Fanatics to Open Paris Saint-Germain Store in L.A.
France’s famed multisport club, Paris Saint-Germain, has opened a permanent retail store in the U.S. The store, which will be opened and operated by Fanatics and Lids, the hat and sports apparel retailer in which Fanatics has an ownership stake, is the first store for a European soccer team to ever open in the U.S.
The 1,100-square-foot store in the Westfield Century City mall in Los Angeles is the first of several units that are expected to open in key international markets as a result of a 10-year partnership signed between Fanatics and PSG last year. A Fanatics spokesperson declined to say how many other stores are planned or their locations.
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The Westfield store will offer the broadest assortment of PSG club merchandise ever sold in a U.S. store. It will include a full range of Nike and Jordan teamwear, collaborations, fashion collections and exclusive L.A.-inspired PSG designs. The assortment will also include the #PSGLimited collection, a customization program and exclusive licensee apparel and accessories dedicated to the North American market.
“We are very happy to be back in the City of Angels where we had such a fantastic tour with the team in 2016 and where we have amazing fans of our brand,” said Fabien Allegre, brand diversification director for Paris Saint-Germain. “During the past year, our business has grown by 49 percent and international markets now represent 86 percent. North America has become our second largest market, with an 11 percent share, and our latest collections have had great success here. Our popularity is growing steadily, as the number of followers on social media develops at a fast pace, the number of viewers for our games beats records and the opening of fan clubs and PSG Academy sites, show. Since our deal with Fanatics, both the interest in Paris Saint-Germain and our sales have increased. We are just beginning a new era of growth and development.”
Zohar Ravid, general manager for Fanatics’ international business, added: “Paris Saint-Germain is a trailblazing club and brand, and Fanatics is a pioneer of the licensed sports industry, so it makes sense that this relationship drove the opening of the first permanent European football club store in North America. It’s the ultimate combination of strengths. With this store, we are able to combine the PSG, Jordan and Nike brand appeals with Fanatics’ real-time product capabilities and our relationship with Lids, guaranteeing the best retail experience for customers in L.A.”
The Paris Saint-Germain team has amassed a big following in the U.S., and now has 14 fan clubs and six PSG Academy player development locations here, including one in Los Angeles. The club, which was established in 1970, and has won 43 trophies in that time.
PSG has seven other stores, five in France and one each in Japan and Qatar.
Last June, Fanatics, the global leader in licensed sports merchandising, signed a 10-year deal with PSG to exclusively operate its e-commerce business and serve as the master licensee for all products in its portfolio except for Nike and other co-branded offerings.
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