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46 47 MARKAN INDUSTRIAL (GROUP) LTD YOUR INNOVATIVE MANUFACTURING PARTNER Contact Person: Eva Wong Email: eva@markan.com.hk l Phone#: +852 2398 7721 Unit 1602-3, 16/F, Citimark, 28 Yuen Shun Circuit, Siu Lek Yuen, Shatin, N.T., Hong Kong think of, Rubik’s licensing-wise.”And according to Woodward, that will be a big focus for their company for the next three to five years. In addition to licensing the Rubik’s Cube as a brand, the company is in charge of main- taining relationships with licensees and distributors around the world. Hasbro is the biggest licensee that the company deals with, handling distribution in the United States, but it is not the only company that Rubik’s Brand Limited works with to get its product out into the world. “We actually have two U.S. licensees –Hasbro, who distributes to the big chains, and Winning Moves, who distributes to the specialty toy market,”Woodward ex- plains. In addition, the company has over 30 licensees in different territories, worldwide. The company also doesn’t change licensees often. Most of the companies that are licensed to distribute these toys have been with the company since the Rubik’s Cube was first launched. 2017 was easily one of the best years for the company. “2017 saw the biggest year in sales of Rubik’s Cubes since the height of the 80s,” according to Woodward, though much of that upward trend is due to new products, such as board games, Cubes of various sizes, and other branded items. “We’re trying to keep Rubik’s fresh in people’s minds and relevant to new audiences and the next generation,” she adds. That’s why the focus now is more on licensing.We have about 25 lines now. Last year, we introduced a junior range with small- er character puzzles for a younger audience – children who are just getting into problem solving. That junior range outsold the 3X3 RUBIK’S BRAND LIMITED line this past Christmas. Also, the board games are doing very well for us.” Since its launch in the 1980s, Woodward says that they’ve sold more than 450 million Rubik’s Cubes, and it is estimated that an amazing one in seven people have played with this fascinating and frustrating puzzle. And the upward trend is continuing to carry this classic toy that has delighted and infuriated both children and adults for more than 40 years, to even newer and greater heights. PREFERRED VENDORS n Kroeger Inc. www.kroegerinc.com Kroeger Inc. markets and sells toys, gifts, and hobby goods to specialty and mass, brick-and-mortar, and e-commerce re- tailers in North America. The company was founded in 1971, and is based in Scarborough, Ontario. n Yellow Brand Protection www.yellowbrandprotection.com Yellow Brand Protection is a leading global provider of online, anti-counterfeiting services, with offices in the United Kingdom, Sweden, China, and the USA. Working closely with popular online marketplaces the world over, the company is able to detect and take down unauthorized listings, making it harder for counterfeiters to sell somebody else’s good name. - n Markan Industrial Group Ltd. www.hktdc.com PROUDLY SOLVING RUBIK’S COMPLEX COUNTERFEIT PROBLEM. 98% OF ILLEGAL ONLINE MARKETPLACE LISTINGS SUCCESSFULLY REMOVED. AND COUNTING… WE SEARCH EVERYWHERE. WE STOP AT ZERO. Find out how and get a free online Brand Protection demo for your brand at yellowbrandprotection.com/businessview