Growth for Bing softlines as Acamar Films renews deals with apparel partners

Following the continued success of Bing softlines in the UK, Acamar Films has announced the renewal of existing apparel partnerships with William Lamb, Aykroyds & TDP and Fashion UK.

In the last year, there has been an increase in the overall apparel business with sales doubling in the first six months of 2021 against the same period in 2020 and the daywear business seeing a significant increase. Yearly trend guides are supporting the development of fresh and colourful designs and the latest guide, released in September, is already inspiring new ranges for delivery in 2022.

Aykroyds & TDP has been a successful long-term partner for Bing, with its nightwear range naturally aligning with bedtime routines, one of the show’s key themes.

Dean Greasley, Head of Licensing at TDP Textiles, says: “Bing has been a core offering in our preschool stable since 2016 and each year the Bing business has steadily grown for us. We are delighted to be renewing our partnership once more with the Bing team.”

Bing’s gender-neutral appeal has enabled Fashion UK to capture key online retail space during a challenging time, offering apparel-buying departments flexibility with their merchandising.

Hannah Miles, Joint Managing Director at Fashion UK, says: “Gender neutral brands are becoming more of a consideration when our buyers are looking at properties to support. Bing has a unisex appeal and the yearly trend guides mean that we can offer each of our retailers a different look and feel, with timeless designs to suit any time of the year.”

Online was a key area for softline growth in 2021. The launch of new girlswear lines on the Asda George website for spring/summer, Smiffys’ new Sula costume at Sainsbury’s TU for World Book Day and a Character.com website takeover in July generated a huge audience response, with Bing’s highly engaged social community sharing photos of their Bingsters enjoying their Bing apparel.

Meanwhile, autumn/winter has seen the launch of the new Bing BBC Children in Need range, with exclusive clothing lines available on The Bing Store and a portion of the proceeds going towards helping young people across the UK.

Louise Simmonds, Head of UK Licensing at Acamar Films, comments: “We are delighted to have seen real growth this year across all our apparel categories. The launches of some great new products and an expansion of our retail footprint is a real positive in what has continued to be a tough year. We very much look forward to continuing with all our partners.”

 

Acamar Films launches Bing dental and bath time products with Solent Brands

Acamar Films, producers of award-winning TV show Bing along with Brown Bag Films, has launched Bing’s first health and beauty products in the UK with new partner Solent Brands.

Hitting shelves now are a Bing toothbrush and toothpaste, launching in B&M, and tissue packs, available in Poundland.

“Bing is a great addition to the Health and Beauty category in our Solent Brand group,” says Anthony Balkin, Managing Director of Solent Brands. “A much-loved gender-neutral license, Bing supports real life learning and skill development and we are excited to encourage this with the launch of our Bing oral care products and tissues. We look forward to extending the range in 2022.”

Louise Simmonds, Head of UK Licensing at Acamar Films, says: “It is wonderful to begin this exciting new partnership with Solent Brands and to see Bing launch into a new category in the UK. We hope these fantastic new products will delight Bingsters as they build healthy bedtime routines and equally, support the grown-ups in their lives.”

 

Acamar Films renews Bing partnership with master toy licensee Golden Bear

Acamar Films, producers of the multi-award-winning TV show Bing along with Brown Bag Films, has renewed its licensing deal with master toy licensee Golden Bear. The EMEA agreement, which extends the partnership for a further four years, will run until 2025.

Golden Bear has seen huge success with its Bing toys since launching into the UK market in the autumn of 2019. The initial range, featuring core character plush toys – including the award-winning Light Up Bing With Hoppity and figurines – was a sell-out sensation for Christmas 2019.

A pan-European partnership, Golden Bear’s toy sales for Bing have increased not just in the UK but across multiple markets including Italy, where Bing continues to be the top pre-school property, the Netherlands and Central Eastern Europe. Further expansion is planned for 2022 and beyond, in line with Bing’s growing licensing programme.

Over the three years since the range launched, Bing has become Golden Bear’s number one global license and seen an impressive 110 per cent sales uplift between 2019 and 2021. This growth continues into Christmas 2021, with a 52 per cent increase in retailer stocking points compared to AW20.

Delivering a multi-year product strategy to steadily expand the toy lines, the range has expanded further across feature plush, playsets and most recently bath toys. The development of additional characters and locations are serving to grow Bing’s world and ensure the longevity of the range.

Set to delight Bingsters this Christmas are the hero lines for AW21: Bing’s House Playset, with nine accessories, and the fun and interactive Musical Statues Dancing Bing, both of which will be fully supported across TV, digital and social platforms. The toys aim to inspire creativity, build imagination and encourage role-play in little ones as they bring the TV show to life.

“I am very proud of what our team and distribution partners have achieved with Bing over the last three years,” says Barry Hughes, Managing Director at Golden Bear. “We are delighted to have signed a further long-term agreement with Acamar Films on the property and look forward to introducing Bing toys into new markets. The highly experienced Acamar Films team have proven themselves to be experts in getting all the building blocks in place to ensure success in every market in which we have launched. We are so excited about what the next few years hold for Bing in both current and new territories.”

Natalie Harvey, Executive Director of Sales at Acamar Films adds: “Golden Bear have delivered a wonderful range of Bing toys which continue to delight our Bingsters across the world – with so much more to come. In the last three years, the Golden Bear team has shown true innovation, care and talent as they have built out the world of Bing, whilst successfully negotiating the industry’s many challenges.”

Bing is an International Emmy award-winning show with broadcast deals in over 130 territories worldwide including the USA, where it launched on Cartoonito with WarnerMedia in September 2021.