cgilmo said:
Yes and no - while the prestige and name recognition that comes with the two established brands are nice - a streamlined brand for their releases in NBA and potentially MLB and NFL would probably help their marketing.
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Panini to buy Donruss?
- Thread starter Bob Loblaw
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Yes and no - while the prestige and name recognition that comes with the two established brands are nice - a streamlined brand for their releases in NBA and potentially MLB and NFL would probably help their marketing.
mredsox89
New member
I would have to think that they would maintain the Donruss name for baseball and football releases. There has to be a percentage of people who would buy something because its named Donruss and it has a history compared to Panini. Outside of the message board, diehard collector world, i doubt many would even know who/what Panini is.
MOFNY
Active member
Damn I don't even know what it is.mredsox89 said:
subpop77
New member
MOFNY said:
because DLP already has the card making technology rathar then start from scratch. I think it is agreat move by Panini if it does go through. I am interested if they do deal if Panini will produce the B Ball cards with some in there name and then some with the DLP logo on them.
ru4scuba
New member
phalm said:
Just you.
thenumberonemetfan
New member
phalm said:
JUST YOU??????
trademhigh
Active member
- Aug 10, 2008
- 8,365
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Wouldn't buying Upper Deck suit them the most? They'll have a license in Football, Basketball, Baseball, and Hockey as opposed to just Football and Basketball. It may be more expensive, but in the long haul, wouldn't that suit them more? And, there wouldn't be a law suit to worry about.cgilmo said:
trademhigh said:
who is to say they won't still buy UD
unless mcwilliams messes it up
subject to change
New member
Obviously this is all pure speculation, but I can't see Panini putting out future Donruss baseball products without a license. I'm not sure that they will be willing to take the legal risk that Donruss did with use of altered or obscured trademark images.
Either way, it's incredibly unfortunate that only 2 of the 4 baseball card manufacturers that had existed in early 2005 still survive in 2009, and it doesn't sound like UD is in great financial shape either.
Either way, it's incredibly unfortunate that only 2 of the 4 baseball card manufacturers that had existed in early 2005 still survive in 2009, and it doesn't sound like UD is in great financial shape either.
ru4scuba
New member
subject to change said:
Hopefully they'll continue EEE with NCAA and high school photos.
subpop77
New member
subject to change said:
That's MLB and the players association's fault for revoking Donruss product license back in 2005 and also believe UD and Topps had something to do with it.
subject to change
New member
I don't disagree that the license fiasco in 2005 was a blow to collectors as a whole. Donruss put out some of the best products of 2005, but in the end money talks. However, Fleer went under before the license issue came up, and it sounds like Donruss' monetary problems stem from their ventures into some type of religious TCG, rather than their card sales, so they probably would have faced those issues with or without a baseball license.
Either way, today's market is a loooooooooong way from the days of having Topps, UD, Pacific, Fleer, Pinnacle, as well as a range of minor league products in the marketplace.
Either way, today's market is a loooooooooong way from the days of having Topps, UD, Pacific, Fleer, Pinnacle, as well as a range of minor league products in the marketplace.
subpop77
New member
subject to change said:
I agree 2005 was an amazing year for Donruss products and as time changes so does the buisness.
All In Cards
Super Moderator
Panini Buys Donruss
Mar 10, 2009
The deal was finalized two weeks ago once the details of the final purchase price and employee retention were worked out between officials from Panini and Ann Powell, former owner of Donruss-Playoff, LP.
The interesting part of this story is the sequence of events that led up to it.
Donruss has been for sale for over a year. The company has been mired in debt related to their attempt to launch a new line of TCG’s and toys under the brand name BibleQuest. While their football card product lines have been profitable for years, the failed attempt to expand the company has resulted in a significant build up of debt. The company’s operating revenues have not been sufficient to keep the company running while simultaneously paying down their debt.
Initially, there were three groups in the running to purchase Donruss – Upper Deck, Topps and TCG Digital/4Kids. Throughout 2008, each company at separate times was rumored to be the frontrunner in a race to buy the company. Each suitor had different business reasons for their interest in Donruss. Upper Deck would have eliminated a competitor in football, and, more importantly (in his mind), Richard McWilliam would have bought Powell out of the industry. There might have even been a plan to shift part of the Upper Deck’s Carlsbad operations, such as prepress and production, to Donruss’ Arlington, Texas headquarters. During the time I was at Upper Deck, purchasing and retaining Donruss as an independently operated entity was discussed hypothetically; the benefit being that we could maintain two separate licenses with NFLP/NFLPA.
I would assume Topps would have had similar intent to retain Donruss as a distinct operation. If they had been the ultimate purchaser, Topps’ big advantage would have been having the resources to bring their design and prepress work in-house. For the TCG Digital/4Kids group, this purchase would have put them in the sports trading card industry, combining it with their TCG production. Given the fact that they market their products to a demographic that is younger than the tradition sports trading card demographic, their entry to the sports market could have potentially benefitted everyone.
During the months of December and January it was believed within the industry that Upper Deck would emerge the victor. Negotiations had gotten to the point where a certain member of Upper Deck management reached out to me to ask about key personnel at Donruss. The prevalent opinion among the folks at Donruss was if McWilliam purchased the company most would lose their jobs and those that retained their jobs would soon wish they had not.
