IP licensing

Orlando, Wednesday, 26 November 2025.
Universal Destinations & Experiences is executing a coordinated, IP-first retail play this fall that syndicates regionally proven lines—most notably Japan’s fan‑favorite HamiKuma—into Universal Orlando and Hollywood, creating limited‑edition scarcity to lift per‑capita spend. The most intriguing fact: HamiKuma, previously contained to Universal Studios Japan, will be sold in Orlando and Hollywood, signaling deliberate cross‑park SKU transfers rather than isolated local drops. For retail planners this means tighter SKU selection governance, regional licensing complexity, and supply‑chain flexibility to handle synchronized seasonal spikes. The program aligns merchandise timing with park programming and media moments (including televised promotion of Epic Universe), increasing conversion potential through coordinated demand signals. Operational implications include reallocated inventory, seasonal staffing for immersive retail environments, margin management via exclusivity pricing, and measurable upside from collectible positioning. Retail teams should treat this as a blueprint for leveraging proven IP globally while building executional muscle in omnichannel assortment planning and inventory choreography.

Madrid, Wednesday, 26 November 2025.
Paramount’s 2025 licensing push with Parques Reunidos and Merlin signals a clear pivot: studios are monetising familiar IP across multiple operator platforms to drive family visitation and repeat trips. Most striking is Merlin’s commitment to open the UK’s first dedicated PAW Patrol land at Chessington in 2026 — a pre-school anchor that will include four rides, themed accommodation and bespoke retail. Parques Reunidos is simultaneously embedding Paramount zones across Europe and has joined the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower Network, showing operators pair IP investment with inclusive design. For retail professionals, the near-term playbook changes: higher capital earmarked for branded build-outs, tighter licensing and merchandising agreements, bespoke SKU assortments for younger demographics, F&B concepts aligned to character storytelling, and stricter accessibility compliance that influences layout and product choice. Key commercial levers to monitor are licensing fee structures, phased rollouts affecting inventory timing, capacity-driven SKU planning, and opportunities for exclusive IP merchandise and premium guest experiences.

Madrid, Tuesday, 14 October 2025.
Paramount has accelerated a global licensing push, striking strategic themed-experience deals with Parques Reunidos and Merlin Entertainments that signal a shift from owning assets to monetizing IP. Earlier this year Parques Reunidos confirmed a long-term Paramount partnership while selling its U.S. Palace Entertainment arm to Herschend to redeploy capital toward licensed projects; Merlin is developing the UK’s first PAW Patrol land and expanding Peppa Pig and other Paramount-driven offerings into U.S. footprints. The most intriguing fact: operators are intentionally recycling physical assets to fund rapid IP rollouts, turning studio brands into a scalable, lower-capital route to family visitation gains. For retail and onsite commerce teams this means tighter alignment between master-planning, themed retail assortments, price architecture and capacity-led merchandising—plus new license-fee economics, sustainability and accessibility obligations that will affect lifetime cost models and per-capita revenue forecasts.

Madrid, Monday, 1 September 2025.
Paramount accelerated its Europe play by signing multi‑park licensing deals with Parques Reunidos and Merlin, announced last Sunday, to fast-track Paramount‑branded lands and experiences across operator networks. The most striking development: Merlin will open the UK’s first dedicated PAW Patrol® land at Chessington in 2026, demonstrating Paramount’s tactic of leveraging preschool and family IP to shorten development cycles, lower creative risk, and drive cross‑park retail and F&B synergies. For operators, these partnerships offer standardized design assets and brand guidelines that can compress lead times and support lifecycle refresh planning tied to media schedules. The deals arrive as Parques Reunidos shifts focus toward Europe, signaling renewed competition for proven children’s franchises that may push licensing costs higher and require capacity and themed‑engineering tradeoffs. Retail and operations teams should prepare for integrated merchandising opportunities, tighter seasonality linked to content, and faster refresh cadences as media tie‑ins become central to guest acquisition strategies.