French retail giant joins Jazwares and Sun City for The Power of Partnership in European Retail session
Brand Licensing Europe (BLE) has announced that French retail giant Carrefour will join leading licensees Jazwares and Sun City for an exclusive keynote panel exploring the future of retail partnerships and brand collaborations.
Taking place at Brand Licensing Europe 2026, which returns to ExCeL London from 6-8 October, the session, titled The Power of Partnership in European Retail, will provide visitors with behind-the-scenes insight into how major retailers, licensors and licensees work together to create successful brand extension strategies.
Carrefour, the fourth-largest grocery retailer in Europe with a global footprint of around 12,000 stores, will be represented by Marianne Lesimple, Director of Toys & Leisure Group, who will share the retailer’s approach to licensing partnerships, retail innovation and the framework behind selecting and developing high-impact collaborations.
Marianne will then be joined by Vincent Vandamme, Head of French Office at Jazwares, and Emmanuel Assouline, Chief Operating Officer at Sun City, for a panel discussion exploring their recent Pokémon collaboration with Carrefour.
The session will reveal how the partnership was created, the strategic decisions behind its development and how the collaboration will be activated across European markets. Visitors will also have the opportunity to take part in an audience Q&A.
The keynote takes place on 6 October at 11.30am on the License Global Main Stage at the BLE show floor.
Key takeaways will include:
– How brands and licensees can successfully work with major European retailers
– Insights into regional consumer trends and the changing European retail landscape
– The processes involved in developing successful retail partnerships
“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.”
Ella Haynes, Event Director, Global Licensing Group
Ella Haynes, Event Director, Global Licensing Group explained: “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.”
More keynote sessions announced
BLE has also confirmed that Warner Bros. Discovery Consumer Products Group will deliver a keynote session titled Unlocking the magic: How Warner Bros. Discovery keeps Harry Potter spellbinding after two decades on Wednesday 7 October at 1.45pm.
Other highlights from the 2026 content programme include:
- Global brands, local relevance: How Universal builds franchises that thrive across markets
- A fireside chat exploring how Universal develops entertainment properties into successful global franchises while adapting to local audiences.
- Timeless brands, modern moves: Heritage & museum licensing strategies
- An expert panel featuring representatives from London Zoo, the Natural History Museum, Van Gogh Museum and Tate, discussing how heritage organisations build successful licensing partnerships while protecting their identity and mission.
Brand Licensing Europe is the only pan-European annual event dedicated to licensing and brand extension.
Visitors can register for a free pass before 5 October here.
