After Pippa Middleton’s scene-stealing appearance at the royal wedding, a certain 17-year-old multi-millionaire made no secret of his admiration for the chief bridesmaid.
Pop star Justin Bieber wrote to his 10million Twitter followers: ‘Congrats to William and Kate ... and Kate’s sister.’
He also described the 27-year-old as a ‘hit’ in her plunging, figure-hugging gown.
Teen idol: Just Biber is worth an estimated £100million - and his merchandise is being sold on the website owned by the Middleton family
Four weeks on, Mike and Carole Middleton would appear to have every reason to be grateful for the Pippa Effect.
Their company, Party Pieces, has secured a deal to sell a range of Bieber merchandise through their website.
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It is one of several recent licensing deals signed by the family which experts predict could make them millions. Advertised discreetly on the website, perhaps to avoid accusations of cashing in on their royal connection, it follows the appearance of merchandise for Disney’s Toy Story 3 and Nintendo’s Super Mario in the last few weeks.
The Bieber range is unveiled in the Middletons’ online magazine Party Times, which is produced by Pippa, under the headline ‘We’ve got Bieber fever’.
Money-spinning: Justin Beiber's face adorns a range of merchandise, including a cup, left; and 'the ultimate party kit', right
Royal author Phil Dampier said the family needed to tread a fine line following concerns earlier this year over their range of patriotic street party memorabilia sold in the run-up to the wedding.
He said: ‘It’s important for them not to overdo it. Anything that looks like cashing in could be seen as a problem for the palace, especially as Kate is keeping such a low profile at the moment.
‘On the other hand Pippa has overnight become one of the most famous women in the world and we are still waiting to hear if she is going to have a royal role as a lady-in-waiting.
‘She is currently every marketing man’s dream and attracting a huge level of attention, so they must think carefully about how far to go with this.’
Bieber’s representatives confirmed that a deal had been struck with Party Pieces and that the star ‘worked closely’ on all his products. The range features a ‘Justin Bieber Ultimate Party Kit’ for die-hard fans at £20.89, which includes a set of plates, cups, napkins, banner and balloons for 16 guests.
Bieber tweeted excitedly about Pippa after seeing her at the Royal wedding
There is also a selection of cheap party offerings emblazoned with Bieber’s face including VIP badge necklaces, at £1.99 for a pack of four, a decorative award ribbon for £2.25, or a piñata to hold birthday treats at £13.99.
The article in Party Times says: ‘Teenage girls around the world go crazy for Bieber. In fact, they love Justin Bieber so much that the pop star now has his very own partyware’.
It goes on to feature ‘top tips’ for a red carpet-themed bash including a ‘pop star’ dress code, and using your dad as a fake paparazzo.
Also recently available on the website are similar themed party kits for Nintendo’s Super Mario, the animated hit Toy Story 3, produced by Disney/Pixar, and Manchester United FC.
Business has boomed on the website since the wedding, especially across the Atlantic where royal wedding fever is still running high.
A legal source specialising in intellectual property rights said: ‘It is a real coup for the Middletons to have snared a star like Justin Bieber, with a global profile.
‘The deal would probably be a licensing arrangement in which Party Pieces pay an initial fee to use his name and image.
Ladies man: Justin Bieber and girlfriend Selena Gomez take a dip in Maui earlier this week
‘They would then pay his people a single-figure percentage of the sales, so it is a drop in the ocean for him but his huge popularity stands to make it very lucrative for Party Pieces, potentially hundreds of thousands on that line alone, especially if they are selling products not available elsewhere.
‘Global celebrities are very protective of their image and trademark, and his representatives would only allow a company to use them if it would boost his brand.
'They obviously believe Party Pieces is in that league.’
The knick-knack empire with a £30m price tag
by Paul Bracchi
Could there have been a more lucrative payday for the Middletons than last month’s royal wedding? Astonishingly, it would seem so.
Anyone who clicks on to the family’s online business today will know why.
At least, they will if they have a daughter aged between eight and 13.
Justin Bieber is the Donny Osmond of his generation. His fanatical followers, known as Beliebers, have snapped up millions of his albums and at 17, he is already worth an estimated £100million. In other words, the world is full of Beliebers with pocket money to spend.
Lucrative: Party Pieces was the brainchild of Carole Middleton when she was pregnant with daughter Kate, centre, seen here with Pippa, left
Some of that pocket money will now be heading for the (already overflowing) Middleton family coffers.
The deal, of course, will open the Middletons to a familiar charge: that they are benefiting from, if not directly exploiting, their links with the Palace.
Would Canadian-born Bieber have even heard of Party Pieces if it hadn’t been for the recent nuptials?
Analysts say the teenager, whose film Never say Never premiered in London in February, is now the most influential person on the internet, with more than 10million followers on Twitter. And his commercial marriage with Prince William’s in-laws could prove lucrative indeed for them.
Michael and Carole Middleton, who spent the first years of her life in a council flat, could already be worth £30million. That is the figure City number crunchers put on the potential value of their Party Pieces empire because it is now inextricably linked to the Royal Family through their daughter.
