Words by Craig McKelvie, Founder & CEO, The BootRoom Collection

There is still nothing like the passion of a fan meeting their favourite athlete. What was once a modest industry populated predominantly by passionate amateur collectors is now one of the most phenomenal and fast-growing sectors worldwide. As cited by Forbes, the current $27.5 billion value of this global market will reach a colossal $47.2 billion within the coming five years.

This is good news for key players in the global sports merchandise and retail market, such as ourselves at The BootRoom Collection, but what exactly is driving such spectacular growth?

Sports memorabilia is a relatively new industry, with the first collectables coming in the early 20th century. The baby boomers are increasingly becoming the foundation of the market; they have enormous buying power and nostalgia for sports memorabilia and are translating this passion to future generations.

In response, major producers are innovating and developing worldwide; you only have to look at the quality of today’s sports posters, football jerseys and collectables to see how far things have come.  Today the market share of the licensed sports memorabilia industry is valued at *$12 billion, of which the autographed share is about $2 billion – numbers that make you sit up and pay attention.

Furthermore, some of the world’s most important emerging markets are playing a significant role in driving the industry’s growth. Now-thriving economies like the Middle East are contributing enormously to the development of the industry, as new customers spend significant sums on sporting merchandise. For example, 2019 saw the launch of the first Official Liverpool FC store in Dubai, a notable moment not just for the region but the industry as a whole.

Unsurprisingly, enormous global marketing campaigns are also to credit for this industry growth. Global sporting entities such as the English Premier League (EPL) drive forward the industry each year via their associations with major sporting franchises and famous faces. It is also becoming increasingly easy to watch major sporting events and even local fixtures from anywhere in the world.

In summary, our collective obsession with sports and sports merchandise is only set to grow. What we see is a scenario where the quality and availability of sporting merchandise is growing, as is demand from discerning buyers in hundreds of lucrative markets worldwide. Hence, it’s expected that the enormous growth the industry has seen over the past few years will continue indefinitely. In any case, it’s clear that there’s never been a better time to get into the lucrative world of sports merchandise retail.

For more information and to find out about new product launches, in-store events and exclusive offers, follow The BootRoom Collection on Instagram @TheBootRoomCollection.

For more information please visit www.thebootroomcollection.com

References:

https://brandongaille.com