PRESS RELEASE, September 8, 2021
As of today, Fiskars Group becomes a shareholder in Rights & Brands, master agent of the Moomins and licensing agent of iconic Nordic brands. With joint business planning as well as shared international growth plans and initiatives, Rights & Brands, Fiskars Group and Moomin Characters aim to develop new concepts globally, through this joint licensing, retail and consumer-first business strategy and expansion journey.
Rights & Brands, with its headquarters in Stockholm, Sweden, is a licensing agency focusing on bringing Nordic brands to a global arena. Moomin Characters is the proprietor of the Moomins and a shareholder in Rights & Brands. Now, 70 years after Tove Jansson, creator of the Moomins, designed the first Moomin mugs for the Arabia brand (now owned by Fiskars Group), Fiskars Group, Rights & Brands and Moomin Characters join forces with the aim to develop new consumer-centric concepts globally.
The new arrangement with Fiskars Group as a minority shareholder in Rights & Brands (R&B), the long-time Moomin master agent, solidifies the unique partnership and grants Fiskars Group access to a wide portfolio of R&B’s beloved brands, including the Moomins.
“At Rights & Brands, we are very much looking forward to the exciting synergies we are creating with this new partnership. R&B, Moomin and Fiskars jointly offer an extremely appealing mix of art, brand development, retail knowledge, territorial coverage and storytelling. Bringing together our respective networks, insights and know-how is set to completely re-write the path of licensing,” says Patrick Ullman, CEO of Rights & Brands.
Currently, Fiskars Group produces the immensely popular Moomin tableware series as well as a great selection of other products in the home category. Through the partnership, Fiskars Group, R&B and Moomin Characters are looking beyond the present products and categories to grow even further globally, reaching both existing fans and new audiences with exciting concepts and platforms.
“This is an outstanding moment for us. Two iconic Finnish design powerhouses join forces to tap into new geographies beyond existing markets, thanks notably to the international network and licensing expertise of R&B. Our shared global ambition, values and love for Nordic lifestyle and design provide an excellent starting point for deepening our collaboration,” says Nathalie Ahlström, CEO of Fiskars Group.
“The Moomin stories are essentially about the most important things in life, to anyone anywhere, anytime”, tells Sophia Jansson, Owner and Creative Director of Moomin Characters. “Respect for one another, family, love, compassion, tolerance, freedom and appreciating the nature are key to the the Moomins and to us as a company. Throughout our long, joint history, Fiskars Group has done an extraordinary job of transforming stories and artwork into enchanting and beautiful products. I am utterly excited about this new joint step towards a wider, international collaboration,” tells Sophia Jansson, Owner and Creative Director of Moomin Characters.
The partnership with Fiskars Group adds yet another expansive strand of business development to Rights & Brands’ previous investments and business alliances with Rovio Entertainment Corporation (Angry Birds) and Gutsy Animations (Moominvalley animation) earlier this year.
For more information, please contact:
Patrick Ullman, CEO, Rights & Brands
Tel: +46 (0) 733 649 329
E-mail:patrick.ullman@rightsandbrands.com
Roleff Kråkström, CEO, Moomin Characters
Tel: +358 (0)400 549 692
E-mail: roleff.krakstrom@moomin.com
Kati Kaskeala, Vice President, Brand Portfolio & Communication, Fiskars Group
Tel +358 40 841 7884,
E-mail: kati.kaskeala@fiskars.com
About Rights & Brands
Rights & Brands is a 360 licensing and publishing agency bringing Nordic rights and brands to a global arena. With a strategic base in literature, art and design, R&B’s platform is built on knowledge, passion and people. Using all aspects of character representation and branding, from publishing and PR to licensing, merchandising and digital development, with a worldwide network of sub-agents and over 800 clients, R&B’s international insight and business capacity is unique.
Rights & Brands represents iconic Nordic brands, artists and authors and is the worldwide master agent on behalf of Moomin Characters. Other representation includes Astrid Lindgren and Ilon Wikland, Mauri Kunnas, Stig Lindberg, Carl Larsson-gården. Sundborn and many more.
With headquarters in Stockholm and local branches in Helsinki, Oslo and Tokyo, R&B was founded in 2016 by Moomin Characters and Bulls, combining over 70 years of licensing experience.
Moomin Characters
Moomin Characters Oy Ltd is the official copyright holder of all the Moomin characters. All characters from Moominvalley are trademark registered worldwide. The Moomins are central characters in a series of books and comic strips written by Finnish-Swedish writer and artist Tove Jansson between 1945 and 1980. They are one of Finland’s biggest exports and have a global fan base.
The company was founded in the 1950’s by Tove Jansson (1914-2001) and her brother Lars Jansson to take care of the copyright of the Moomins and is still run by family members. Rights and Brands is the worldwide licensing agent of the company.
Find out more about Tove Jansson and the Moomins here:
Fiskars Group – Making the everyday extraordinary
Fiskars Group’s vision is to create a positive, lasting impact on our quality of life. Our brands Fiskars, Gerber, Iittala, Royal Copenhagen, Waterford, and Wedgwood are present in people’s everyday lives – at home, in the garden, and outdoors. This gives us an opportunity to make the everyday extraordinary today, and for future generations. We have a presence in 30 countries, and our products are available in more than 100 countries. Our shares are listed on the Nasdaq Helsinki (FSKRS).
Please visit us at www.fiskarsgroup.com for more information and follow us on Twitter @fiskarsgroup.