New tie up builds on retailer’s growing line-up of sportswear brands.
Sainsbury’s has begun a new partnership with America’s National Football League – the NFL – which will see it sell officially licensed sports apparel ahead of the NFL season in September.
This marks the first time that officially licensed NFL clothing has been sold by a UK supermarket, with the initiative strengthening Sainsbury’s existing line-up of successful sports brands which includes Russell Athletic, Admiral and the British Lions and Six Nations rugby kit.
This week and ahead of the NFL International Series taking place in London this summer, team t-shirts for all eight teams playing in the UK will be available on the Tu clothing website (£14).
A range of NFL and American football inspired vintage-effect t-shirts are also on offer online and will become available in 123 stores nationwide from August. Check out this week’s Licensing Lookout column to see them in-situ.
To celebrate the end of the season and the Super Bowl, even more NFL team t-shirts, hoodies and sweatshirts will come on stream.
All four NFL games being played at Wembley and Twickenham this summer – the most London has ever hosted – have sold out, underlining the growing popularity of the sport and brand in the UK.
Sainsbury’s commercial director, James Brown, said: “American football has become hugely popular in the UK, so we’re really excited that our customers can show their support with high quality, official NFL sportswear from Sainsbury’s.
“We’ve got a great track record on clothing for British sporting events and we’re confident that we’re onto another winner with our NFL licensed sportswear.”
Sainsbury’s is the UK’s sixth biggest clothing retailer by volume and tenth by value. Over the past three years, Tu clothing sales have grown by more than 20%.
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