Universal Brand Development and Universal Parks & Resorts Merchandise Group come together to form new Universal Products & Experiences division
ORLANDO, Fla and UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. (Sept. 16, 2022) – In a strategic expansion of its global consumer products and retail business, Universal Parks & Resorts today announced that it has merged two of its key businesses to create a new division, Universal Products & Experiences (UP&E) division – further deepening its connection to fans, consumers and guests with high-quality, fan-first products and retail experiences across the globe.
UP&E’s overall mission is to extend the company’s characters and stories by bringing them to life in immersive experiences, in product categories such as toys, collectables, books, apparel, lifestyle categories, video games and digital initiatives like NFTs and more. UP&E activates the business through world-class licensee partnerships or through direct operations, and across its expansive theme park locations, e-commerce platforms, live-entertainment venues, and retailer relationships around the world. The division will be led by current Universal Brand Development president, Vince Klaseus and report directly to Mark Woodbury, Chairman and CEO, Universal Parks & Resorts.
“Joining these two talented teams into one group creates a powerhouse division focused on compelling consumer products and experiences both inside and outside our theme parks,” said Mark Woodbury. “Our goal is to create products and experiences for fans that are as innovative and compelling as our lands and attractions. This team can now deliver and execute that on a much larger scale.”
“We’ve built a robust, successful, and expansive CP business over the last few years, and now by combining the creativity and innovation capabilities of the theme park’s direct consumer and retail skills, we’re going to take our collective business to new heights for consumers, our team, and the company overall,” said Vince Klaseus. “2022 has been a phenomenal year for our CP business with properties like Jurassic World, Minions, and Gabby’s Dollhouse taking off to new heights. That strength plus the phenomenal theme park performance and guest experiences makes this team coming together even more powerful. I can’t wait to see what we will accomplish together with the combined team focused on new areas of growth and collaboration across physical and digital product categories and retail.”
About Universal Products & Experiences
Universal Products & Experiences (UP&E) globally drives the expansion and elevation of NBCUniversal’s iconic collection of brands, intellectual properties, characters, and stories based on the company’s extensive portfolio of properties created by Universal Pictures, Illumination, DreamWorks Animation and NBCUniversal Television and Streaming. The division executes this through innovative physical and digital products, engaging retail and product experiences across our expansive global theme park destinations (for both owned and 3rd party IP), location-based venues, e-commerce product platforms, and retailers around the world. Along with global brand strategy and creative, UP&E’s three lines of business include Consumer Products, Games and Digital Platforms, as well as Theme Parks Products & Retail. UP&E is a division of Universal Parks & Resorts, part of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast Corporation.
More information is available at universalproductsexperiences.com
About Universal Parks & Resorts
Universal Parks & Resorts, a unit of Comcast NBCUniversal, offers guests around the globe today’s most relevant and popular entertainment experiences. With three-time Academy Award winner Steven Spielberg as creative consultant, its theme parks are known for immersive experiences that feature some of the world’s most thrilling and technologically advanced film- and television-based attractions. Universal Parks & Resorts in the U.S. are Universal Studios Hollywood and Universal Orlando Resort. Around the world, UP&R includes Universal Studios Japan in Osaka, a license agreement with Universal Studios Singapore at Resorts World Sentosa, and the recently opened Universal Beijing Resort. Learn more at universalparks.com.