lakeside Partners attends 2023 sports licensing & tailgate show in las vegas
Following the close of multiple transactions in early 2023, Lakeside Partners’ team covering Licensed and Promotional Products had an active January, attending the Sports Licensing & Tailgate Show in Las Vegas and closing a transaction in the space (pending announcement).
The show brings together the most influential companies in sports licensing, promotional and tailgating products. The event was a tremendous success and a great opportunity for Lakeside to catch up with friends and clients. “The Sports Licensing space has continued to receive strong interest from corporate consolidators and private equity investors,” said Chase Wichelmann, Vice President. “Companies in this space tend to enjoy stable demand from a very consistent customer base and have a very positive outlook on growth potential in 2023 and beyond,” Chase added.
Lakeside sees this industry as unique with several key themes emerging or continuing in 2023:
License Consolidation - Licensors continue to limit the issuance of new licenses to prospective manufacturers & distributors and implement strict quality controls around intellectual property usage.
Technological Enhancement - EDI connectivity, automation of license compliance functions, and historical analysis around customer purchasing dynamics is enabling distribution partners to streamline customer purchase cycles and unlock additional sale opportunities.
Evolution of Market Participants - Manufacturers continue to discontinue in-house licenses and leverage distribution partners for license management and product compliance. Streamlining internal processes and unlocking resources to focus on core competencies.
As these trends continue, we expect to see more consolidation through mergers & acquisitions from both corporate acquirers and private equity investors.
For more information about our firm, please contact:
Chase Wichelmann
Vice President
cwichelmann@lakesidepartners.com
651-356-1753
LAKESIDE PARTNERS RELEVANT EXPERIENCE IN SPORTS LICENSING & PROMOTIONAL PRODUCTS:
Note: Select transactions completed by Lakeside Partners’ principals while at prior firms.