Valued at $12.8 billion, sports e-commerce company Fanatics accelerates international expansion

Fanatics is an American online sports retailer headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida , that sells licensed sports apparel , sports equipment, and merchandise , and provides sports collectibles and memorabilia.

It is understood that Fanatics' chairman Michael   Fanatics was a bright new star for Rubin, who bought it from eBay in 2011 for $277 million .

Last year , due to the impact of the epidemic, sports events were completely suspended and the sports industry encountered a huge crisis, but Fanatics' online sales increased by 20% . Judging from the company 's sales, although professional sports events were suspended for 5 months last year , this obviously did not stop Americans from continuing to buy jerseys or hats of their favorite teams , and fans' demand for jerseys is still strong .

Recently, according to Forbes, thanks to a significant increase in sales performance, Fanatics received $320 million in a new round of financing , which brought Fanatics' valuation to $ 12.8 billion, about twice that of six months ago (last August) . Its net assets surged by $2.7 billion to $6.2 billion.

The round was led by Silver Lake and included Fidelity, Neuberger Berman, Franklin Templeton, Blackstone, Thrive Capital and Major League Baseball . It is understood that investors invested in Fanatics not only because they saw its sales growth, but also because the platform has the ability to reach 80 million sports consumers.

Forbes reported that Fanatics ' new financing will help the company expand its vertical trading division , enhance manufacturing capabilities , and explore and accelerate its international expansion .

As the pandemic eases, the United States reopens, and the number of people watching live sports events gradually resumes, its sales will continue to soar. So far in 2021 , Fanatics ' e-commerce orders have increased by more than 30%, and Fanatics is expected to reach the milestone of $3 billion in sales this year . A spokesperson for the company said that an IPO is obviously a viable option. But at present, the company has not provided a specific time .

The rapid development of e-commerce during the pandemic has brought huge benefits to e-commerce companies. As consumers rely more and more on online shopping, the e-commerce market will also have a lot of room for growth.

Sports e-commerce

Fanatics

USA