Brand News

WWD reports here:

The fashion duo has signed a new fragrance license with Procter & Gamble Prestige Products, ending drawn-out negotiations and nearly two years of speculation.

According to industry sources, P&G beat other top-flight competitors, which reportedly included L’Oréal and Estée Lauder. While the terms of the deal were not disclosed, market sources said the price tag was at least 100 million euros up front, or $120 million, and a 10 % royalty agreement.

“We want the Dolce & Gabbana fragrance house to become the [number] -three or -four player in the world. That’s the objective. It’s ambitious, but the platform is clearly there also because
the strength of the fashion house is unprecedented,” said Hartwig Langer, president of P&G prestige products.

The production and distribution of Dolce & Gabbana’s fragrances will pass to P&G on July 1, ending the Italian brand’s historic 15-year license with Euroitalia. Riding the wave of Dolce & Gabbana’s fashion success, Euroitalia built a robust fragrance business for the fashion house with annual wholesale sales in excess of 200 million euros, or $240.8 million at current exchange, according to Dolce & Gabbana’s general affairs director, Cristiana Ruella.

While Langer shied from giving a time frame for sales growth, Markus Strobel, general manager at P&G prestige products, is confident they will double the brand’s wholesale volume in the next five years. Plans include launching three new fragrances in the first two years and eventually developing a makeup line.

On the retail front, the plan is to secure more exposure within strategic doors rather than increase the number of sales points.

For the fiscal year ended March 31, Dolce & Gabbana’s consolidated revenue, which excludes that of licensees, totaled 686.4 million euros, or $826.5 million.

Smith & Wesson Holding Corp., parent company of Smith & Wesson Corp., the legendary 153-year old global provider of products and services for safety, security, protection and sport, today announced that it has entered into an agreement to license use of the Smith & Wesson brand and logo on a new line of large capacity safes to be launched in 2006.

The new Smith & Wesson line of large capacity safes will complement an existing line of small safes available through the Smith & Wesson website.

Licensed safe products featuring the Smith & Wesson name and logo will be available mid-year through licensee distribution channels and on the Smith & Wesson website.

WWD reports about Nicole Miller increasing the number of her licenses. Considering that every license, no matter how small or big, requires a minimum of attention, to us this rather sounds like handling a bag of fleas, then a profitable licensing portfolio.

“Now when Nicole Miller dresses her customers, she will do it from head to toe. The designer and president of the 23-year-old eponymous brand is rolling out footwear, handbags, belts and
jewelry for spring in a renewed accessories push that she and chief executive officer Bud Konheim anticipate will boost the $800 million the brand generates at retail by more than 25 percent.

The expansion into accessories will all be under license, increasing the brand’s partnerships with outside firms for accessories to seven from two. Nicole Miller has a deal for an assortment of sunglasses and a second for hosiery, both of which have been active for more than a decade.

Recent agreements include a license for luggage, one for women’s shoes, another for handbags and umbrellas and one for belts.

Last month, Nicole Miller rounded out the mix by entering into an agreement for a collection of necklaces, bracelets, rings and earrings.

Nicole Miller counts 24 licenses for its brand, including 11 for its home collection distributed exclusively at Bed, Bath & Beyond, and the brand has had licenses for accessories in the past.

“We’ve learned a lot,” said Konheim. “When you hear about us in the past in terms of licensing, we made some mistakes and we had to switch. We had to learn every lesson in a painful way.”

Was eine großartige Einrichtung:

“Die BMW-Group hat am Donnerstag ihre Marken-Akademie der Öffentlichkeit vorgestellt.
Die vor drei Jahren gegründete Brand-Academy des Unternehmens soll das Verständnis für die drei Marken BMW, Mini und Rolls-Royce bei Mitarbeitern, Handelspartnern und Agenturen fördern.
In eintägigen Seminaren lernen Teilnehmer dort Grundwissen zu Marken im allgemeinen und die Ausrichtung der drei Unternehmensmarken kennen.

“Für den langfristigen Erfolg ist es unabdingbar, dass Mitarbeiter und Partner die unterschiedlichen Identitäten der Marken verstehen und die Differenzierungsmerkmale zum Wettbewerb kennen”, so BMW-Marketing- und Vertriebsvorstand Michael Ganal.

In dem firmeneigenen Institut im Norden Münchens werden jährlich etwa 2.500 Teilnehmer geschult. Der Großteil sind BMW-Führungskräfte.

Die BMW-Brand-Academy betreibt außerdem Grundlagenforschung und ist interner Dienstleister für die Marketingabteilungen des Automobilkonzerns.”

Nicht nur wird jeder Mitarbeiter auf die Marke(n) eingeschworen, jährlich verlassen 2.500 Botschafter der Marke das Institut.

WWD berichtet, zwei Mode Marken steigen in die Hotelerie ein: Missoni und Byblos.

Missoni, mit seiner erfolgreichen Heimtex Kollektion, vergab eine weltweite Lizenz an eine Belgische Hotelgruppe.

Geplant sind 30 kleine bis mittlere Hotels bis zum Jahr 2010 unter dem Namen Hotel Missoni.

Die ersten drei sollen bis 2007 eröffnet werden, unter anderem in Dubai und Edinborough.
Weitere Standorte sollen London, Paris, Amsterdam, St. Petersburg, Mailand und Istanbul sein.
Für 2010 erwartet Vittorio Missoni, der Marketing Manager von Missoni Umsätze in Höhe von $350 million.

Gleichzeitig eröffnete der Inhaber von Byblos ein 5 Sterne Hotel in Verona.

Missoni und Byblos folgen damit Armani, Versace, Ferragamo und Bulgari in den Markt der Luxushotels.