The Yomiuri Giants, Nike and Fanatics entered into a long-term global partnership whereby Nike becomes the official uniform supplier of the Yomiuri Giants. Fanatics will manufacture and distribute on-field uniforms and player performance merchandise as well as Nike-branded fan jerseys and apparel. Fanatics will also engage its memorabilia division to create and sell autograph and collectible products.
The Yomiuri Giants are the first individual club in global sports to adopt the model.
The partnership sees Fanatics exclusively operating the e-commerce and physical retail business for the Yomiuri Giants, with Fanatics launching a new online store at the end of January and refurbishing the retail stores at the Tokyo Dome, ready for the start of the NPB 2023 season. Fanatics will also become the master licensee for the Yomiuri Giants merchandise portfolio.
Tsukasa Imamura, representative director and president, Yomiuri Giants, said: “It is a great honor and pleasure to partner with Fanatics, the global leader in licensed sports merchandise. We can imagine the joy on our fans’ faces brought by the innovative business model, which includes manufacturers, logistics, e-commerce, and retailers using cutting-edge technology. By combining Fanatics’ fan-centric philosophy of “Everything exists for the fans” with the history and tradition of Yomiuri Giants, celebrating 89 years since the team’s founding, we are confident that we can provide one of the best fan experiences in the world. Please look forward to this innovative partnership between Yomiuri Giants, Nike, and Fanatics, the first of its kind in the world for an individual club.”
Doug Mack, vice chairman, Fanatics, Inc. and CEO, Fanatics Commerce, said: “The Yomiuri Giants are the most successful Japanese baseball team in history and have one of the strongest fan bases across Asia in any sport. It is an honor to work with such a historic organization and for them to become the largest individual club in any sport globally to adopt what we believe is the most innovative and fan-centric model in the licensed sports merchandise industry. For a club as prestigious as the Yomiuri Giants to put its faith in Fanatics is a testament to the success of this game-changing model we have built with Nike and to our focus on always putting the fan first.
Masanori Kawana, managing director, Fanatics, East Asia, said: “Since we began our journey in Asia five years ago, we focused on creating value for the fans with a strong belief that our global vertical business model would benefit them and work across Asia. Collaborating with the Giants has been an ambition for me personally and I am thrilled to announce this global partnership. This innovative model, which has proven to be successful with some of the biggest US professional leagues and Universities, will be a complete game changer for the Asian Sports industry and will benefit Yomiuri Giants fans with a larger selection of high-quality merchandise available wherever they are and whenever they want it.”
