Megalicense Entertainment to manage FIFA’s retail and licensing programme for Russia

FIFA and Russian company Megalicense Entertainment have signed an agreement for Megalicense to manage the retail and licensing programme of the FIFA Confederations Cup 2017 and the 2018 FIFA World Cup™. The programme includes the production of official licensed products and the opening of official fan shops in the host country.

Megalicense has been selected as part of a tender process that was held among five Russian companies from the licensing and retail business. The criteria included, among others, sales forecast, financial model, product categories, experience and resources. As the largest licensing agency in Russia and working with well-known international brands, Megalicense responded best to the defined principles and promises to deliver an outstanding licensing programme fan experience for the Tournament of Champions taking place in June/July as well as the pinnacle of world football next year.

“For FIFA it is very important that Russian citizens and football fans from all over the world have the opportunity to purchase high-quality licensed products, which are a very important element of the tournaments and contribute significantly to the fan experience and event promotion. Such products are like a piece of the action, generating positive emotions and representing great memories of these unique events for a lifetime,” said FIFA’s Chief Commercial Officer, Philippe Le Floc’h.

“The high level of the organisation and delivery of the retail and licensing programme is extremely important, and therefore we are pleased to have an experienced and professional company such as Megalicense Entertainment on board. Products bearing the official marks of the 2018 FIFA World Cup and the FIFA Confederations Cup 2017 should be targeted to the widest audience and be available in different retail channels. We are sure that Megalicense will be able to complete this task at the highest level,” he went on to add.

“We are very pleased that our company has been chosen to organise the retail and licensing programme of the 2018 FIFA World Cup and the FIFA Confederations Cup 2017,” said Anton Grishin, President of Megalicense Entertainment. “They are unique events for Russia, and we would like to contribute to their implementation and offer the fans the best licensed goods”.

“This is a fantastic opportunity for our potential partners as the results of previous licensing programmes such as the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil and the Sochi Winter Olympics showed that the status of an official licensee or retail partner can help companies to increase their market share in a very short time, build new sales channels and enter new market segments. We are open to discussing licensing opportunities with licensees across a wide range of categories and with partners who would like to open official fan shops in host cities and across Russia”, said Zakhar Nazarenko, General Director of Megalicense.

Fans can buy licensed products of the FIFA Confederations Cup 2017 and the 2018 FIFA World Cup on FIFA.com/store.

The retail and licensing programme of the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil was activated in 189 territories, with over 1,000 official tournament stores opened. 160 licensees around the world produced more than 150 million official licensed products, which became the biggest retail and licensing programme carried out by FIFA. More than 120 official fan shops were opened in Brazil, including the first megastore in the history of the FIFA World Cup – a 2,000 m2 venue on Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro.