HGTV to Launch Licensed Products in 2010

By Jennifer Marks -- Home Textiles Today, 1/26/2009 12:00:00 AM

New York —

Lifestyle programming force HGTV has retained licensing agency The Beanstalk Group to develop a line of home and garden products set to hit retail in fall 2010. "The brand represents all things home and garden," said Beanstalk ceo Michael Stone. The focus will be on the HGTV brand itself, although some of the personalities from HGTV programming might be pulled into the mix "here and there," he said.

The brand will be developed along two tracks: solution-oriented products and design-driven goods, the umbrella under which home textiles will fall. Beanstalk has a team pursuing solution products in Vegas at the Home Builders Show this week.

When licensees are in place for the design track, HGTV and Beanstalk will assure consistency across categories and will update the design direction regularly.

While HGTV will consider retail exclusives, Stone noted the current environment adds risk to such arrangements. "You have retailers going out of business, licensees going out of business or in Chapter 11 and licensees reeling from lower than expected sales and looking for relief on their contracts," he said. The situation has led to "some very creative deal-making. I tell our people not to let deals die on the vine in 2009 because of aggressive financial requirements. Focus on getting product to the markets."

The HGTV cable network reaches 90 million U.S. households; HGTV.com attracts some 5 million users. Among HGTV celebrity decorators with soft home lines: Genevieve Gorder, who teamed with Springs Global on the Springmaid relaunch; and Candice Olson, whose eponymous line is made by Design Works, JLA, Venus Home Fashions and Surya.