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| Mike Stagg, VP of Retail, Disney U.K., and David Aykroyd, Lifetime Achievement Winner |
The Walt Disney Company U.K. & Ireland unveiled the winners at its inaugural Licensee Awards Wednesday at a gala dinner at London’s Hurlingham Club.
More than 80 licensees from across the industry attended the awards ceremony, which celebrated excellence in licensing for Disney.
The shortlist and winners for each category were decided by a panel of senior Disney executives, who based their decisions on consumer engagement, product innovation, cross-category approach and communication across multiple platforms.
“We were delighted to host so many esteemed licensee partners at this special celebration and to be able to recognize the fantastic products, campaigns and outstanding service that they have delivered for The Walt Disney Company over the past year, and in some cases much longer,” says Mike Stagg, vice president retail, Disney U.K. “We will continue to work with all of our licensee partners bringing innovation and excellence in everything we do during 2014 and beyond.”
For the first time, the ceremony also included the presentation of a Licensee Lifetime Achievement Award, which was given to David Aykroyd, joint managing director, Aykroyd & Sons. This special award was in recognition of a family business that has been a Disney licensee for more than 30 years and that holds Disney, Marvel and Lucas contracts for their range of nightwear apparel.
“We have enjoyed a wonderful relationship with Disney for many years now,” says Aykroyd. “Their characters and stories continue to inspire our products and uniquely bring them to life, and it is an honor to receive this award.”
Other winners and shortlisted licensees include:
Best New Licensee: Ferrero (shortlist: Eaglemoss, High Street TV)
Most Innovative Product of 2013: High Street TV’s Stompeez (shortlist: Talking Sofia with Animal Friends, Tilt n Fly Dusty)
Most Integrated Marketing Campaign of the Year: Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2013 (shortlist: Primark Monsters University, Hasbro Iron Man 3)
Best Boys’ Licensee: Pyramid (shortlist: Hasbro, Fabric Flavours)
Best Girls’ and Tween Licensee: Jakks (shortlist: Ravensburger, Cooneen)
Best Adult and Teen Licensee: Primark (shortlist: Pyramid, Knitmania)
Best Infant and Preschool Licensee: Dennicci (shortlist: Tomy, Flair)
Best Publishing Licensee: Parragon (shortlist: Panini, Eaglemoss)
Business Partner of the Year: Procos (shortlist: LEGO, Character World)
