UK is £11bn spin-off king

The UK is the spin-off product capital of Europe.

Nearly £11billion worth of licenced products – from Paddington Bear and Peppa Pig to Harry Potter and Manchester City Football Club – were sold here last year, up 17.6% since 2014.

That raked in £626million in royalties for the firms that own the rights to them, according to the Licensing Industry Merchandisers’ Association ahead of a conference that kicks off today.

The UK is the biggest market for licensed products in Europe, and second only to the US worldwide.

However, some of our best-loved brands are actually foreignowned.

For example, Paddington – who marks his 60th birthday this week – is owned by French media giant Vivendi, and Peppa is part of the Canadian firm Entertainment

One.