Liverpool, the English Premier League soccer champions, have today announced a new long-term retail partnership with Baycrew's, the Japanese fashion and lifestyle company.
As part of a five-year agreement, Baycrew's will manage the club’s retail operations through both online and offline channels, launching multiple shop-in-shops across Japan in the first year.
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Plans are also in place to open the first official standalone LFC retail store in the country.
Liverpool have 19 standalone retail stores worldwide, which they claim is more than any other sports team.
The partnership will also see Baycrew's become Liverpool’s official tour retail operator for the Japanese leg of their upcoming pre-season tour, where the team will face Yokohama F. Marinos at Nissan Stadium on July 30. The Merseyside outfit will also visit Hong Kong to take on AC Milan on July 26.
Alongside the shop-in-shops rollout, several LFC pop-up shops will open in key locations in Japan, giving fans access to limited-edition tour merchandise and official retail products.
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By GlobalDataLiverpool also claim to have the biggest following in Japan among Premier League clubs with more than 4.6 million supporters.
Lee Dwerryhouse, senior vice-president of merchandising at LFC, said: “Japan is home to one of our most passionate and fastest-growing fan bases, and this partnership allows us to provide those supporters with greater access to official merchandise and a truly authentic LFC shopping experience.
"LFC already has more standalone stores around the world than any other football or sports franchise, and this expansion into Japan is a proud next step in our global retail journey. Baycrew's has an outstanding reputation, and together we're creating new ways to connect with fans – both in-person and online.”
Liverpool won their 20th league title last season, equalling Manchester United’s record figure.
In terms of recent commercial deals, Liverpool agreed a multi-year global partnership with the Visit Maldives tourism body in March, while the club also confirmed a lucrative new long-term kit supply deal with German sportswear giant Adidas in the same month.
