Debra Joester, President, and Jackie Demaio, Director, traveled to Asia to meet with retailers, mall events developers, restaurant and pop up shop companies and leading manufacturers in China, Japan and Korea. In addition to assessing the booming Asia market, the JLG team met with the local teams executing our global brand licensing program for The World of Eric Carle.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of Eric Carle’s timeless book, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, and the JLG team is working closely with our partners around the world to celebrate this milestone. In China, the team met with publishers Penguin and Hsin Yi, Toys R Us and other retailers, mall events creators in Shanghai, and our global apps licensee, Touch Press. Eric Carle’s books are trusted and preferred by Chinese parents, selling millions of copies in China and 2019 promises to be a breakout year for The World of Eric Carle in China with live shows, mall events, subscription apps launching in simple Mandarin and new products in market.
In Japan, where The World of Eric Carle is a leading infant/toddler brand, our local representative Cosmo Merchandising organized four days of productive meetings with retailers, licensees and experiential event partners. Breakfast off the Very Hungry Caterpillar menu at JS Pancake House and the healthy Very Hungry Caterpillar kids meal at Freshness Burger were two of many highlights of the trip.
In South Korea, JLG had assessed changes and opportunities in the market with our new local representative for the World of Eric Carle, Joon.