Tokyo, May 25, 2021- Rakuten Group, Inc. today announced that it has obtained a master license for the exclusive merchandising in Japan of the world-famous soccer club FC Barcelona. Rakuten will bring Barça closer to its fans in the country by rolling out a variety of club-related goods in Japan in the near future.
May 25, 2021
- Rakuten Group, Inc.
Rakuten Announces Master License Agreement for Exclusive FC Barcelona Merchandising in Japan
- Rakuten to roll out a variety of club-related goods in Japan, with additional merchandise to be developed in collaboration with partner companies.
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In 2019, original branded items were sold to celebrate the opening of pop-up shops in Harajuku and Kobe.
Under the Rakuten Sports brand, Rakuten has been empowering athletes and developing its business globally. Going forward, Rakuten Sports will continue to pursue merchandising opportunities.
With this agreement, Rakuten will use its e-commerce platforms, including Rakuten Ichiba, to provide fans of all ages with Barça-branded fashion items, toys, stationary, health and beauty items, food products and more. The company also intends to explore a variety of merchandizing opportunities, such as collaborations with artists and developing goods incorporating elements of Japanese pop culture. Rakuten aims to promote product distribution through collaborations with partner companies and sublicensing agreements.
Rakuten became the Main Global Partner and first-ever Official Innovation & Entertainment Partner of FC Barcelona in 2017. In July 2019, the company held the Rakuten Cup Supported by SCALP-D, which featured FC Barcelona, the English Premier League club Chelsea FC, and J.League J1 club Vissel Kobe. Limited-time pop-up stores were opened in Harajuku and Kobe to commemorate the tournament, selling original goods produced with supervision from FC Barcelona.
This new license represents a strategic partnership for Rakuten’s global sports business and will position Rakuten as a leader in Barça merchandising. Rakuten and FC Barcelona are aiming for continued innovation within Japan’s sports business landscape.
For inquiries relating to this licensing agreement, please email: rakuten-merchandising@mail.rakuten.com
About FC Barcelona
FC Barcelona was founded in 1899 and is unique in many ways. The Club is owned by its more than 140,000 members. Since the 2004/05 season they have won four of the Club’s five Champions League titles and ten of their 26 domestic league titles. Due to its very special personality, Barça is recognized as being “More than a club.” The team’s distinctive style of play is projected around the world by the best players and coaches of their time in combination with club’s famous reliance on homegrown talent.
All of this goes hand in hand with its ongoing ambition to become the most admired, beloved and global sports institution on the planet. This mission is supported by such core principles as humility, effort, ambition, respect and teamwork, while the club is also famed for its commitment to society, which is channeled through the FC Barcelona Foundation and its work to educate children through the positive values of sport. Such unstoppable growth in recent years has led to a global reach of more than 360 million fans on social media, being the sports club with the most followers on social networks.