Brands without borders
Stop exporting products. Export your brand.
The international licensing programme hands your territories to selected local entrepreneurs. You keep the brand. They invest in the market.
- Faster international development
- Growth with low capital intensity
- Recurring, scalable revenue
- Valuation of the brand asset
- The force of local entrepreneurship
The manifesto
A brand has no borders beyond the ones we agree to give it.
Creating a brand takes vision. Building it takes time. Growing it abroad takes the right partners, in the right place, under the right contract.
- The owner
Brings identity, history, know-how and the pull of the brand. Keeps the asset and sets the rules.
- The licensee
Brings investment, market knowledge, networks and entrepreneurial drive. Takes the territory.
- IBA
Structures the programme, selects territories and partners, sets the economic model and supports the rollout.
The model
From a distribution logic to a partnership logic
A distributor sells your product. A licensee invests in your territory. It is not the same relationship, not the same interests, and not the same horizon.
01
Classic model
A mostly transactional relationship. The distributor arbitrates between many brands, and its commitment follows its own priorities.
02
Licence model
A strategic relationship. The partner gets framed rights, invests, builds and reports. Its economic interests align with the brand’s.
Capital
Stock, export teams, trade shows, certifications: the partner funds part of the local build-out.
Time
Every year without a local operator pushes back awareness and network building.
Dependency
Less concentration of international revenue on a single distributor or a single country.
Valuation
A brand thinly exploited across geographies leaves part of its economic value dormant.
The programme
Eight reasons to join the system
Licensing turns international development into a portfolio of contracts and partners. One global brand, local entrepreneurs, a single frame.
Accelerate expansion
Open several markets in parallel instead of one territory at a time, without multiplying subsidiaries.
Limit capital committed
The partner funds part of the local development: stock, teams, the marketing budget of the territory.
Build recurring revenue
Entry fees, royalties and guaranteed minimums structure the income.
Engage the field
A licensee has a direct economic interest in succeeding on their market.
Diversify risk
Less dependence on a single distributor or a single country.
Protect territories
Exclusivity conditioned on measurable targets, not granted in advance.
Collect data
Harmonised reporting on sales, stock and the state of the network.
Grow the brand asset
More territories, more contracts and more recurring revenue attached to the brand.
The model on one plate: who brings what, who collects what
Brand owner
Keeps the asset
- The brand, its story and its codes
- Standards, approvals and brand tooling
- Intellectual property, registered and defended
Territorial licensee
Takes the market
- Local investment and working capital
- Ground knowledge of channels and habits
- Teams, networks and commercial reach
What holds it together. IBA structures the programme, selects candidates, drafts the contractual frame and follows its execution: product and campaign approvals, periodic reporting, audit, and exit conditions set at signature.
Revenue
A new revenue architecture
The objective is not to replace existing turnover, but to add contractual flows that distribution does not produce.
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Entry fee
The value of access to the territory and to the programme, paid on signature.
One-off on signature
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Royalties
A percentage of turnover or an amount per unit, paid throughout the term of the licence.
Recurring throughout the licence
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Guaranteed minimum
A contractual annual floor, due regardless of the sales actually achieved.
Annual whatever the volume
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Products and materials
Margin on finished goods, semi-finished goods or components supplied by the owner.
Per order on each delivery
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Services
Billed services: onboarding, training, marketing tools, technical assistance.
Per service on invoice
The economic mechanism in three movements
Territorial entry fee
- Grant of rights over the territory
- Possible onboarding fees
Immediate revenue.
Royalties and minimums
- Royalties on revenue or units
- Guaranteed annual minimum
Recurring, predictable revenue.
Network extension
- Renewal and extension
- New territories, new ranges
Growth without rebuilding the model.
The frame
You do not give up your brand. You organise how it is used.
Enough freedom to build, enough control to protect the asset. Six areas are governed by the contract, from the logo to the exit conditions.
Brand
Logo, identity, storytelling, intellectual property.
Product
Quality, formulation, packaging, regulatory compliance.
Territory
Countries, authorised channels, e-commerce, cross-border sales.
Performance
Volumes, turnover, points of sale, marketing budget.
Finance
Royalties, minimums, periodic statements, right of audit.
Exit
End of contract, stock run-off, digital assets, cessation of use.
Exclusivity is no longer a gift: it becomes a counterpart
The territory stays protected for as long as it is genuinely developed.
Targets
Volumes, turnover and distribution coverage defined in the contract.
Investment
A minimum marketing budget committed to the territory.
Compliance
Adherence to brand standards and contractual obligations.
Payment
Royalties and guaranteed minimums honoured when due.
