Finance guru: Liverpool could open new ‘status symbol’ facility – ‘This is a big play’
Liverpool could open a new retail facility in the United States as a “status symbol”.
That is the view of finance expert Doctor Dan Plumley, speaking exclusively to Football Insider about the Reds’ commercial ambitions across the pond.
As quoted by the Liverpool Echo last Thursday (9 June), Scott Rosner, Professor of Sports Management at Colombia University, claimed Liverpool now have “significant brand recognition among US soccer fans.”
Liverpool owners Fenway Sports Group hail from Boston, while two per cent stakeholder LeBron James is considered among the greatest basketballers in American history.
But none of the Merseysiders’ 14 physical retail spaces are in the US.
Plumley suggests that this could soon change.
“It’s a status symbol, absolutely,” the Sheffield Hallam University expert told Football Insider’s Adam Williams.
“I think it’s plausible that we could see Liverpool look to open up a store.
“In the current climate, a lot of things are moving online and we have the death of the high street. But if you have got the capability to pull it off, you’re looking at big clubs like Liverpool.
“It is a big play because if you get it right people will come to it. That’s the marketing ploy. The Premier League is now very aware of the popularity of football in the United States.
“You see fan clubs meet to watch games in America. When you bundle all those things together, you can see why clubs are seeing opportunities with physical retail and e-commerce.”
Liverpool earned £217million in commercial income in 2020-21.
That figure is expected to rise on the back of a glittering 2021-22 campaign.
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