Character World dreams big with £14.5m Secure Trust Bank finance deal

Licenced textile product provider Character World has secured a £14.5m refinance package from Secure Trust Bank Commercial Finance, as it plans for growth in 2022.

The business has increased its working capital facility from £8m to £10m after four years of working with the bank, to help meet increased demand for its products. Secure Trust Bank has also provided an additional £4.5m term loan to refinance an outstanding unitranche facility that was put in place when Palatine Private Equity backed the business in 2014.

Cheadle Hulme-based Character World is the leading manufacturer and distributor of licensed bedding for children in the UK and Europe, allowing the best-loved characters from brands like Fortnite, Minecraft, Warner Brothers, Nickelodeon, PlayStation, Lego, and Pokémon to become part of their world.

Founded as a family business in 1998 by Tommy Schweiger and his son Danny, the 52-strong firm has been under the stewardship of Danny and his brother Mark for almost 20 years and has partnerships with some of the biggest names in UK retail including Amazon, Primark, Aldi, Tesco, Asda, Littlewoods and Next.

The firm reported over a 20 per cent increase in turnover following the Covid-19 lockdown, as consumers turned to online shopping. As the business looks ahead to its busiest period of the year, in the run-up to the festive season, the additional £2m working capital facility will allow Character World to invest in new licenses, new revenue streams and meet further increases in demand.

“Business is going really well and we’re pleased to be able to utilise our existing relationship with Secure Trust Bank to further this growth,” says Max Paterson, finance director at Character World. “Their understanding of our business – having worked with us for four years – has made the process much easier for us. We know that we can have proactive discussions with the team and that they are willing to find the right solution to support us where perhaps other lenders may not have been so flexible.

“Moving forward, we want to maintain the positive results we have seen following the increase in online shopping and the backing we’ve received from Secure Trust Bank will help us to do that.”

Paul Johnston, regional managing director at Secure Trust Bank Commercial Finance, said: “Over the last four years working with Character World, we have developed a strong relationship with the team, fostered a deep understanding of its business and used our knowledge of ABL to create flexible facilities that can evolve with the business. Our continuing work with Character World underlines our commitment to forming long-term partnerships with clients and helping them to thrive.”

 

 

 

SEGA Europe details ‘hand-picked’ Sonic partner line up across toys, textiles, food & drink and more

SEGA Europe has unveiled a new line up of merchandise and consumer product deals for its flagship character, Sonic the Hedgehog, in what it has billed ‘a hand-picked line up of industry leaders’ to help celebrate the property’s landmark 30th anniversary this year.

With production on the film sequel, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 now underway and the recent unveiling of the new Netflix series, Sonic Prime – both slated for 2022 – SEGA is enticing audiences with ‘plenty to get excited about in Sonic’s immediate future’ thanks to a swathe of new partners for the brand.

“This is a momentous year for Sonic the Hedgehog and his fans, and we are incredibly proud to be partnering with so many leaders in their field across such a diverse range of product categories,” said Jason Rice, director of brand licensing at SEGA of Europe. “Our partners list will continue to grow throughout the year so look out for more exciting announcements in the near future!”

In the world of toys and collectibles, SEGA of Europe has recently teamed up with toy innovation company, Wow! Stuff, on its award-winning Wow! Pods range, which will feature light-up characters from the Sonic universe, housed within interconnecting display cases.

A new deal has also been inked with HoloToyz, who will be launching a range of stickers, decals and temporary tattoos embedded with augmented reality technology which can be brought to life via its free HoloToyz app, while long standing partner First4Figures will also be launching a brand-new, limited edition 30th Anniversary resin statue. 

Meanwhile several deals have been inked with leading players across home, textiles and personal care including, Character World for bedding, Groovy UK for bath robes, towels and washbags, Stor for tableware, and UK based company Corsair will market a brand-new range of kids’ toiletries including wash mitts and bath fizzers.

In the gifting and greetings cards space, SEGA Europe continues to add new partnerships to support an already flourishing business. Fizz Creations is preparing gift sets, drinkware, electrical accessories, games & puzzles and even Christmas decorations, whilst leading online retailer Moonpig, has already launched a successful series of personalised greetings cards.

The Sonic licensing programme is also expanding into food & beverage with leading UK based food manufacturer Finsbury Foods set to launch branded celebration cakes into major grocers later this year, and G FUEL’s Sonic branded energy drink, already a massive hit in the US, will be arriving to UK shores soon. 

In the world of contemporary art and pop culture SEGA Europe is proud to be partnering with Moor Art Gallery for a series of exclusive screen-printed poster art and 30th Anniversary commemorative enamel PINS, all slated to launch later this year.

And finally, The Blue Blur’s existing fashion & lifestyle business is set to grow and expand with a series of new collaborations including high-end fashion designer, Marc Jacques Burton. He is set to market a limited 30th Anniversary capsule collection, including jackets, hoodies, tees, and accessories to be distributed online and through select luxury fashion outlets worldwide.

Elsewhere, Global Brands Group is developing an exclusive new kids’ apparel range for leading fashion retailer Skechers, to launch throughout Europe in the near future.

British textile brand Emily Burningham lands nightwear deal with Japan’s Wacoal

The British textile brand, Emily Burningham, has struck a new deal with the Japanese manufacturer Wacoal to launch a new collection of nightwear products across the region.

The programme – developed in conjunction with the licensing agency Cosmo Merchandising – adds to an existing range of ceramics, textiles, and stationery products that is already available across Japan.

Cosmo Merchandising has been working in Japan to develop a licensing programme for the Emily Burningham brand, signing partners across a wealth of categories. 

The new nightwear collection has already been well received, especially in the Department Store sector, with elegant displays featuring at the Isetan Group store in Tokyo.

“We are very excited about the opportunities that this new development can help to create both in Japan and here in the UK,” said Shaun Kelly, brand consultant at Cosmo Merchandising.

The Emily Burningham studio aims to create sophisticated print designs. In the UK, the studio manufactures a range of wallpaper and textiles for soft furnishings and light upholstery.

“I am delighted to have Wacoal as a new partner in Japan,” said Burningham. “The quality of this collection is very high and I am sure it will appeal to the discerning Japanese consumer.”