Carrefour to headline licensing keynote panel at Brand Licensing Europe 2026
French retail giant Carrefour – the fourth biggest grocer in Europe, with a footprint of 12,000 stores globally – will join licensees Jazwares and Sun City for an exclusive keynote panel, “The Power of Partnership in European Retail,” at this year’s Brand Licensing Europe.
BLE visitors will hear Carrefour’s Director of Toys & Leisure Group, Marianne Lesimple, talk about the retailer’s approach to licensing partnerships, retail strategy innovation, and its framework for selecting and executing high-impact brand collaborations.
She will then join Vincent Vandamme, Head of French Office at Jazwares, and Sun City’s Chief Operating Officer, Emmanuel Assouline, to discuss the trio’s recent Pokémon collaboration, including exclusive insight into how the partnership came to life, the strategic decisions that shaped it, and the exciting plans for its activation across Europe. Concluding with an audience Q&A, the panel will be moderated by Matthieu Battini, EMEA Sales Director at Brand Licensing Europe.
The session will take place on 6 October at 11.30am in the License Global Main Stage on the Brand Licensing Europe show floor.
Key takeaways will include:
- How brands and licensees can expect to work with a major European retailer like Carrefour
- European retail landscape insights, including regional consumer trends and how to navigate the market
- The processes involved in working with major partners
Ella Haynes, Event Director at Brand Licensing Europe, said: “We are beyond excited to bring together three major players in brand licensing – retailer Carrefour and licensees Jazwares and Sun City – for the first time at Brand Licensing Europe.
“The BLE audience will exclusively hear why Jazwares, Sun City and Carrefour were such a perfect match for this Pokémon collaboration, get a behind-the-scenes look at the journey from concept to execution and leave armed with valuable lessons on leveraging collaboration to drive success in the licensing industry.
“Carrefour delivered a fascinating headline address to a packed audience at France Licensing Day in June, so we are delighted to bring this new keynote session to a much broader and bigger European audience.”
Taking place from 6-8 October at Excel London, Brand Licensing Europe is the only pan-European annual event dedicated to licensing and brand extension. Register before 5 October for a free visitor pass.
