Cal. that sells Hello Kitty-themed pastries, pies and cakes. Sanrio also has a pop-up café that opened at the Irvine Spectrum Mall in Irvine, Cal. that will move at year-end. Koch declined comment on the new location.

Contact:

Jill Koch, SVP Brand Management and Marketing, 310-896-3273, jkoch@sanrio.com

Executive Changes

Simone Risgaard named Licensing and Marketing Coordinator at Ink Global… Rebecca Snell, VP of Marketing for Lego in UK and Ireland, named VP of Marketing for Lego in Central Europe… Scott Hudler, ex-Dunkin Brands, joins Dick’s Sporting Goods as Chief Marketing Officer, filling a role vacant since Lauren Hobart was promoted to President in May… Carl Hauch, ex-CityMD, named VP of Stores at Barnes & Noble.

Contacts:

Barnes & Noble, Carl Hauch, VP Stores, 212-633-3300, chauch@bn.com

Dick’s Sporting Goods, Scott Hudler, Chief Marketing Officer, 724-273-3400

Ink Brands, Simone Risgaard, Licensing and Marketing Coodinator, +45 33 5561 00

Lego, Rebecca Snell, VP Marketing Central Europe, +44 197 82 90 900, Rebecca.snell@lego.com