BBC Worldwide has signed Established Brands to create
the first ever range of Lonely Planet branded luggage, travel accessories and
apparel on behalf of the travel brand. Established brands has worked with Nike,
Teva, Uggs and Swiss Army, among others.
The deal marks the first time in Lonely Planet's 37 year
history that the travel brand has launched a major global licensing program
that extends the brand across a variety of platforms. It is expected that the
full range of products will be available in 2012 onwards, starting with the UK,
U.S. and Australian markets.
Lonely Planet CEO, Matt Goldberg said: “Lonely
Planet is one of the most iconic brands in travel. Through our guides, we've
been on the road with travelers for 37 years, and we are looking forward to
deepening our connection with customers via a unique range of new products that
will have been tried and tested by our authors and professional travelers.”
Keith Harrison, Partner of Established Brands and founder
of Compass Marketing added: “Established Brands and Compass Marketing have
been associated with some of the world's most respected brands including Nike,
Teva, Uggs and Swiss Army and we are very excited to add Lonely Planet to that
roster and grow such an iconic name across entirely new brand extension
categories.”
Tom Keefer, SVP Global Licensing said: “Established
Brands and Compass Marketing have an unprecedented history of brand building,
retail development skills and business acumen. Their expertise in this area
made them a perfect fit for Lonely Planet and we look forward to developing a
range of products that bear the hallmark of quality that consumers associate
with this market leading travel brand.”
Lonely Planet is the world's leading guide book publisher
with over 20 percent market share.