Without that connection, and its almost endless money-spinning possibilities – especially in the U.S. – the company would be worth nowhere near as much.
The number of people accessing the Party Pieces website has soared stratospherically since Kate and William announced their engagement in November last year. In that month alone, new visitors to the website site quadrupled to nearly 300,000. There was also a 25-fold increase in those typing the words Party Pieces into the Google search engine.
Royal connection: The business founded by Carole, seen here with the Queen and Duchess of Cornwall, is now inextricably linked to the Royal Family following the wedding of William and Kate
What did they find? Well, something akin to a tacky high street shop cashing on the big day with a range of cheap, imported knick-knacks: Union Jack bunting, paper plates with official-looking coats of arms, cake and canapé decorations depicting a Queen’s head, corgi-themed cake toppers, and red-and-blue bowler hats.
There was even a pack of Britannia scratch cards on British trivia – £3.99 for ten – with a distinctly regal feel. Players who answered all questions correctly were awarded the title ‘Queen of England’. Those who didn’t were dismissed as ‘The Queen’s corgi’.
Party Pieces was the brainchild of Carole Middleton. Heavily pregnant with Kate, her first child, in the late summer of 1981, she was unable to continue working as a British Airways stewardess.
So she started making up children’s party bags which she sold to friends and neighbours for pin money. The business grew and husband Michael eventually gave up his own administrative job with the airline to work with his wife.
Private: The Middletons run their company in total privacy; its profits or losses available to no one but themselves
In recent months, their workforce has grown to 30, working out of two large converted farmhouses near the family’s home in rural Berkshire. Shortly before the royal wedding, more than a dozen trucks and vans, as well as an articulated lorry, were spotted being loaded with orders.
The Middletons run their company in total privacy; its profits or losses available to no one but themselves. This is because Party Pieces trades as a partnership rather than being a limited company, which would entail logging accounts at Companies House.
The downside is that, should the partnership fail, their possessions and their homes would be at risk. That is as unlikely as the Queen attending a Justin Bieber concert.
There is no mortgage on the Chelsea flat that Carole and Michael Middleton own and reportedly bought for £795,000 cash. It is used mainly by their children and is now worth £1.2million.
There is only a small mortgage on their house in the village of Bucklebury, worth around £1.5million. When they purchased several acres of land near their home in 2005, they paid £295,000 cash.
‘It is not the Middletons’ fault that there has been focus on their business,’ says a royal insider.
‘But Party Pieces is now on the radar of hundreds of thousands more people then before. Their connections inevitably mean they will attract more potential customers and therefore an increase in sales.’
Pop star Justin Bieber wrote to his 10million Twitter followers: ‘Congrats to William and Kate ... and Kate’s sister.’
He also described the 27-year-old as a ‘hit’ in her plunging, figure-hugging gown.
Teen idol: Just Biber is worth an estimated £100million - and his merchandise is being sold on the website owned by the Middleton family
Four weeks on, Mike and Carole Middleton would appear to have every reason to be grateful for the Pippa Effect.
Their company, Party Pieces, has secured a deal to sell a range of Bieber merchandise through their website.
More...
Will Tim Henman make Kate Queen of Wimbledon?
A parachute made for two: Love is in the air for teen sweethearts Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez
It is one of several recent licensing deals signed by the family which experts predict could make them millions. Advertised discreetly on the website, perhaps to avoid accusations of cashing in on their royal connection, it follows the appearance of merchandise for Disney’s Toy Story 3 and Nintendo’s Super Mario in the last few weeks.
The Bieber range is unveiled in the Middletons’ online magazine Party Times, which is produced by Pippa, under the headline ‘We’ve got Bieber fever’.
Money-spinning: Justin Beiber's face adorns a range of merchandise, including a cup, left; and 'the ultimate party kit', right
Royal author Phil Dampier said the family needed to tread a fine line following concerns earlier this year over their range of patriotic street party memorabilia sold in the run-up to the wedding.
He said: ‘It’s important for them not to overdo it. Anything that looks like cashing in could be seen as a problem for the palace, especially as Kate is keeping such a low profile at the moment.
‘On the other hand Pippa has overnight become one of the most famous women in the world and we are still waiting to hear if she is going to have a royal role as a lady-in-waiting.
‘She is currently every marketing man’s dream and attracting a huge level of attention, so they must think carefully about how far to go with this.’
Bieber’s representatives confirmed that a deal had been struck with Party Pieces and that the star ‘worked closely’ on all his products. The range features a ‘Justin Bieber Ultimate Party Kit’ for die-hard fans at £20.89, which includes a set of plates, cups, napkins, banner and balloons for 16 guests.
Bieber tweeted excitedly about Pippa after seeing her at the Royal wedding
There is also a selection of cheap party offerings emblazoned with Bieber’s face including VIP badge necklaces, at £1.99 for a pack of four, a decorative award ribbon for £2.25, or a piñata to hold birthday treats at £13.99.
The article in Party Times says: ‘Teenage girls around the world go crazy for Bieber. In fact, they love Justin Bieber so much that the pop star now has his very own partyware’.
