The French retail giant will join licensees Jazwares and Sun City for an exclusive keynote panelexploring The Power of Partnership in European Retail

French retail giant Carrefour 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.

Attendees will first hear Carrefour’s Director of Toys & Leisure Group Marianne Lesimple reveal theretailer’s approach to licensing partnerships, retail strategy innovation and its framework for selecting and executing high-impact brand collaborations. 

Marianne Lesimple will then be joined by Vincent Vandamme, Head of French Office, Jazwares and Sun City’s Chief Operating Officer Emmanuel Assouline for a panel discussion exploring 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, before concluding with an open audience Q&A. The panel will be moderated by Matthieu Battini, EMEA Sales Director, Brand Licensing Europe.

The session will take place on 6 October at 11:30 am in the License Global Main Stage on the Brand Licensing Europe show floor. 

“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,” said Ella Haynes, Event Director, Global Licensing Group, which includes tradeshow events Brand Licensing Europe and Licensing Expo. 

“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.”

The schedule fort BLE 2026 now includes: 

Tuesday 6 October 

• 09:30: ​Your guide to Brand Licensing Europe

• 09:45: ​Brand licensing explained

• 10:30: ​Press briefing: Exclusive reveal of the data driving brand licensing in Europe

• 10:30: ​The Little Prince: From classic masterpiece to global pop icon (sponsored session)

• 12:30: ​New to show and solo traveller networking

• 13:00: ​Toei Animation beyond the fandom: The retail case for anime’s biggest franchises (Sponsored session)

• 15:30: ​From contracts to forecasts: AI across the licensing lifecycle (sponsored session)

• 16:00: ​Global brands, local relevance: How Universal builds franchises that thrive across markets

• 17:00: ​Show Floor Drinks – everybody welcome!

Wednesday 7 October 

• 09:30: ​Mastering brand partnerships: How agents can elevate your licensing strategy

• 09:30: ​Coffee networking

• 10:30: ​State of the Nation: The brand licensing forecast, presented by License Global

• 10:30: ​5 keys to successful brand collaborations – a German perspective 

• 12:30: ​Topic Table Talks

• 13:30: ​Planneta Junior – Milo: The journey to a global brand (sponsored session)

• 13:45: ​Keynote: Unlocking the magic: How Warner Bros. Discovery keeps Harry Potter spellbinding after two decades

• 14:30: ​From factory to market: Understanding your manufacturing and licensee partners

Thursday 8 October 

• 10:00: ​Licensing across Europe: insights from France, Germany and Italy

• 10:00: ​Timeless brands, modern moves: Heritage & museum licensing strategies

• 11:00: ​Trust wears well: Building authentic partnerships consumers believe in

• 12:00: ​Young Persons Network – Careers afternoon