PGA Tour Signs U.K. Licensing Deal With Marks & Spencer Chain

By Jon Show, Staff Writer, SportsBusiness Journal

The PGA Tour has signed its broadest licensing agreement in the U.K., doing a multi-year deal with the Marks & Spencer department store chain that covers co-branded apparel and accessories in its more than 70 retail stores in the region. Marks & Spencer will initially carry men’s apparel and accessories but will eventually expand into children’s and women’s clothes. The deal also includes e-commerce rights in Europe. This marks the PGA Tour’s first licensing deal with a retailer in the U.K., as opposed to individual products, and will be a model for future international deals, said PGA Tour Senior VP/Retail Licensing Tim Hawes. The deal was brokered by the PGA Tour and Global Brands Group, the Tour’s international licensing agent. Terms were not available. The PGA Tour cleared $32M on $47M in corporate and retail licensing revenue in 2008, according to financial records.