Collegiate Licensing Company, which manages the trademarks of most major colleges, is forecasting retail sales of college fan merchandise could be down 7% this year from sales of $4.3 billion last year. In an interview with Reuters, Derek Eiler, SVP and managing director of CLC said the recession “puts a damper on everything from a retail sales perspective.”
The estimated decline would place its annual sales at around $4 billion, and end roughly five straight years of 8% annual growth.
The article also noted that CLC, which was acquired by IMG Worldwide in 2007, controls 80% share of all college licensed revenue, up from 50% 15 years ago as more schools have consolidated their trademark rights with CLC.
