RI's Great River wins Disney distribution rights

RI's Great River wins Disney distribution rights

SINGAPORE (AFP): Publicly-listed PT Great River International of Indonesia has won distribution and retailing rights for Disney-licensed apparel in key Asian and Middle East markets following an acquisition announced here yesterday.

Company officials said Great River had acquired Ray Summers, a Singapore-based manufacturer, distributor and retailer of Disney- licensed apparel and which holds Disney licenses in Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand and the Middle East.

Officials of Walt Disney, owner of the Mickey Mouse brand name, told a news conference that they had brought together the U.S. company's two licensees to create a strong business partnership in the region.

"We introduced them, we put them together. We saw something greater coming out of the sum of the two parts," said Jeremy Gilla, regional vice-president and managing director of Disney consumer products.

Gilla said that the partnership was essential to tap particularly the booming Southeast Asian market.

Great River president director Sunjoto Tanudjaja declined to give details about the acquisition.

He said further data will be released when the company reports to the Jakarta stock exchange in about a week.

"We see an opportunity for tremendous synergy -- between Great River's financial and manufacturing strength as well as marketing capabilities and Ray Summers' strong design skills and wide distribution network," Sunjoto said.

Ray Summers also distributes merchandise to Tokyo Disneyland.

Sales of Disney consumer products in the Asia-Pacific region totaled about US$4 billion last year, Gilla said.

Great River has 17 sales offices in Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia and has formed six joint ventures with major Japanese and European textile and apparel groups in textile manufacturing.