Aston Villa pulls out of city centre shop
Aston Villa has closed its city centre shop in Birmingham just weeks after agreeing a new merchandising deal.
The New Street store was locked today with just a banner displayed in the window (see below) to tell fans what had happened and that they could either visit the shop at Villa Park or go online.
Despite a lucrative takeover last year, the club has had to face up to the harsh reality of life in the Championship and the consequent loss of revenue relegation from the Premier League inevitably brings.
The cost of operating a large store on a prominent city centre shopping street is significant without the support of fans, many of which have been less inclined to spend their disposal income now the club is no longer offering top flight football.
Last month, the football club announced a new deal with Fanatics, the world’s largest retailer of licensed sports merchandise, to become the club’s Official Retail Partner in a multi-year agreement.
The move is part of the club owner’s plan to make Aston Villa a global brand.
The club has signed a long-term partnership with the e-commerce, merchandise and retail giant which also works with some of the world’s biggest clubs, including Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea, Everton, Real Madrid, Olympique de Marseille and Borussia Dortmund.
The club and Fanatics said they were committed to enhancing fans’ experience across all channels of the retail operation and would work closely together to achieve this.
Fanatics said it would continually invest in the retail proposition for the benefit of the club’s supporters and would work in partnership to drive forward the retail offering. There was no mention of the shop being closed.
Aston Villa’s Chief Commercial Officer Luke Organ said: “We are proud to be working with such a strong and renowned partner in retail as Fanatics. Our retail offering is an important part of the club and we had to ensure that we have the right support in place to drive this forward.
“Naturally, we have reviewed our operation and can see a number of opportunities and areas to explore and change respectively over the coming months and years while ensuring we deliver the best fan retail experience we can. With Fanatics help we are confident our retail offering will grow and expand to new levels.”
Fanatics International President, Andy Anson said: “Villa is a club with tremendous heritage and a globally recognised brand. We’re delighted to be working with them and look forward to playing our part in strengthening their retail offering for the benefit of Villa fans both at home and abroad.”
