Fanatics, has launched its first-ever online marketplace in Japan by opening a store on Rakuten Ichiba, operated by Rakuten Group.
Japanese sports fans will have access to 10,000 officially licensed products from across Fanatics’ partner roster of the top leagues and sporting organisations in the world, such as MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL, and major European club and international football teams.
Speaking on the partnership Masanori Kawana, Managing Director of Fanatics in East Asia, said: “We are always looking for ways to better serve sports fans across Japan, who are renowned for their passion and pride. Launching our first marketplace store for fans in Japan on Rakuten Ichiba was therefore a natural fit for us, due to Rakuten’s existing partnerships with a host of major sporting names such as the NBA, as well as its reputation for excellence as Japan’s leading online marketplace.
“By partnering with Fanatics in this way, retailers are able to expand into entirely new markets while mitigating a great deal of the risk that would usually come with such a move, leveraging Fanatics’ industry expertise and experience in order to place thousands of licensed sports products – quite literally – at their customers’ fingertips. It has been a pleasure to work with Rakuten so far and we look forward to building on our collective offering to fans in the months and years to come.”
Yui Ono, Senior Executive Officer and General Manager of EC Consulting Department from Rakuten Group, Inc., also commented:
“We are delighted to welcome Fanatics, a leading company in licensed sports merchandise, to Rakuten Ichiba – allowing sports fans in Japan to enjoy more accessible and convenient shopping for internationally licensed products.”
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