Fremantlemedia enterprises and Leomil Group sign a major apparel and footwear deal for Rebecca Bonbon
August 2010
London, August 9, 2010 - FremantleMedia Enterprises and the Leomil Group today announced a new deal to launch Rebecca Bonbon footwear and apparel throughout major European territories. The hugely popular Japanese character and super cute fashionista, Rebecca Bonbon, was created by the original Hello KittyTM designer Yuko Shimizu.
Rebecca Bonbon, a young French bulldog, lives a luxurious life in New York in her apartment overlooking Central Park. Rebecca loves all things sweet, especially bonbons, which is how she came to be affectionately known as Rebecca Bonbon.
Rebecca Bonbon was an instant success in Japan with over 50 licensees across many different product categories. August 2010 sees the launch across the US and Canada in both Sears and Kmart, covering a variety of key categories, including apparel, outerwear, headwear, accessories, bags, cosmetics, sleepwear, home décor, plush and pet products just in time for the back-to-school shopping season.
The first collection from the Leomil Group, in both footwear and apparel, is targeted at kids and tweens aged between the ages of 6 and 12, and will be presented to customers for winter 2011 across Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Benelux and France. Existing Rebecca Bonbon products in France include bags, stationary, back to school, bed linen, accessories and apparel. European licensees include French company Alpa who are producing more than 60,000 branded products; Italian company Manifatture Zotti for apparel; German company Trend Import and UK stationery company Blueprint. FME acquired rights to the brand from Crown Creative and represents the brand globally (excluding Japan, Korea and China). The property appeals to a broad demographic of tween and teen girls, as well as women who will appreciate the iconic, cute and fashionable nature of the brand.
Albert Milhado, CEO of the Leomil Group, commented: “We are thrilled to work on Rebecca Bonbon as we believe she will quickly grow to be one of the hottest items around. She appeals to tweens, teens and women and the fashionable nature of the brand will make her a must-have for everyone with style."
“Following on from the success of our licensing deals to date, we are extremely excited to launch the Rebecca Bonbon franchise even further across Europe. We’re looking forward to working with Leomil Group, as there is a shared vision and commitment to the success of the Rebecca Bonbon brand,” added Nathalie Delin, Vice President Licensing, FremantleMedia Enterprises, France.
For the 3rd year in a row, Leomil has been awarded in the top global licensees
December 2009
License!Global has published again its "Top Global Licensees", which is considered an exclusive resource, listing licensees across top merchandise categories. "Companies that partner together to generate product that is on trend, priced right and on shelf when the customer wants it." Only companies that fit this description and throughout the year turned significant brands into compelling merchandise and comprehensive licensing programs make it to the list.
For the 3rd year, Leomil is one of the two European companies that have been awarded in the footwear category.
The Leomil Group is specialized in the development and marketing of footwear and apparel based on character franchises and in distribution to all European chains. Over time, Leomil has developed a European leadership position in this field.
Download english press release
Download french press release
Download german press release
Download dutch press release
Disney's Quality award 2009 to Leomil Group
August 2009
Düsseldorf, 23rd June 2009 – At the Disney Sales Meeting prior to the Disney Retail Expo, Leomil has received the Disney Quality Award 2009. Leomil, active in licensed footwear and apparel, stood out because of the highly successful co-operation on the license ‘Hannah Montana’. Their strong footwear collection in combination with a cunning marketing campaign has driven tremendous sales at the German shoe giant Deichmann.
Excellent communication, close co-operation from product development to marketing, and strong interactive exchanges of information and knowledge between Leomil, Disney and Deichmann have lead this project to be a big success story for all parties.
Disney praised the way Leomil has translated the content of ‘Hannah Montana’ into a strong footwear range for tweens. “Leomil has shown a product which is truly compelling and innovative for our consumer and it links perfectly to one of our most loved Disney properties, ‘Hannah Montana’. In addition, Leomil’s footwear exhibits great value for money. Leomil understands and knows the young consumer well. Knowing that Disney’s consumers consider more than just the price when they determine the value of a product, is the key to their success.”
This effective interpretation and the high quality on each level were a decisive ground for Disney to choose Leomil. “For Disney products quality is a given. Quality of construction and design for instance. Furthermore, the quality of the fit of Disney products to the correct franchise attributes is important. This quality connects consumers to our properties and makes our products irresistible. Leomil understands to draw this quality demand into a Disney licensed product.”
A final argument for Disney to give the award to Leomil was the company’s engagement and courage to invest into a new license and to build up this Disney content as a brand statement for Disney.
Highly successful promotion between Leomil, Deichmann & Disney
July 2009
Albert Milhado extends his collaboration with the Leomil/Cortina Group
January 2009
Albert Milhado, former owner of the Leomil Group, has made a major agreement with Leomil/Cortina Group to extend his collaboration.
