Topic: Yanks commercialisation of Club continues... in Ireland.

[Rossie]

Liverpool to go shopping in Dublin

Premier League contenders Liverpool FC are to open a merchandise shop in Dublin. The celebrated football club is understood to have hired CBRE's London office to source a shop of between 3,000 and 10,000 square feet in Dublin city, with the northside the favoured location.

The club is owned by US businessmen George Gillett Jr and Tom Hicks, but reports in Britain suggest that Merrill Lynch has been hired to find possible buyers. Deloitte has ranked Liverpool as the eighth-richest club in the world, with income of nearly €200m in the 2006-2007 season.

The club will hope to outperform Manchester United's merchandise shop, which closed after 18 months in 2002 due to poor sales. Most of the retail space it occupied is still empty six years later.

http://www.tribune.ie/business/article/2008/nov/23/liverpool-to-go-shopping-in-dublin/

[shelovesyou]

Well at least the good people of Dublin can sleep now in the knowledge that they can purchase the all new Liverpool FC Mens Cologne

[ALB37]

The bastards. Bring back Moores.

No way would Sheek Mo try and commericalialize the club.

[Rossie]

It will be interesting to see if the LFC shop is more successful than the Septics were with theirs.

[redscotch]

Good news. Can only be a good thing so well done to the people at the club.

Would be class to have a window full of retro shirts with the names on the back of all our famous Irish lads who've played for us through the years.
To stress the link.

Maybe leave out Babb though.

[ttnbd]

I give it a year before one pops up in norway too (and would arguably be much more successful).

It's this sort of thing fans have been crying out about for years.  Whether it'll be successful remains to be seen, I suspect it will, but it's probably more a long term project.

[deadlybuzz]

It will be interesting to see if the LFC shop is more successful than the Septics were with theirs.

The size of the Utd store was too big for them in Dublin. It was probably as big as their official store in Manchester!

Not everyone in the city is a Manc fan; the Irish are far too divided amongst all clubs in the League, the Irish League and well, Celtic. And you see more and more Barca and Real jerseys going around nowadays. Which has me wondering how big George and Tom are going to go between the 3,000 - 10,000 sq ft?

[ttnbd]

could be something as simple as, starting with 3,000 sq. ft with the potential to go bigger if demand dictates.  The top end of that (10,000 sq. ft) would put it on a par with the Liverpool 1 store which is the biggest club store of any team in europe.

[belfast-connection]

watched the fulham match in dublin the other day and every 2nd punter in the pub was a red

i think it'll do okay in dublin

they might want to think about one in belfast too - after the yanks do one that is

[belfast-connection]

actually is this not an SOS opportunity

send an official communication to the supporters clubs in dublin and then have that published in the echo and a few dublin papers at the same time - info on the boycott and why its happening and asking irish fans to do the same until the yanks leave

[MBL?]

If the Manc one only lasted 18 months here I can't see this doing any better.

[Dubit10]

Waste of time. There are as many manc fans here as there are Liverpool fans and the manc shop didnt last pissing time. Most Liverpool fans here buy replica shirts anyways.

[NotBeenInAigburthSince2008]

I wonder if the northside means the north of the city (Blanchardstown maybe) or north city centre (O'Connell St)

[Wigwamdelbert]

they might want to think about one in belfast too - after the yanks do one that is

The LFC shop in Belfast didn't last a crack sure.
Mind, the Manc store didn't do too well either. Funny enough the only ones doing a trade in Belfast are the Celtic and Rangers shops     

[BIGdavalad]

Good, about time the commercial side of the club was dragged into the modern world.

[west_london_red]

Waste of time. There are as many manc fans here as there are Liverpool fans and the manc shop didnt last pissing time. Most Liverpool fans here buy replica shirts anyways.

Thats what I never understand. If you going to buy a shirt, its cheaper to buy at a normally sports shop then from the clubs shop or website. Dont people shop around no more?

[hansen6]

Waste of time. There are as many manc fans here as there are Liverpool fans and the manc shop didnt last pissing time. Most Liverpool fans here buy replica shirts anyways.

Yeah but you can pck up mancs stuff in any sports shop, Liverpool are not the same.

[HarryLabrador]

Yeah but you can pck up mancs stuff in any sports shop, Liverpool are not the same.

That's exactly our problem. Setting up our own stores may not be as cost effective as they think, and I believe Manu have been down that path before. Surely, the best way is to pick up "LFC stuff in any sports shop", like Manu. That way our overheads are nonexistent and you can reach far more dyed in the wool fans, and others. This idea of owning your own shops in every city works across the pond as their population is 5 times larger than ours.

[incredibleL4ever]

The best way to increase sales is to sell more of the non-sports items through existing shops.  ManU sell clothes and other sh*te through the Dunnes Stores chain in Ireland which is a somewhere between Tesco & M&S.   You dont need to rent a store for this.
Also this is the worst possible time to be investing in anything in Ireland.

[west_london_red]

I read somewhere that the Manc shop in Dublin was quite big. Maybe the one we're planning on is of a more sensible size? But in all honesty i cant see it being a success. You can buy plenty of LFC merchandise here in London from sports shops already(Soccer Scene on Oxford Street is packed full of shite with a Liverbird on it!), and im sure its the same in Dublin so I cant see the attraction being that great. Plus you can always order stuff off the interweb.

[Rossie]

Pricing will also be crucial.  With the exchange rate the way it is people will be able to make a calculation compared to the LFC Shops in Liverpool/Chester and hopefully they won't find that they're being treated differently to the fans on the other side of the Irish sea.

[Fiend]

Might have worked 10 years ago. However Ireland is a basket case economy much like Iceland. Only the euro has saved our skins so far. Unemployment next year is likely to be 10%-12%. Cant see too many shoppers (Unless people trade down from Gucci bags to LFC mugs).

[Walter Sobchak]

about time too. although the timing is up its arse as usual with our club and this type of thing. trust LFC to wait until the recession starts to finally open a store here! they've completely missed out on the opportunity of really cashing in on 15 years of the celtic tiger.

despite that i still think it'll be a success if they start off small.

[oojason]

am surprised this hasn't happened sooner under G&H - and in more places like the east and west coasts of the US, Scandinavia and possibly a shop/warehouse in SE Asia somewhere.

It can't be too difficult for even Parry or Ayres to work out that the price 'postage and packaging' to overseas from the online UK shop has curbed trade - plus it's not like LFC merchandise is easily available to buy in other sports outlets like Man U, Real Madrid, Barca, Chelsea is etc.

Trust them to start to tackle the problem it in the beginning of a recession though!

[Bob Loblaw]

All depends on where they locate it. If they can't get it in the City Centre i don't see it succeeding. All it will be is a novelty for fans to go once and that'll be it.

[istvan kosma]

That's exactly our problem. Setting up our own stores may not be as cost effective as they think, and I believe Manu have been down that path before. Surely, the best way is to pick up "LFC stuff in any sports shop", like Manu. That way our overheads are nonexistent and you can reach far more dyed in the wool fans, and others. This idea of owning your own shops in every city works across the pond as their population is 5 times larger than ours.

good point, its a piss take when you walk into JD in the city centre and its full of scum stuff

[Latino Heat]

my football club i play for in dublin are also affiliated with the club now as of last week.

[Party Phil]

Good, about time the commercial side of the club was dragged into the modern world.

that's a pretty big compliment for dublin

[NotBeenInAigburthSince2008]

that's a pretty big compliment for dublin

Why is that?

[BIGdavalad]

that's a pretty big compliment for dublin

 

Well ok, as close to modern world as Dublin allows

[NotBeenInAigburthSince2008]

Well ok, as close to modern world as Dublin allows

Ahh, the ugly face of casual racism

[BIGdavalad]

Ahh, the ugly face of casual racism

Yeah, despise the Irish me.

That's why I'm married to one, of course 

[NotBeenInAigburthSince2008]

Yeah, despise the Irish me.

That's why I'm married to one, of course 

Very noble of you

[Fiend]

Aigburth don't be silly. We can take a bit of banter.

People getting over sensitive really do my head in 

Racism me arse...

[Wallingtonian]

Good news. Can only be a good thing so well done to the people at the club.

Would be class to have a window full of retro shirts with the names on the back of all our famous Irish lads who've played for us through the years.
To stress the link.

Maybe leave out Babb though.

Babb's one of the fake paddies though - Grannie used to drink Guinness or some such.  He talks like a cockney so his Irishness is about as convincing as Tony Cascarino's

[donniebrasco]

There should be a Liverpool shop in every major city in the world as far as im concerned.

I remember being in Delhi once and stumbling across a Man U shop there..most indians support LFC or Man U so why can't we open one there too?? Globalisation is the way forward so the more shops we have worldwide the better IMO.

Mind you i personally would never buy half the crap they sell in club shops but luckily many others will..

[Tyler Durden]

There should be a Liverpool shop in every major city in the world as far as im concerned.

I remember being in Delhi once and stumbling across a Man U shop there..most indians support LFC or Man U so why can't we open one there too?? Globalisation is the way forward so the more shops we have worldwide the better IMO.

Mind you i personally would never buy half the crap they sell in club shops but luckily many others will..

I bought a club crest cd wallet once, does that make me bad?

[donniebrasco]

I bought a club crest cd wallet once, does that make me bad?

No not bad all...each to their own  ..you probably have more cash to put in the wallet than i do!!

[Tyler Durden]

No not bad all...each to their own  ..you probably have more cash to put in the wallet than i do!!

Na it was only one of them cd ones so you dont have a load of cd's swooshing around the glovey in yer car, i felt obliged to buy something cause i went in there ages ago.

[rednich85]

Was in Dublin on Sunday for the Derry v Bohs match, disgusted by the bohs fans. Fucking c*nts.

That club shop wont see 2010