Liverpool are hoping to tap into their global fan base by opening new club stores in USA and Africa, according to the Reds’ senior vice-president of merchandising Mike Cox.
There are currently 15 official LFC shops worldwide, with six across Britain and Ireland and nine further afield (predominantly in southeast Asia).
The Anfield outfit are now planning to leverage their worldwide support and capitalise on opportunities arising from the Premier League’s continually booming appeal.
Speaking to the Liverpool Echo, Cox said that the USA ‘is a key area of growth for us’ and a ‘significant’ market of the club’s e-commerce business. He also spoke of the ‘end goal’ of adding ‘a standalone store or stores’ in Asia, just as some English top-flight clubs can already boast.
In terms of a potential timescale, the merchandising executive told supporters to expect news on possible U.S. stores ‘in the next few months’, while hinting that there could be ‘another standalone store’ in Asia ‘perhaps by the end of this year’.
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While football fans might be solely (or primarily) interested by what happens on the pitch, the modern nature of the money-spinning Premier League makes it a necessity for Liverpool to maximise their earning potential from off-field activity such as official club outlets.
The Reds are believed to have 300 million supporters in Asia (The Business Desk), with CEO Billy Hogan telling BBC last year that the continent is ‘our single largest region in terms of fan base’.
Meanwhile, a survey by Morning Consult in 2022 revealed that the Merseyside club are the most popular Premier League side in USA, which shows how valuable that market is for the Anfield merchandising team.
Moves such as opening official stores in some of Liverpool’s most lucrative markets can only be considered a good thing for the club and would make perfect sense.
Good news for overseas fans!