Next inks major sportswear deal with Fanatics

By

Nigel TAYLOR

Published
Nov 17, 2022

Fashion retail giant Next is taking a major leap into athletic sportswear, signing a long-term partnership with digital platform Fanatics.

The deal is a big European move for Fanatics, tying up with major retailer outside the US for the first time. It gives Next’s customers access to the platform’s massive range of licensed sports merchandise across European football leagues and teams, including Manchester United, Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain, the English Football Association, and international football teams, plus rugby, Formula 1, and NFL, NBA and the MLB in North America.

Matthew Primack, Senior VP for International Business Affairs and Development at Fanatics, said: “This new partnership with Next, one of the most popular retailers in the UK… is great news for [its] customers… who will now also be able choose from a range of products, designs and styles from their favourite sports leagues, events, teams or players.”

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Fanatics, which has a number of similar partnerships with retailers in the US, including Foot Locker, Walmart, Kohls and Nordstrom, said Next will power the front-end online experience and fulfilment to customers while utilising Fanatics’ expertise in licensed sports merchandise and the broad range of products it has available “to increase the choice and selection for visitors to Next.co.uk”.

It also said the new expanded licensed sports collection, now live on Next.co.uk, has sizing and options for all members of the family and is highlighted by apparel, jerseys and headwear, across a wide-ranging portfolio of brands, such as Fanatics, Nike, adidas, Puma and New Era.