Brand Licensing Europe (BLE) opened its doors yesterday with new data from event sponsor, Licensing International, revealing that European sales of licensed merchandise and services reached $82.4 billion in 2025, an increase of 3.8%.
Western Europe, home to many of the brands, retailers, licensees and manufacturers gathering at BLE this week, accounted for $70.1 billion, up 4%, while Eastern Europe rose 3.2% to $12.3 billion.
Data from Licensing International’s Global Licensing Industry Study shows that Character & Entertainment remains the largest IP type in Europe, accounting for 53.5% of sales, followed by Corporate Brands at 25.5%. Some of the biggest increases came from Publishing, up 18.8%, Sports at +13.4% and Collegiate at +7.8%. At product level, Food & Beverage rose +15.8%, Software, Video Games & Apps +15.2% and Sporting Goods was up 12.7%.
The results varied considerably between individual markets. The UK recorded the largest overall increase of the four top reporting European countries highlighted in the study, rising 7.2% to $19.2bn, driven by sharp increases for Corporate Brands at +32.6%, Publishing at +25.1% and Food & Beverage at +27.3%.
- Germany grew +5.3% to $14.6bn, where Publishing was up 20.3% and Toys +15.8%.
- France reached $8.1bn, up 1.8%, with Music rising 23.8% and Toys +14.6%.
- Italy generated $5bn, an increase of 0.8%, where individual sectors moved considerably faster, including Sports at +23.9%, Publishing at +20% and Art at +16.7%.
Ella Haynes, event director, Brand Licensing Europe, said: “These findings feel particularly significant against the wider retail picture across Europe. Licensing continues to prove its strength as a business strategy, delivering growth across four of the major European markets highlighted in the study despite continued pressure on consumers and retailers. Time and again, we see the power of strong brands and fandom come through in more challenging trading conditions, creating opportunities for retailers and manufacturers to connect with consumers through the characters, teams, games, artists and brands they love. There are clear differences between countries and categories, which is exactly why bringing the industry together at BLE matters – to share what’s working, understand where the opportunities lie and turn those insights into new business.”
Global sales reach $389.8 billion
Beyond Europe, global sales of licensed merchandise and services increased 5.45% to $389.8bn in 2025. North Asia recorded the largest regional rise at +14.1%, followed by LATAM at 7.6% and South Asia/PAC at +5.3%, while US/Canada remains the world’s largest licensing territory, accounting for 58.3% of sales.
Character & Entertainment was the largest property type globally, up 8% to $161.8bn, followed by Corporate Brands at $98bn. Sports climbed 8.5% to $44.4bn and Publishing rose 5.9% to $22.2bn.
Apparel led product sales at $52.9bn, followed by Toys at $46.4bn and Software, Video Games & Apps at $43.1bn. Of those three categories, Software, Video Games & Apps saw the fastest increase at +12.5%.
Maura Regan, president of trade association Licensing International, which sponsors Brand Licensing Europe, said: “What really stands out in this year’s research is the breadth of opportunity across licensing, from the continued growth of art and experiences to strong performances in sport, gaming and food and beverage. It’s also fascinating to see that, in the first year we’ve measured it, social media is already generating 16% of online sales globally. With 32% of licensed sales now taking place online, this gives us an important new benchmark for understanding how and where consumers are buying licensed products.”
Further evidence of licensing’s strength comes from new Circana data released today, which shows licensed toys continuing to significantly outperform the wider European toy market.
Across the EU5 (UK, France, Germany, Italy and Spain), total toy sales grew +8% in value year-to-date to August 2026, while licensed toys surged +20% – two and a half times faster. Licensed products now account for 35% of all toy sales across the five markets, up from 31% in 2025.
Sport has been a major driver, with FIFA recording the largest increase on the back of this summer’s Men’s World Cup and highlighting the growing opportunity for sports licensing within toys. Movie-related properties also remain strong, up 10%, led by Toy Story, with sales six times higher than in 2025, alongside Spider-Man (+47%) and Super Mario (+43%). TV and streaming-related licensing rose +15%, with newer properties including One Piece Live Action and KPop Demon Hunters driving sales, while Pokémon remains the #1 one toy property and is up a further 9%.
Melissa Symonds, UK toy director at Circana, said: “Licensed toys are taking an increasingly significant share of the European toy market, and 20% growth against 8% for toys overall shows just how powerful licensing can be. What’s particularly interesting this year is the breadth of fandom behind that performance, from the huge impact of the FIFA World Cup and established movie franchises to new streaming content finding an audience through toys. With more than one in three toy sales across the EU5 now licensed, brands and characters that consumers already know and love are proving to be an increasingly important part of what drives the market.”
Brand Licensing Europe takes place at Excel London from 6-8 October 2026. More details can be found here.