Dirk Vanderschueren, owner of the Cortina group: 'With the acquisition of Leomil we have made great steps forward and with our own brands Patrick, Sprox, Safety Jogger and co-ownership in Quiva Footwear, we are sure that, with the great support and knowledge of Albert Milhado, we have secured the future of our license and branded division, which is so important for our group in combination with our still growing worldwide Private Label division'.
Albert Milhado: 'The success of our combination is unique and is a real win-win situation. The power of this group combined with our license experience and our strong partners and customers makes our deal a guarantee for the future. Major successes worldwide have been achieved since the take-over. It is a pleasure to work in these circumstances'.
Since the take-over, besides Europe, license deals have also been made in China, Russia and the Middle East. Major companies like Disney, Marvel, Hit, Nick etc. are working with the group. Recently Leomil has been elected as one of the 9 best worldwide license companies in footwear and fashion by the magazine 'License Global'.
The Cortina and Leomil Group stands for more than USD 245 million in sales, which makes them a major player in European markets for footwear and apparel for brands, licensed characters and private labels with facilities in China, Belgium and the Netherlands.
Leomil, active in licensing, is a full-service footwear and fashion marketing source for major retailers and brands. A long-standing experience in this field has made the company a specialist and a leader in the development and distribution of the whole article range covered by licensed products.
Leomil has been selected as one of the top 125 licensee companies for the second year in a row. In the footwear category Leomil is listed as one of the top 10 licensee companies worldwide.
November 2008
The Third Annual Top Global Licensees special report features the key data of 125 prominent licensee companies from every major product category.
License! Global expanded the list again this year adding 25 licensees and organizing it by merchandise category. The report includes contact information, primary business, licenses held and competitive point of difference for each company.
License! Global solicited nominations from retailers and licensees with a ballot posted on its Web site www.licensemag.com. Nominations were based on the following criteria: strong relationships between retailers/vendors and licensor/licensee; product performance at retail; quality, design and innovation of licensed product; and effective promotional materials and in-store collateral.
The list is presented alphabetically by category and is not a ranking by sales or perception, but a resource guide of the top licensees across major merchandise categories.
Marvel and Leomil NV strike major licensing agreement to consolidate European footwear business
New York, NY (June 6, 2008)
Leading Footwear Manufacturer and Distributor Obtains Exclusive Category Rights to Develop and Market Products Featuring Marvel's Renowned Super Hero Universe.
Marvel Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE: MVL) and Leomil NV announced today that they have entered into an exclusive, multi-year licensing agreement that grants the leading international footwear company the exclusive category rights for Marvel branded shoes in Europe including Russia. The multi-million dollar licensing deal consolidates Marvel's European footwear business with a best in breed partner and encompasses all characters in the Marvel Universe for merchandise ranging from fashion, casual and sports shoe styles.
"As we continue to bolster the global licensing program for Marvel, we are focused on building relationships with the top players in major categories who have both the creative vision and marketing and retail clout to truly maximize the potential of our world renowned characters," said Simon Phillips, President, Marvel International and Head of Worldwide Animation and Video Games. Leomil NV truly impressed us with their vision for our brand in the European market. The company undoubtedly has one of the best pedigrees of anyone in the footwear industry and we feel their passion, creativity and retail and marketing strength will make them a strong foundation partner for our overall European licensing program."
Albert Milhado, CEO of Leomil NV added, The Marvel brand and its iconic Super Hero characters are unparalleled in the entertainment industry. With a vision and goal of furthering our position in the licensed footwear category, it was pivotal in our minds to align ourselves with a character brand that would create instant buzz and heavy retail interest. By locking up the exclusive European rights to Marvel, we feel we have put ourselves in a position to solidify our leadership position for years to come and linked ourselves with a leading brand.
This agreement expands upon a running deal between Leomil NV and Marvel for the Spider-Man franchise. The success of that relationship helped lay the foundation for this larger, blockbuster deal. The new deal enables Leomil NV to create footwear based on both the classic comic book look of the Marvel characters, as well as develop lines inspired by upcoming Marvel feature films including: Iron Man 2, Thor, and The Avengers.
About Marvel Entertainment, Inc.
Marvel Entertainment, Inc. is one of the world's most prominent character-based entertainment companies, boasting a library of over 5,000 characters featured in comics, television, film or interactive games over more than sixty years. Marvel utilizes its character franchises in licensing, entertainment (via Marvel Studios) and publishing (via Marvel Comics), with emphasis on feature films, television, DVD, consumer products, video games, action figures, role-playing toys and promotions. Marvel's strategy is to leverage its franchises in a growing array of opportunities around the world. For more information visit www.marvel.com.
The top 100 global licensees
November 2007
The second annual Top Licensees special report features the key data of 100 licensee companies from every major product category. License! Global expanded this year's list from 75 licensees reported in 2006, and this year is including companies based outside the United States.