Fanatics, the digital sports platform and e-commerce company, has expanded its partnership with sportswear giant Nike to collaborate on a three-way apparel deal with the Yomiuri Giants, the top Japanese baseball team.
The new exclusive partnership between the three organizations will see Nike become the official uniform supplier of the team.
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Fanatics will manufacture and distribute on-field uniforms and player performance items as well as additional Nike-branded fan jerseys and apparel that are sold both online and at physical retail locations.
Through its memorabilia division, Fanatics will also create and offer autograph and collectible products for fans.
The Giants will become the first sports team outside the US to adopt the three-way model, with Nike and Fanatics holding similar partnerships with major professional leagues and universities in their home market.
The long-term partnership will see Fanatics exclusively operate the e-commerce and physical retail business for the 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 domestic Nippon Professional Baseball season in 2023.
Fanatics will also become the master licensee for the Giants merchandise portfolio.
Masanori Kawana, managing director of Fanatics in 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.
“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.”
Fanatics has partnerships with more than 900 sports organizations, clubs, and leagues such as baseball’s MLB, American football’s NFL, basketball’s NBA, and European soccer giants Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain.
