Marketing of 2012 London Olympics

In August 2009 the Royal Mail commissoned artists and illustrators to create 30 stamps which were released in batches of 10 during 2009 to 2011. The 30 stamps symbolise at the Games take place during the 30th Olympiad. Each stamp featured an Olympic or Paralympic sport and inadditon had the London 2012 logo on each stamp. The Royal Mail had initionally approched photographers to be included as well but this was abandoned as the photos would have to be of dead people as the only living person allowed to feature on stamps in the United Kingdom is the Queen. Stamps with an Olympic theme go back to the very first games in Athens 1890; when the organisers commissoned the sale of stamps in order to ballance the books and construct the last four venues. When London first held the Games in 1908 no stamps were commissoned. On that occassion and for the 1912 are the only time when stamps were not issued. When London last held the Games in 1948, just four stamps were issued. On July 22 2011 the last of the 30 stamps were released.
On 21 July 2009 the LOCOG announced that Hornby Plc had won the license to develop and market a range associated with the Games. The license allowed the company to sell products accross its Corgi, Hornby, Scalextric and Airfix brands. Airfix will have kits for all of the main venues, including a 1:500 scale Olympic Stadium. The centre piece of the Scalextric collection will be a cycling Velodrome set. The collection was launched by British cyclist Lizzie Armitstead in Hamleys toy store in June 2011, Hornby staggared the release of the collection with the Scalextric velodrome released in September. In March 2011 the LOCOG comissioned and published a series of traning guides. The merchandise was sold online and in five shops known as "The London 2012 Shop," in Heathrow Airport, Stansted Airport, St Pancras International Station, Paddington Station and in John Lewis on Oxford Street. In addition Addidas sold it's London 2012 range in its flagship store on Oxford Street and selective Next stores sold their 2012 range.Sainsburys as Offical sponsors of the Paralympics also sold merchandise within their stores.