The Forever Friends licensing programme has seen significant expansion during 2011, with seven new manufacturers signing up to use the original very cute bear on their products, putting the brand in an excellent position for their 25th Anniversary next year. 

The new licensees include baby clothing and accessory supplier Dennicci, who will be producing a range of Forever Friends clothing with several key retailers for 2012.

Manufacturers Fashion-Lab, have also signed up to use the cute designs on a range of ladies and children’s nightwear and daywear whilst textile manufacturer Zap will be producing a fun collection of curtains, towels, fleece blankets, pyjama cases, duvet covers, cushions and rugs all of which feature the cuddly bear.

Leading interior decoration designer, manufacturer and distributor Fine Décor, have signed up to the Forever Friends license and will be producing an attractive range of wall décor including wallpaper, borders and wall stickers.

Hallmark have also teamed up with Izziwotnot, one of the UK’s leading Nursery and Children’s interior specialists to add 2 gorgeous new ranges to their portfolio – Forever Friends Little Star and Forever Friends Beautiful for boys and girls respectively.

In addition to this, beauty electrical supplier, Beauty Works Ltd have also signed up and will be using the original very cute bear to produce an exciting new range of personal care and bedroom accessories for all ages. 

Finally, Inphase International, a major distributor of premium branded electrical items for over 20 years, have joined the Forever Friends stable of licensees. Director, Gary Digva, commented: “We made an astute move to work with Hallmark on Forever Friends, the brand is a growing success and this has been present in all our meetings at major retailers and with other licensee holders”. They will be launching a range of baby products including baby monitors, baby mobiles, projector mobiles and digital clocks.  

With these new licensees on board and more in the pipeline, the Forever Friends brand is flourishing, just in time for its 25th anniversary in 2012. With plenty of marketing activity and new products planned, the year is set to be a celebratory one. 

In addition to acquiring new licensees, existing licensees have also experienced the success of the brand in 2011. One example is Greencore Cakes and Desserts, who have seen Forever Friends celebration cakes buck the trend with 70% YOY growth. Brand Licensing Manager, Gary Bustard, commented: “It’s been a fantastic 2 years for us at Greencore since starting our relationship with Hallmark and the Forever Friends brand. We have a great working partnership delivering a fantastic story, with significant retail wins and amazing year on year growth”. 

Hallmark’s Licensing Manager, Julie Michell, commented “I am absolutely delighted to see how well the brand has grown this year and am certain that 2012 will be a fabulous year for Forever Friends”.