Dive Brief:
- Taking its hobby and collectors business offline, Fanatics Collectibles is opening its first-ever brick-and-mortar store this spring in London, according to a company news release.
- The 8,647-square-foot store, located at 54 Regent Street in the heart of London’s West End, will focus primarily on sports and entertainment trading cards and feature such brands as Topps, Merlin, Match Attax and Bowman. Fanatics-owned Topps last year secured the exclusive trading card rights to the Premier League and will launch products prior to the start of the 2025/2026 season.
- In addition to trading cards, the new store will also feature apparel from both Topps and Fanatics-owned Mitchell & Ness, plus such memorabilia as signed kits, jerseys and balls.
Dive Insight:
Fanatics’ first foray into brick and mortar includes an in-store breaking studio, a trading card singles experience, card opening and trading areas, and customer education touchpoints, per the release. The centerpiece of the store will house rare collectible trading cards plus a suspended circular screen showing created content on current and upcoming products.
“We are incredibly excited to cut the ribbon on this amazing community-building retail space, one that we hope will delight collectors and be a true home for the hobby in Europe,” David Leiner, Topps President of Trading Cards, said in a statement. “It’ll be a destination for millions of fans as well as our own internal partners – and team and club partners, the latter using our dedicated space to launch and showcase new products in a way that has never been done before.”
According to Fanatics, there currently are fewer than five Topps-partner hobby shops in the United Kingdom and less than 30 in Europe. The choice to open this store in the U.K. could be a signal that the retailer wants to test a growth strategy in the region, Managing Director of Retail at Global Data Neil Saunders said via email.
“On the surface, it’s odd that Fanatics has chosen a market like the UK, which has a less developed trading card scene than the US, for its first flagship,” Saunders said. “However, this is likely a bid by Fanatics to test the waters and to try and jump-start the phenomenon in the UK. If they can do this, they will have another huge market that they can expand in and use as a springboard for growth across Europe.”
Regent Street, which is one of the busiest streets in London, could help maximize potential visitors and give Fanatics global exposure.
“Whether this works remains to be seen,” Saunders added. “They have made every effort to make the store attractive and engaging so that it pulls in general shoppers as well as trading card enthusiasts. But trying to expand what is an embryonic category isn’t easy. It will take time.”