Fan merchandise retailer The Souled Store earns licensing rights to sell Liverpool Football Club products

BENGALURU: Online-first fashion retailer The Souled Store, known for selling merchandise of movies, cartoons and sports such as Marvel, DC Comics, Star Wars, Looney Tunes and IPL teams, has partnered Liverpool Football Club (LFC) to sell its licensed apparel in India. With this collaboration, the retailer has forayed into a new category in football merchandise to strengthen its position in the country’s 1.5 billion dollar fan merchandise market.

“This launch will help us cater to today’s millennials. Indian Liverpool fans will get authentic merchandise without having to wait weeks for the products to be delivered,” said Vedang Patel, co-founder of The Souled Store.

The Mumbai-based company, which already has tie-ups with IPL teams such as Mumbai Indians, Chennai Super Kings, Rajasthan Royals, and Kolkata Knight Riders, will retail LFC’s licensed apparel such as T-shirts, shorts, joggers, jackets, sweatshirts and socks through an omnichannel route including flagship website, app, offline stores and marketplaces.

“LFC has a wide base of followers in India and we are sure the fans will enjoy sporting these high quality products,” said Jiggy George, founder of Dream Theatre, the official licensing agent of LFC in India.

The Souled Store started operations in 2013 with an investment of Rs 5.25 lakh. It clocked a turnover of Rs 100 crore in FY21. The online-first company forayed into retail in 2019, with three stores in Mumbai. The company now plans to widen its geographical footprint by opening about 40 stores pan-India over the next three years.

Fan merchandise business has been typically associated with children’s categories such as toys, stationery and accessories. However, several retailers are now adding the youth segment to this category to grow their business. Online marketplaces such as Amazon, Flipkart and Myntra are further fueling the growth of this category by helping companies reach consumers in tier 2 and 3 cities.