Merchandising & Licensing as growth driver for Japanese retailer Uniqlo and for French Museum Le Louvre!
Uniqlo has been a heavy user of Entertainment IP’s, including Mickey and Star Wars, to boost sales. Now it is adding a premier cultural dimension to its merchandise offering with Le Louvre and its portfolio of global icons such as Mona Lisa. With 4 years to go and 2 collections per year, Uniqlo customers worldwide will be able to buy merchandise without having to travel to Paris!
For Le Louvre museum, the deal serves a dual purpose. It helps compensating the decline of several revenue streams and it positions merchandising as a potential growth driver for the future: merchandising revenues grew by 44% in 2020 vs 2019, in spite of the covid pandemic!
It also enables the museum to broaden its target audiences. Especially for the younger ones who may not come to the museum but might be tempted by a fashionable and lifestyle treatment of Mona Lisa or other iconic assets.
This strategy replicates what PSG or Manchester United are doing to grow their revenue and penetration of new target audiences and territories.
Photo credit: Uniqlo