But in the last week of January Panini officials and Powell, not McWilliam, signed a letter of intent, signaling a closed deal was forthcoming. During this time, McWilliam reportedly attempted to spoil the deal by trying to bully Powell into selling Donruss to him, going so far as to fax her a letter of intent with a 12-hour deadline for signing and returning it to him. He also attempted to convince officials at Panini that they would be better off buying Upper Deck rather than Donruss. I am sure this will not be the last time McWilliam attempts to sell Upper Deck in the foreseeable future given the fact that the company’s revenues have dramatically diminished during the past 6-12 months due to the economy and the losses of the Yu-Gi-Oh and NBA licenses.
This purchase will prove to be a tremendous coup for Panini. It is a win on several levels. Panini acquires a company with a solid stable of product lines, an outstanding operational system and a quality personnel group. Had Panini chosen to start up a U.S. office from scratch, they would have faced an uphill battle getting products ready for distribution by October. It would have been an organizational nightmare trying to build products while also trying to build a company from the ground up. With this purchase, they are buying into a company that is fully operational and that has already proved it can handle the production of additional trading card products.
For the employees of Donruss things will never be the same without Ann owning the company, but this scenario was the best possible solution for them. There will no longer be internal concerns about making payroll, paying for player contracts or royalties on a timely basis or trying to market a product that is dragging down your core business. They can now focus on what is important: strengthening their football product lines and building the foundation for their basketball portfolio.
We do not know how the rest of 2009 will play out in the industry, but this development will add to the intrigue and also to the potential of the sports trading card market for years to come.
Mar 10, 2009
The deal was finalized two weeks ago once the details of the final purchase price and employee retention were worked out between officials from Panini and Ann Powell, former owner of Donruss-Playoff, LP.
The interesting part of this story is the sequence of events that led up to it.
Donruss has been for sale for over a year. The company has been mired in debt related to their attempt to launch a new line of TCG’s and toys under the brand name BibleQuest. While their football card product lines have been profitable for years, the failed attempt to expand the company has resulted in a significant build up of debt. The company’s operating revenues have not been sufficient to keep the company running while simultaneously paying down their debt.
Initially, there were three groups in the running to purchase Donruss – Upper Deck, Topps and TCG Digital/4Kids. Throughout 2008, each company at separate times was rumored to be the frontrunner in a race to buy the company. Each suitor had different business reasons for their interest in Donruss. Upper Deck would have eliminated a competitor in football, and, more importantly (in his mind), Richard McWilliam would have bought Powell out of the industry. There might have even been a plan to shift part of the Upper Deck’s Carlsbad operations, such as prepress and production, to Donruss’ Arlington, Texas headquarters. During the time I was at Upper Deck, purchasing and retaining Donruss as an independently operated entity was discussed hypothetically; the benefit being that we could maintain two separate licenses with NFLP/NFLPA.
I would assume Topps would have had similar intent to retain Donruss as a distinct operation. If they had been the ultimate purchaser, Topps’ big advantage would have been having the resources to bring their design and prepress work in-house. For the TCG Digital/4Kids group, this purchase would have put them in the sports trading card industry, combining it with their TCG production. Given the fact that they market their products to a demographic that is younger than the tradition sports trading card demographic, their entry to the sports market could have potentially benefitted everyone.
During the months of December and January it was believed within the industry that Upper Deck would emerge the victor. Negotiations had gotten to the point where a certain member of Upper Deck management reached out to me to ask about key personnel at Donruss. The prevalent opinion among the folks at Donruss was if McWilliam purchased the company most would lose their jobs and those that retained their jobs would soon wish they had not.
But in the last week of January Panini officials and Powell, not McWilliam, signed a letter of intent, signaling a closed deal was forthcoming. During this time, McWilliam reportedly attempted to spoil the deal by trying to bully Powell into selling Donruss to him, going so far as to fax her a letter of intent with a 12-hour deadline for signing and returning it to him. He also attempted to convince officials at Panini that they would be better off buying Upper Deck rather than Donruss. I am sure this will not be the last time McWilliam attempts to sell Upper Deck in the foreseeable future given the fact that the company’s revenues have dramatically diminished during the past 6-12 months due to the economy and the losses of the Yu-Gi-Oh and NBA licenses.
This purchase will prove to be a tremendous coup for Panini. It is a win on several levels. Panini acquires a company with a solid stable of product lines, an outstanding operational system and a quality personnel group. Had Panini chosen to start up a U.S. office from scratch, they would have faced an uphill battle getting products ready for distribution by October. It would have been an organizational nightmare trying to build products while also trying to build a company from the ground up. With this purchase, they are buying into a company that is fully operational and that has already proved it can handle the production of additional trading card products.
For the employees of Donruss things will never be the same without Ann owning the company, but this scenario was the best possible solution for them. There will no longer be internal concerns about making payroll, paying for player contracts or royalties on a timely basis or trying to market a product that is dragging down your core business. They can now focus on what is important: strengthening their football product lines and building the foundation for their basketball portfolio.
We do not know how the rest of 2009 will play out in the industry, but this development will add to the intrigue and also to the potential of the sports trading card market for years to come.
wolfmanalfredo
Active member
Re: Panini Buys Donruss
Pretty late, I'll have to find the link the thread laready in progress
Pretty late, I'll have to find the link the thread laready in progress
