J&M Brands

What J&M Brands does

J&M Brands, operating under the trade name MPower Brands, is a privately held brand extension licensing agency headquartered at Kruisweg 70 II, Haarlem, Netherlands. The firm represents a portfolio of more than 24 globally recognized intellectual property properties on an exclusive or non-exclusive basis across the Benelux market, acting as the commercial intermediary between international brand owners and regional manufacturers or licensees. The portfolio spans two categories: Kids (including Sanrio properties such as Hello Kitty, Kuromi, My Melody and Gudetama, alongside The Smurfs, Beyblade, Peter Rabbit, Chuggington, Gigantosaurus, Cry Babies, Sesamstraat and newer digital-origin brands such as Skibidi Toilet, Mofusand and Chiikawa) and Lifestyle (Hard Rock, Popeye, Olive Oyl, Elephant Parade, Perryscope and Love Is).

The business has no proprietary technology platform; it operates as a relationship-driven sales organization using its website (mpowerbrands.nl), direct phone contact, email outreach and industry event presence to source and close licensing deals. Revenue is generated through licensing royalties on products sold by licensees that bear the represented brands, with a commission-based take rate negotiated case-by-case. Customer segments are split between Brand Owners / IP Holders seeking Benelux market access and Licensees / Manufacturers seeking iconic international IP to differentiate consumer products across retail, media and product categories. The team is small (1-10 employees) with over 70 years of combined licensing experience. No funding rounds, acquisitions, leadership changes or geographic expansion beyond Benelux are documented in the available data.

Name

J&M Brands

Legal name

J&M Brands

Website

https://jmbrands.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

1913

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

J&M Brands (MPower Brands) is a privately held Benelux brand extension licensing agency representing 24+ global IP properties, including Sanrio, The Smurfs, Beyblade and Hard Rock, generating royalty revenue by connecting international brand owners with regional manufacturers and licensees.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Brand Licensing Services

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYMPADALAF

Merchandising, Character & Brand Licensing

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Film & Video Production/Distribution/Film/TV Licensing & Rights Management

Keywords

• Brand licensing agency
• Brand extension licensing
• Character licensing
• Licensing representation
• Consumer brand licensing

Headquarters

HQ city

Reusel

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Licensing Royalties: The agency generates revenue by representing globally beloved brands and facilitating licensing agreements. Brand owners benefit from long-term revenue streams generated through licensees extending their brands onto new products.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

J&M Brands, operating as MPower Brands, is a brand extension licensing agency that represents globally beloved brands (including Hello Kitty, The Smurfs, Beyblade, Hard Rock, Popeye, Peter Rabbit, Chiikawa, and others) to licensees in the Benelux market. The agency facilitates licensing agreements between brand owners and manufacturers/retailers, earning royalties on the resulting licensed products sold across Kids and Lifestyle categories.

Product overview

MPower Brands operates as a brand extension licensing agency, not a software product company. The company offers licensing representation services for globally beloved brands across two main categories: Kids (including Hello Kitty, Gigantosaurus, Chuggington, Cry Babies, Peter Rabbit, The Smurfs, Beyblade, and newer properties like Skibidi Toilet and Chiikawa) and Lifestyle (including Hard Rock, Popeye, Olive Oyl, Elephant Parade, and Love Is). The portfolio spans over 24 licensed brands including Sanrio properties (Hello Kitty, Kuromi, My Melody, Gudetama), classic properties (Sesamstraat, Pippi Langkous, Peter Rabbit), and contemporary brands (Mofusand, Chiikawa). The company leverages over 70 years of combined experience to generate revenue streams for brand owners through licensing partnerships.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Brand Extension Licensing Services Full-service brand extension licensing representation providing a personal and creative approach to match globally beloved brands with qualified licensees and generate long-term royalty revenue streams for both licensees and brand owners in the Benelux market.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

24 partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Sanrio (Hello Kitty and Friends)coreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerRepresents Hello Kitty and Friends brand for licensing and brand extension opportunities in the Benelux market.
• International Space ArchivescoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerRepresents the International Space Archives brand for licensing opportunities in the Benelux region.
• GigantosauruscoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerRepresents the Gigantosaurus brand for licensing and brand extension in the Benelux market.
• ChuggingtoncoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerRepresents Chuggington brand for licensing opportunities in the Benelux region.
• Cry BabiescoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerRepresents Cry Babies brand for licensing and brand extension opportunities in the Benelux market.
• SesamstraatcoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerRepresents the Dutch Sesame Street (Sesamstraat) brand for licensing in the Benelux region.
• Peter RabbitcoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerRepresents Peter Rabbit brand for licensing and brand extension in the Benelux market.
• Pippi LangkouscoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerRepresents the Dutch Pippi Longstocking (Pippi Langkous) brand for licensing opportunities in the Benelux region.
• Yoohoo & FriendscoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerRepresents Yoohoo & Friends brand for licensing and brand extension in the Benelux market.
• The SmurfscoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerRepresents The Smurfs brand for licensing opportunities in the Benelux region.
• KuromicoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerRepresents Sanrio's Kuromi character brand for licensing in the Benelux market.
• My MelodycoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerRepresents Sanrio's My Melody character brand for licensing opportunities in the Benelux region.
• Skibidi ToiletcoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerRepresents the Skibidi Toilet brand for licensing and brand extension in the Benelux market.
• BeybladecoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerRepresents Beyblade brand for licensing opportunities in the Benelux region.
• GudetamacoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerRepresents Sanrio's Gudetama character brand for licensing in the Benelux market.
• Holly HobbiecoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerRepresents Holly Hobbie brand for licensing and brand extension opportunities in the Benelux region.
• Hard RockcoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerRepresents Hard Rock brand (lifestyle category) for licensing in the Benelux market.
• Love IscoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerRepresents Love Is brand for licensing and brand extension in the Benelux market.
• PopeyecoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerRepresents Popeye brand for licensing opportunities in the Benelux region.
• Olive OylcoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerRepresents Olive Oyl brand (Popeye universe) for licensing in the Benelux market.
• Elephant ParadecoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerRepresents Elephant Parade brand for licensing and brand extension opportunities in the Benelux region.
• PerryscopecoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerRepresents Perryscope brand for licensing in the Benelux market.
• MofusandcoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerRepresents Mofusand brand for licensing opportunities in the Benelux region.
• ChiikawacoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerRepresents Chiikawa brand for licensing and brand extension in the Benelux market.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• King Features Syndicate: King Features owns Popeye, Olive Oyl, and other classic IP that J&M/MPower represents in Benelux. King Features has its own global licensing operation and could choose to license directly in Benelux, representing both a key partner and a competitive threat to J&M/MPower's mandate.
• Hard Rock International: Hard Rock International operates a major lifestyle brand (cafes, hotels, memorabilia) and runs an internal licensing program for apparel, collectibles, and branded merchandise. J&M/MPower represents Hard Rock in Benelux, making Hard Rock both a licensor and a structural competitor for in-region lifestyle licensing deals.
• Hasbro Consumer Products: Hasbro owns Beyblade (via the BEYBLADE brand) and operates a major in-house consumer products licensing operation. Hasbro has the scale to license Beyblade directly in Benelux rather than through J&M/MPower, making them both a licensor and a structural competitor.
• Sanrio Inc. Sanrio owns Hello Kitty and the broader character portfolio that J&M/MPower represents in Benelux. Sanrio's growing direct licensing operation worldwide (including direct retailer relationships in Europe) is both a key partner and a competitive threat—they could choose to license directly in Benelux, displacing J&M/MPower.

Others

• Licensing International: Licensing International is the global trade association for the licensing industry. While not a direct competitor, it shapes the competitive landscape and provides the network and best practices that J&M/MPower relies on to source mandates and connect with brand owners.

Direct peers

• Maurizio Distefano Licensing: Maurizio Distefano Licensing is an Italian-based independent licensing agency that represents entertainment and lifestyle brands across Europe. It is comparable to J&M/MPower as a regional independent agency and competes for European licensing mandates from international brand owners.
• Bulldog Licensing: Bulldog Licensing is a UK-headquartered independent brand licensing agency representing entertainment, sports, and lifestyle brands. While UK-focused, it overlaps with J&M/MPower in entertainment character IP (similar portfolio archetypes) and competes for European-wide licensing mandates from mid-tier brand owners.

Broad incumbents

• IMG Licensing: IMG Licensing represents major sports, entertainment, and lifestyle brands for global licensing programs. It is a competitor for high-value entertainment and lifestyle licensing mandates that J&M/MPower could otherwise attract, with significant scale and pan-European reach.
• WildBrain CPLG: WildBrain CPLG is one of the world's leading independent brand licensing agencies, with offices across Europe including the Benelux region. It represents many of the same categories of entertainment and character IP (kids, lifestyle) that J&M/MPower represents, and is the most direct large-scale competitor for Benelux mandates from global brand owners.
• Beanstalk (a Total Licensing Group company): Beanstalk is a global brand licensing agency representing iconic brands across categories. It competes with J&M/MPower for mandates from entertainment and lifestyle IP owners seeking pan-European representation, and offers scale advantages in retailer relationships and category expertise.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mpowerbrands

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about J&M Brands