Classic distribution and international licensing
Two different tools. Licensing adds a layer of monetisation, commitment and contractual control. Both models can coexist.
| Criterion | Distribution | Licence |
|---|---|---|
| Economic logic | Margin on products | Possible margin, entry fees and royalties |
| Local commitment | Commercial | Entrepreneurial and contractual |
| Exclusivity | Often negotiated | Conditioned on targets and minimums |
| Brand investment | Variable | Set out in the plan and in the contract |
| Reporting | Commercial | Sales, royalties, stock, indicators |
| Control | Supplier-customer relationship | Standards, audit, approvals, exit |
| Value creation | Volume distributed | Volume, intellectual property revenue, territorial network |
Territories
A territory is defined, not assumed
A territory is not simply a country. The contract specifies the authorised channels, the treatment of e-commerce, the question of cross-border sales and the ranges concerned. That perimeter, and only that perimeter, is what exclusivity covers.
Priority territories are defined brand by brand during the initial assessment, based on intellectual property protection, distribution potential and the possible presence of competitors already established.
The IBA method
Three roles, three logics
| Role | Economic position | Commitment |
|---|---|---|
| Distributor | Buys and resells, seeks profitable rotation. | May reduce effort if another brand becomes a priority. The relationship is mainly commercial. |
| Licensee | Holds defined rights and carries financial and development obligations. | Invests in the growth of the territory. Profitability depends directly on local success. |
| Owner | Keeps the brand, sets the standards, receives the agreed revenue. | May take back or reorganise a territory if contractual conditions are no longer met. |
The profile we look for
A licensee is not a buyer. They are an operator committing resources to a territory and accounting for performance.
Resources
Capacity to invest in stock, in a sales team and in a local marketing budget.
Network
Real access to the territory’s channels: on-trade, off-trade, duty free, e-commerce.
Reputation
Verifiable track record, regulatory compliance and respect for category standards.
Execution
Ability to hold a plan, report rigorously and build a brand over several years.
The process
We are not looking for licensees at any cost
The brand chooses its partner. The candidate demonstrates resources, network, reputation and execution capability. Eight steps, from first contact to the launch of the territory. Any one of them can end the process.
First contact
Presentation of the company, the target territory and the interest in the brand.First filter
Financial resources, distribution network, reputation, market experience.Confidentiality
Access opened to detailed information on the programme and the brand.Development plan
Volumes, channels, marketing investment, timeline and market assumptions.Verification
Financial position, legal structure, track record and trade references.Key terms
Territory, term, entry fee, royalties, guaranteed minimums, exclusivity.Signature
Licence agreement, brand standards, reporting framework and exit conditions.Onboarding
Transfer of brand tools, training, reporting setup and market opening.Eligibility
A licensable brand meets eight conditions
Taken individually these criteria are not disqualifying. Together they determine the level of licence achievable and the preparatory work required.
Intellectual property
Registered trade mark and territories effectively protected.
Positioning
History and positioning distinctive enough to be defended locally.
Reproducibility
Products and quality standards reproducible outside the home market.
Economics
A cost structure allowing an attractive margin for the licensee.
Potential
Identifiable international demand and accessible distribution channels.
Transferability
Brand tools and know-how formalised, and therefore transferable to a third party.
Control
Ability to control quality and use of the brand remotely.
Priorities
A clear view of which territories to open first and which to hold back.
Objections
Legitimate objections, and the answer the system gives
The programme must reassure the owner before it convinces the licensee. Six questions come up every time.
I will lose control of my brand.
No. The rights granted are limited and defined. Standards, prior approvals, periodic reporting and termination conditions are contractual. You are not transferring the brand, you are organising its exploitation within a given perimeter.
The licensee could damage my brand.
Selection, the brand book, quality control, marketing approval and audits govern the use of the brand. A partner failing to meet standards is exposed to the remediation and then termination mechanisms set out in the contract.
They will block my territory.
Exclusivity is tied to minimums and performance targets. An underdeveloped territory can be taken back or reorganised under the conditions provided for in the contract.
How do I verify their actual sales?
Through periodic statements, an obligation to retain supporting documents and a contractual right of audit exercisable in the territory.
What if the relationship ends?
The contract organises the exit in advance: treatment of the brand, run-off or buy-back of stock, transfer of digital assets, return of data and cessation of use of the distinctive signs.
Why not simply stay in distribution?
Both models can coexist. The distributor remains essential in many markets. Licensing is an additional tool, intended for territories where classic distribution plateaus or has never been opened.
Two doors, one house
Brand owner
You open territories without giving up control
- Intellectual property and standards stay with you
- Approval of positioning, packaging and marketing
- Exclusivity tied to measurable targets
- Harmonised reporting, audit rights and buy-back mechanisms
Local entrepreneur or operator
You build a real business around a brand
- Framed, durable territorial rights
- Access to identity, know-how and brand tooling
- Profitability tied directly to your local success
- Support on onboarding and the business plan
Is your brand licensable?
An initial assessment defines priority territories, the level of licence, the financial structure, the protections required and the licensee profile to look for.
Describe your brand, your current markets and the territories you would like to open. Licence candidates: state the territory you are targeting, your distribution network and the brand you are interested in.
What happens after your request
First conversation
A scoping call to understand the brand, the markets covered and the international ambition.
Assessment
Licensability analysis: protection, positioning, economics, territorial potential.
Recommendation
Priority territories, level of licence, financial structure and the licensee profile to look for.