Liverpool Football Club have announced the opening of an online store on the TMALL platform, a business-to-consumer marketplace owned by the Alibaba Group and currently China’s seventh most-visited website.
The store offers supporters the chance to buy official replica kits, fan wear, training wear and accessories. This means that LFC will be one of the first English football clubs to have their own personal presence on TMALL.
LFC partnered with Venue Retail International to launch the site.
Mike Cox, director of merchandising at Liverpool, said:
“We are delighted to be launching the Liverpool e-commerce store for China on the popular TMALL platform with Venue Retail International as our partners.
“China is a very important market for the club. The fanbase has grown dramatically as a result of the growing interest in the Premier League and digital fan engagement through the likes of Weibo and Wechat.
“The new store will give our fans in China the chance to buy a wide range of official products locally.”
Peter Palmer, chief operating officer of Venue Retail International, said:
“Premier League football has become one of the most popular sports in China and Liverpool are arguably the most widely followed.
“We are proud to be able to offer these knowledgeable fans official LFC product through the Liverpool TMALL store, to enable them to connect with the club they love.”
Words: Peter Cribley