Merchantwise, a leading gaming and entertainment brand licensing agency headquartered in Melbourne with offices in Australia, the UK, Europe, and China, is gearing up for Brand Licensing Europe (BLE) 2025 with exciting new collections and collaborations. We spoke with Phillipe Bost, Merchantwise Managing Director EMEA, LATAM, and North Asia, to get an inside look at what attendees can expect from their stand this year.
Why is BLE to be an unmissable part of your yearly show/networking calendar?
After exhibiting at BLE for the first time in 2024, Merchantwise is making a return to BLE in 2025 with its biggest IP showcase yet. BLE is an amazing opportunity to extend the Merchantwise agency and build new relationships with licensees, retailers and clients in UK and Europe, as well as catch up face to face with our existing partners. We have no doubt that BLE is the best event to attend in EMEA!
Why should retailers and manufacturers visit your stand at BLE?
Merchantwise is back at BLE in 2025 with a blockbuster line-up of IP featuring the biggest and best brand names in gaming and entertainment including Call of Duty®, Poppy Playtime, The Phantom of the Opera, Jesus Christ Superstar, Dune, Cult of the Lamb and Rip Curl.
Which brands/properties will you be highlighting at this year’s event?
Activision Blizzard including Call of Duty®, World of Warcraft®, Overwatch®, Diablo®, Crash Bandicoot®, StarCraft® and Spyro the Dragon® which are played by hundreds of millions of people around the world on console, mobile and PC.
MOB Entertainment’s episodic survival horror video game series and transmedia empire, Poppy Playtime.
LW Entertainment portfolio – bringing the world-renowned catalogue of The Phantom of the Opera, Cats, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat, Starlight Express, Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita, and more to BLE for the first time in 2025. Legendary Entertainment – Dune franchise, exploring European licensing and consumer products opportunities.
Rip Curl – Asembl, an FMCG specialist agency and fellow business unit of Merchantwise, will also be at BLE with iconic surf brand, Rip Curl. With global representation for ‘the ultimate surfing company’, Asembl will be looking to carve out exciting and innovative brand partnerships and collaborations for the brand’s authentic iconography, integrity, and legacy.
Are you launching new brands, products, and announcing any news at BLE?
Now leading MOB Entertainment’s licensing and consumer products portfolio in Europe and the UK, Merchantwise will showcase the episodic survival horror video game series, Poppy Playtime, at BLE for the first time.
Merchantwise will bring LW Entertainment’s world-renowned catalogue of The Phantom of the Opera, Cats, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat, Starlight Express, Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita, and more to BLE for the first time in 2025. With 2026 marking the 40th anniversary of The Phantom of the Opera, Merchantwise will be seeking out licensing and consumer product partners for the portfolio across UK, Europe, China, Australia and New Zealand.
What do you hope to achieve by exhibiting at BLE?
Showcase our exciting line up of brands across gaming and entertainment. Deepen relationships with existing partners and forge new opportunities with new licensees and retailers. Showcase our new partnerships: MOB Entertainment bringing global sensation Poppy Playtime to BLE for the first time in 2025, bringing LW Entertainment’s world-renowned catalogue of The Phantom of the Opera, Cats, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat, Starlight Express, Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita, and more to BLE for the first time in 2025.
