In an exclusive interview with Ministry of Sport, Fanatics SVP of international business affairs and development, Matthew Primack, discussed the company’s expansion into the ANZ region.

Changing strategies:

Commenting on their ANZ expansion strategy, Primack said a key focus was respecting and meeting the needs of sports fans across Australia and New Zealand, where they know what appeals to an Australian fan may not appeal to a French fan.

“To ensure we can properly serve fans across Australia and New Zealand, we have established a presence that understands the local market and knows where to find local sports fans, whether this be through bricks-and-mortar retail, eCommerce, or a combination of channels,” Primack said.

“A particular area of focus initially was that, while Australian sports fans are renowned for their passion and loyalty to their favourite teams, availability of products for the teams they love was often limited in range and accessibility,”

Primack also said that Fanatics has signed a 10-year with sport retailer, rebel, which will provide Australians with access to over 100,000 licensed sports products, making it the most comprehensive range of sports merchandise in the country.

Cementing a position in ANZ:

On cementing their position in the ANZ sport Industry, Primack said the growth of their profile across Australia and New Zealand is growing rapidly, which in no small part is thanks to their regional partners which have allowed them to reach local fans.

“We also have a number of exciting partnerships in the pipeline for the coming months which we look forward to announcing soon.

“In addition to new deals, we have appointed some fantastic local talent to enhance our growing team in the region. Most recently we welcomed Tyler Emsden on board as our Director of Business Development across Australia and New Zealand. Tyler will be tasked with growing Fanatics’ presence across the Australian and New Zealand sports market, identifying and building new partnerships with sports teams, leagues and organisations. Tyler has also been integral to maximising both our relationships with our existing partners, and our presence at major sporting events such as the 2022 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, where Fanatics produced fanwear and accessories for the event, as well as supported with eCommerce and in-venue retail (IVR),” Primack said.

“Tyler brings with him an established reputation across the ANZ sports industry as an advocate for progress, which makes him an ideal fit for Fanatics as we embark on our continued growth journey in the market,” he said.

Future goals in the region:

On Fanatics’ goals in Australia and New Zealand, Primack said their ambition, now and in the future is to provide sports fans in ANZ with the widest assortment of available sports merchandise.

Fanatics also want to ensure their partners in Australia are able to reach their fans no matter where they may be, across all corners of the globe.

Wider Expansion:

Commenting on the potential for wider expansion, Primack said they aim to build a global digital sports platform.

“Expanding on our success over the past decade as a global leader in licensed sports merchandise to include our market-leading commerce business, a leading collectibles and trading cards business, a sports betting and iGaming division, NFTs and 50% owners hip in global retail giant Lids, which has already opened stores in Australia in partnership with the NBA,” Primack said.

“Our global relationships across sports mean that we are well-placed to achieve this goal, being partnered with, at the latest count, more than 900 of the biggest sports clubs, leagues and organisations in the world, including the ICC, UEFA, The British and Irish Lions, the NFL, NBA, Manchester United, Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain, The International Olympic Committee (IOC) and F1.

“To stand out and continue to grow, we recognise the need to innovate and challenge industry norms, offering fans products and services that they have not experienced before. We are consistently seen as one of the most innovative companies in the world. Year after year we appear in the list of most innovative, most agile, and most successful businesses. We never sit still and are always looking to improve the experience for fans and partners, whether this be through organic growth, continuous improvement of our offering or even expanding into new markets, such as collectibles, NFTs and beyond,” he said.

Additionally, Primack said Fanatics never expands for the sake of expanding and will always ask themselves if the move will improve the experience of fans and their partners.

To read the previous Brand Break, where Move.ai head of partnerships and delivery, Niall Hendry, discussed the technology the company is bringing to the industry, click here.