Bundesliga club FC Bayern Munich has signed a licensing partnership with Las Vegas-based agency One Entertainment that will see the German club’s branded merchandise being made available within the U.S. retail market for the first time. The club, which is set to tour the U.S. this summer as part of the Int'l Champions Cup and the Audi Summer Tour, also will see an expansion of the existing range of products offered via its U.S.-dedicated online store. FC Bayern, which opened its first U.S. office in N.Y. in '14, sees this deal as another important step in its long-term strategy to bring its brand closer to the American sports fan, said Rudolf Vidal, the Managing Director of Bayern Munich’s U.S. office. “This builds on, and in some ways is the result of, the partnerships we've inked over the last two years in that the increasing consumption of soccer in the U.S., aided by our U.S. tours, media partnerships, dedicated U.S. social media profiles, our existing merchandising channel, among others, makes us an attractive brand for retailers to offer to their shoppers,” he said. “Being in brick-and-mortar locations also puts us on a level playing field with U.S. sports leagues, and as such, opens us up to reaching new, and perhaps more mainstream U.S. sports fans, as well as our existing fans in new ways." One Entertainment Managing Partner David Gebel said that after the agency researched Bayern’s jersey sales and other online activities in the U.S., he believes the club’s popularity in the country puts it alongside other tier one clubs, such as Manchester United or FC Barcelona. While Gebel noted that it is likely that the club’s wider range of merchandise would not likely reach the market for another six to 12 months, there has already been early interest from licensees who are interested in working with the club.
FOLLOWING BARCELONA'S ROAD: One Entertainment works with more than 12 international teams, organizations and properties on licensing and merchandising in the U.S. including FC Barcelona, the FA and the Copa America Centenario. Gebel said it would be likely that Bayern’s products would follow a similar style as Barcelona’s, which target primarily apparel in men’s and boy’s, headwear, accessories and home décor. Gebel said that Barcelona has more than 35 individual licensees working on that program, and have been in the U.S.-licensing marketplace longer than any European soccer club, dating back to '04. Vidal said that Bayern’s goal is to be in the top five licensed soccer properties in the market within the next two years, and that this was an important step to be able “to ensure our vision and culture -- the full FC Bayern Munich experience -- is effectively translated in the American market.”
