EPL club Liverpool is "considering selling the naming rights for the new main stand at Anfield in a bid to finance" the US$120M redevelopment cost of the stadium, according to the GUARDIAN. Liverpool Chief Commercial Officer Billy Hogan said that the team has "ruled out the possibility that the stadium as a whole could be renamed." The Liverpool City Council's planning committee last month "unanimously approved the club’s application to rebuild two sides of Anfield, with work expected to begin" early next year. The club is "currently being investigated by UEFA over possible breaches of the financial fair play rules," but Hogan "is confident they have nothing to fear given a number of new commercial deals that should significantly boost revenue this season" (GUARDIAN, 10/13). In Liverpool, James Pearce reported the club's owners have decided to have Hogan "based permanently in London in order to strengthen ties with current commercial partners and also to attract more new deals." Hogan said of the team's presence in London, "We’re targeting early November for the offices to actually open. A handful of staff are in London already and more will be moving down from our Liverpool partnerships team." Pearce noted the redevelopment of Anfield is "key to Hogan's new role." The middle-tier of the new Main Stand, which is "expected to be completed in time" for the start of the '16-17 season, "will be dominated by hospitality boxes and suites." Meanwhile, Liverpool is "set to expand" its network of team stores "around the world." Liverpool "recently opened an official merchandise shop in Malaysia and more are planned in Thailand and Indonesia" (LIVERPOOL ECHO, 10/13).
