Fulfilment provider teams up with football club to grow its global fanbase
Walton & Hersham FC has partnered with eCommerce fulfilment pioneer Huboo to capitalise on unprecedented demand for its merchandise and inspire grassroots football fans across the world.
The club, which boasts an ownership group who claim to be the world’s youngest, has risen to fame over the last three years, securing three consecutive promotions, boosting its average gate attendance by over 800 per cent and amassing over one million followers on TikTok.
On the verge of extinction just four years ago, Walton & Hersham’s turnaround represents one of the most remarkable success stories in UK football.
The club has become a social media phenomenon, creating an influx of demand for club merchandise far beyond levels typically seen by a local non-league team. By the end of 2022 its owners were struggling to manually fulfil orders and recognised the need to team up with an experienced third-party fulfilment provider.
Walton & Hersham FC co-owner Sartej Tucker, said: “We were seeing orders for shirts coming in from Uruguay, Fiji, even tiny Canadian islands – totally unprecedented for a football club of our size and stature. However, last season our shirt sales were massively constrained by manual fulfilment. We knew we needed a fulfilment provider with expertise in large-scale international delivery, and Huboo fit the bill perfectly. We’re looking forward to working with Huboo to take the Walton & Hersham FC brand far and wide and capitalise on the amazing demand from our supporters as we chase our fourth consecutive promotion.”
Founded in 2017 in Bristol, Huboo has grown from two safe storage lockers to a globally-dominant fulfilment company with bases across the UK, Netherlands, France, Germany, Spain and Turkey, over 1,500 clients and 650 employees. The company is on track to help facilitate at least £320m of business in 2023.
The company signed a multi-year deal with West Ham United men’s and women’s teams last year, plus becoming the principal partner for Bristol City men and women, Bristol Bears men and women and Bristol Flyers.
Huboo integrates with all major sales channels, including Shopify, which allows companies such as Walton & Hersham FC to manage their entire inventory from a single powerful tool. Earlier this year, Huboo was announced as TikTok’s first certified fulfilment provider in the UK.
Martin Bysh, co-founder and CEO at Huboo, said: “We’ve spent the last couple of years really focused on cementing our reputation as one of the most experienced and reliable fulfilment providers in the world of sport. We’ve fulfilled many thousands of shirt orders for our current customers and are delighted to welcome Walton & Hersham FC into our client portfolio. They’re such an exciting brand with a backstory that is inspiring football fans across the globe. Like us, they have a winning mentality and a strong ambition to grow.”
