United Wheels UK Limited has signed a new license agreement for the Disney, Marvel and Lucasfilm film properties for the territories of United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Iberian Peninsula, Italy, Germany, Benelux and Africa.

Disney and United Wheels subsidiary Huffy Corporation have worked together in the United States since 1996, and this agreement between United Wheels and Disney extends their partnership to EMEA.

As of July 2021, United Wheels will begin commercializing Huffy-designed Disney, Marvel and Lucasfilm licensed wheeled products to order. These products will be available for shipment in early 2022.

United Wheels opened its new office in the EU in 2020 and is well positioned to contribute to the continued growth of Disney licenses in the UK, Ireland, France, Iberia, Italy, Germany, Benelux and South Africa.

“Our company has a long-standing relationship with Disney,” said Jon Tilley, Managing Director of United Wheels UK. “It was only natural for us to reach out to Disney when we decided to make a concerted effort in Europe, to find mutually beneficial ways of working together. Since then we have invested in building a strong team and infrastructure in the EU and will focus on supporting each market with country specific teams and local distribution operations.

“It was great working with the Disney EMEA teams to bring this project to life, and we are excited to bring it to retailers through our Huffy brand of products in the coming months. Our position as a leading global player in the bicycle and wheeled goods categories gives us the assurance that with an excellent supply chain and great innovation, we can generate strong growth over the three coming years. We couldn’t be more excited about this new venture with Disney.

The United Wheels team will begin product showcases in July with a two-week open virtual trade event where potential retail partners can meet the team and preview some of the new Disney products that will be available for sale in January 2022. The collection will cover all wheel properties and sizes, ranging from balance bikes to 16 inch wheel sizes.

For more information contact [email protected]

Read the July issue of BikeBiz below: