UNITED LABELS
We have what it takes to inspire

Fans can never get enough of their stars, whether they’re from comics or cartoons, stage or screen, the Internet or wherever. So we bring the stars right up close to them – through our merchandise and branded products.

This is how UNITED LABELS has become one of Europe’s foremost brand specialists. We’ve partnered with the world’s leading media and entertainment companies as well as artists who commission us to manage their self-marketing via merchandise. All of them entrust their brands to us. Thus our portfolio includes both the classics, like Snoopy, Hello Kitty and Batman, and a steady stream of new brands. They help us reach all age groups within the European market for branded products.

We now operate several sites in Germany and the rest of Europe

Services from UNITED LABELS
From brand management to logistics

As well as signing up brands on your behalf, we also handle the entire marketing process for you. This includes rights management, purchasing and producing items, developing and designing product lines and sorting out the logistics. This comprehensive package of services gives you certainty and makes merchandising and branding easy for you.

Brand management

From Peanuts and Warner Bros. to Super RTL, the world’s leading media and entertainment companies have been our partners ever since we were established. We sign licensing agreements with them to form the basis for marketing their products. We also sign up individual brands, such as the cartoonist Ralf Ruthe. Partnerships of this kind enable us to help artists with their professional self-marketing – and give retailers access to new, exciting brand and product worlds.

Purchasing

With some 4,500 items, our product range is unusually large. We operate in many relevant merchandise segments, from clothes through to gifts and soft toys. To be able to offer this range, we work together with a network of reputable, audited companies all round the world whose production facilities get regular visits from our experts. Having this direct line and being close to our manufacturers is important to us. It lets us find the right product for our customers in the desired quality at a reasonable price.
At the same time, we also monitor compliance with our Code of Conduct, which guarantees a socially fair and environmentally sustainable manufacturing process in the countries of production.

Development and design

What products fit the brand? What does a complete brand collection look like? And how do we marry the design of a piece of clothing with a brand’s character?
These are just some of the many questions answered by our in-house design and development department, where our over 30 years of experience in media entertainment is combined with our flair for design and marketing. From sampling and proof of concept through to the trademark evaluation process, we give our licensors and customers a feeling of security.
At our site in Münster, we also develop clothing collections and product lines in response to specific requests from our retail partners and for our marketing across the whole e-commerce universe. Flexibly, speedily and efficiently.

Logistics

To make sure that the right product gets to the right place at the right time, UNITED LABELS will organise the whole supply chain on your behalf, from the factory to the store or online shop. Our specialists are with you every step of the way.
Our in-house logistics centre manages the entire process, enabling it to ensure swift, reliable deliveries at all times. What’s more, we’re also working continuously to fine-tune our transport routes to cut fuel consumption and thus reduce our impact on the environment.

UNITED LABELS. The brand marketers. Since 1991.

It all started with brightly coloured ties and bow ties in 1987, when Peter Boder founded Duke GmbH. These were soon joined by jumpers, scarves, jackets, trousers and shirts. Flashy colours soon gave way to flashy figures: the first brand characters arrived and, after that, would no longer leave Boder and his team in peace. This lit the touchpaper for UNITED LABELS, which replaced Duke GmbH in 1991.

Our first brand coup was Peanuts, followed by many others including classics like Disney and the Simpsons. As the brand and product worlds grew, so too did the whole company. Sites in other European countries followed. UNITED LABELS AG was floated on the stock market in 2000.
Nowadays, UNITED LABELS is one of Europe’s leading specialists for merchandise and branded products. To be continued…

Quality and sustainability / Corporate social responsibility

Quality
Stringent criteria for lasting enjoyment

The people who buy our products are fans. Many of them are diehard fans, who will cherish our products for just as long as they will their idol themselves. So we need to guarantee a level of quality that makes this possible. The bar for product quality and product safety at UNITED LABELS is thus set high. This is reflected in stringent quality requirements that all our suppliers are obliged to meet.

Independent tests
Throughout the entire product chain, we have our products tested by independent testing bodies including the Hohenstein Institute, Testex, TÜV Rheinland, TÜV Süd, SGS, Bureau Veritas, Intertek and others and have the manufacturing process monitored. We tailor each test package closely to the relevant item to guarantee the safety of all products. Regular checks guarantee uniform product quality throughout the supply chain.

Internal quality department
As well as the independent testing bodies, our internal quality department also monitors the condition of products. We carry out various additional in-house tests of our own, including washing tests, visual checks, dimensional accuracy tests, odour tests, testing suitability for intended use and much more.

Legal regulations
All our products fulfil the current regulations for clothing and non-food items – and many even go beyond that. We thus ensure compliance with the German Product Safety Act (ProdSG). Toys, in particular, are thoroughly tested for compliance with the new Toy Safety Directive 2009/48/EC.

Certificates
Whether it’s clothes, kitchen accessories or toys, different properties can play a key role in quality depending on the type of product. This is why we have many of these properties confirmed through corresponding certificates. Examples include the Oeko-Tex Standard 100, UV Standard 801, fitting tests by the Hohenstein Institute and the CE label.

We have partnered with the SizeGERMANY size survey programme to make sure our products are a perfect fit. This allows us to keep our sizes up to date at all times in cooperation with the Hohenstein Institute.

Corporate social responsibility

As a company and through its products, UNITED LABELS is a part of the world – and thus also has a responsibility towards society and the environment. We are conscious of this and impose stringent requirements on the manufacturers of our products, which we monitor on their premises either ourselves or using qualified third parties.

We also embrace our responsibility through various initiatives and memberships.

Upholding fundamental social and ethical values

In the spirit of taking responsibility for our actions in society, we want to help ensure that human dignity is upheld in production facilities all over the world.

To this end, all our manufacturers and suppliers are bound by our Code of Conduct, which guarantees that business owners commit to ensuring fairness, honesty and responsibility in all aspects of their activities. Amongst other things, this means that no child or forced labour can be used to make UNITED LABELS products.

Regular checks by us or by social auditing associations such as BSCI guarantee compliance with minimum welfare standards such as working time regulations, the minimum wage, occupational health and safety, a ban on child labour, etc. 

Environment and climate

Protecting the environment is another cause that is very dear to our hearts. We aim to use as few resources as possible. Wherever we can, we endeavour to cut fuel consumption and thus reduce our impact on the environment. For instance, we are continuously improving our delivery routes to prevent unnecessary journeys. We are also working harder to reduce packaging and consumables.