It goes on to feature ‘top tips’ for a red carpet-themed bash including a ‘pop star’ dress code, and using your dad as a fake paparazzo.
Also recently available on the website are similar themed party kits for Nintendo’s Super Mario, the animated hit Toy Story 3, produced by Disney/Pixar, and Manchester United FC.
Business has boomed on the website since the wedding, especially across the Atlantic where royal wedding fever is still running high.
A legal source specialising in intellectual property rights said: ‘It is a real coup for the Middletons to have snared a star like Justin Bieber, with a global profile.
‘The deal would probably be a licensing arrangement in which Party Pieces pay an initial fee to use his name and image.
Ladies man: Justin Bieber and girlfriend Selena Gomez take a dip in Maui earlier this week
‘They would then pay his people a single-figure percentage of the sales, so it is a drop in the ocean for him but his huge popularity stands to make it very lucrative for Party Pieces, potentially hundreds of thousands on that line alone, especially if they are selling products not available elsewhere.
‘Global celebrities are very protective of their image and trademark, and his representatives would only allow a company to use them if it would boost his brand.
'They obviously believe Party Pieces is in that league.’
The knick-knack empire with a £30m price tag
by Paul Bracchi
Could there have been a more lucrative payday for the Middletons than last month’s royal wedding? Astonishingly, it would seem so.
Anyone who clicks on to the family’s online business today will know why.
At least, they will if they have a daughter aged between eight and 13.
Justin Bieber is the Donny Osmond of his generation. His fanatical followers, known as Beliebers, have snapped up millions of his albums and at 17, he is already worth an estimated £100million. In other words, the world is full of Beliebers with pocket money to spend.
Lucrative: Party Pieces was the brainchild of Carole Middleton when she was pregnant with daughter Kate, centre, seen here with Pippa, left
Some of that pocket money will now be heading for the (already overflowing) Middleton family coffers.
The deal, of course, will open the Middletons to a familiar charge: that they are benefiting from, if not directly exploiting, their links with the Palace.
Would Canadian-born Bieber have even heard of Party Pieces if it hadn’t been for the recent nuptials?
Analysts say the teenager, whose film Never say Never premiered in London in February, is now the most influential person on the internet, with more than 10million followers on Twitter. And his commercial marriage with Prince William’s in-laws could prove lucrative indeed for them.
Michael and Carole Middleton, who spent the first years of her life in a council flat, could already be worth £30million. That is the figure City number crunchers put on the potential value of their Party Pieces empire because it is now inextricably linked to the Royal Family through their daughter.
Without that connection, and its almost endless money-spinning possibilities – especially in the U.S. – the company would be worth nowhere near as much.
The number of people accessing the Party Pieces website has soared stratospherically since Kate and William announced their engagement in November last year. In that month alone, new visitors to the website site quadrupled to nearly 300,000. There was also a 25-fold increase in those typing the words Party Pieces into the Google search engine.
Royal connection: The business founded by Carole, seen here with the Queen and Duchess of Cornwall, is now inextricably linked to the Royal Family following the wedding of William and Kate
What did they find? Well, something akin to a tacky high street shop cashing on the big day with a range of cheap, imported knick-knacks: Union Jack bunting, paper plates with official-looking coats of arms, cake and canapé decorations depicting a Queen’s head, corgi-themed cake toppers, and red-and-blue bowler hats.
There was even a pack of Britannia scratch cards on British trivia – £3.99 for ten – with a distinctly regal feel. Players who answered all questions correctly were awarded the title ‘Queen of England’. Those who didn’t were dismissed as ‘The Queen’s corgi’.
Party Pieces was the brainchild of Carole Middleton. Heavily pregnant with Kate, her first child, in the late summer of 1981, she was unable to continue working as a British Airways stewardess.
So she started making up children’s party bags which she sold to friends and neighbours for pin money. The business grew and husband Michael eventually gave up his own administrative job with the airline to work with his wife.
Private: The Middletons run their company in total privacy; its profits or losses available to no one but themselves
In recent months, their workforce has grown to 30, working out of two large converted farmhouses near the family’s home in rural Berkshire. Shortly before the royal wedding, more than a dozen trucks and vans, as well as an articulated lorry, were spotted being loaded with orders.
The Middletons run their company in total privacy; its profits or losses available to no one but themselves. This is because Party Pieces trades as a partnership rather than being a limited company, which would entail logging accounts at Companies House.
The downside is that, should the partnership fail, their possessions and their homes would be at risk. That is as unlikely as the Queen attending a Justin Bieber concert.
There is no mortgage on the Chelsea flat that Carole and Michael Middleton own and reportedly bought for £795,000 cash. It is used mainly by their children and is now worth £1.2million.
There is only a small mortgage on their house in the village of Bucklebury, worth around £1.5million. When they purchased several acres of land near their home in 2005, they paid £295,000 cash.
‘It is not the Middletons’ fault that there has been focus on their business,’ says a royal insider.
‘But Party Pieces is now on the radar of hundreds of thousands more people then before. Their connections inevitably mean they will attract more potential customers and therefore an increase in sales.’
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