Fanatics Opens Paris Saint-Germain Store In Los Angeles
Paris Saint-Germain in partnership with Fanatics has become the first European football club to open a permanent retail store in the United States.
The store will open at Westfield Century City Mall in Los Angeles and is part of a 10-year retail and merchandising deal signed between Paris Saint-Germain and Fanatics in 2020. Several other stores are expected to open in key international markets as part of the partnership, reports SGB Media.
Fanatics, which is a part-owner of the retailer Lids, will tap into Lids’ physical retail expertise to open and operate the new Westfield store. The Los Angeles store will offer a full range of Nike and Jordan team wear, one-of-a-kind collabs, fashion collections, and LA-inspired Paris Saint-Germain designs exclusively available at the new location.
In the United States, the club from Paris has amassed a strong following in several major cities, including Los Angeles. Paris Saint-Germain now has 14 fan clubs in the U.S. and has opened six PSG Academy sites in recent years, including Los Angeles.
“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, 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 has 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”.
“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,” said Zohar Ravid, GM, Fanatics International Business. “It’s the ultimate combination of strengths. With this store, we are able to combine the PSG, Jordan and Nike brand appeal with Fanatics real-time product capabilities and our relationship with Lids, guaranteeing the best retail experience for customers in LA.”