PSG collaborate with Fanatics to open store in Los Angeles

Paris Saint Germain continues to expand across the globe to improve the brand value of the club. The Ligue 1 club has opened its first retail store in Los Angeles, USA to sell their apparel which will have LA-inspired clothing. Sports brand Fanatics is working with PSG to run this store in Westfield Century City Mall in Los Angeles. The store will sell LA-inspired clothing by PSG from its partnership with Nike and Micheal Jordan’s brand. 

Fanatics opened up and transformed day-to-day operations to a retail company called Lids, which is partly owned by Fanatics and they are planning to spread their brand across North America. It is reportedly the brand’s most significant merchandising deal with the French club. Fanatics is a growing brand and its e-commerce operations and partnerships have reached the masses. 

Fanatics total valuation right now is $12.8 billion. The new funding of $320 million helped then to reach this new target up from $6.2 billion last August. Fanatics have also opened up their market in China joining with Hillhouse Capital and they expect their operations would go over $1 billion in China. Fabien Allegre, PSG brand diversification director, said that the club was keen on increasing their market overseas since its first deal with Fanatics in 2017.

“The North American market has always been strategic to us, but it has become more and more important. Outside France, it is our second-biggest market. Our popularity is growing steadily, as the number of followers on social media develop at pace and the number of viewers for our games regularly beat previous records.”

Fanatics general manager Zohar Ravid has called out PSG a ‘trailblazing’ club. PSG is one of the most valuable clubs right now in Europe and in the world. The club is owned by Qatar-based Nasser Al-Khelaifi who’s also the owner of state-run Qatar Sports Business. They have the likes of Neymar Jr and Kylian Mbappe who were signed for $236 million and $200 million. PSG failed to defend Ligue 1 title this season, so the pressure will be on the club to get the title back to Paris next season.