World Cup: Mbappé and Morocco jerseys torn, Germany jerseys sold
Their availability depends on the predictions of sports shops, which bet upstream on the success of national teams to build their stocks.
In the midst of the World Cup, some football shirts can be as hard to come by as the trophy itself. The centerpiece of the supporter’s panoply, the jersey in a team’s colors arouses the envy of football lovers. In each competition, the clothes are redesigned, with adaptation of the cut, logos, details and colors. The French team, announced in September, presents as its main innovation the gilding of back flocking.
And excitement over national team t-shirts grows as teams advance in the competition, with shirt sales strongly correlated with team performance. Hence the difficulty for jersey sellers: orders are a real gamble, as risky as gambling.
“ALSO READ-
World Cup: will the Blues’ victory in the final have an impact on the French economy?
Sports stores plan their stocks before the competition, between ”
one year and six months early
” referred to the Go Sport group, as it was almost impossible to get restocking according to the competition course due to production delays. ”
Risk taking is important
“, explains Guillaume Payen, marketing communication and brand director of Intersport France. It is really a question of estimating the performances of the 32 competition teams, but also the qualification of the 210 participating teams. So, Go Sport ordered Morocco jerseys when the country had not yet qualified.
Therefore, stores must bet on the competition, based on their past results and the enthusiasm of their supporters. Intersport also has a team that makes projections that are sent to stores, which will then adapt their orders, and may decide to do more than one country.
Sometimes this bet turns out to be a loser. ”
Early withdrawal from a country stops the sale
“explains Guillaume Payen. Unsold items have been sold since ”
even after the elimination some fans remain loyal to their team
“. This is especially the case for Germany whose selection was eliminated in the group stage to everyone’s surprise. Same observation for Portugal, where Go Sport chose to bet big. ”
As soon as the country is cleared
“, the sign therefore aims to sell surplus jerseys and even to ”
suppliers will replace the inventory
“. The jerseys of the players are also affected by this phenomenon: the sales of those who flocked to the name of Benzema led the wing with an injury to the sportsman, before the start of the competition.
Complicated beginning
However, retailers suffer from seasonality, as this world championship is the first to take place in December. In fact, it’s hard to wear a short-sleeved T-shirt in the middle of winter. Moreover, the decision of municipalities not to set up fan zones reduces collective enthusiasm. ”
We are not in the history of previous World Cups
“, Go Sport admits.
However, the brands are benefiting from the good performance of the French team, which will play in the final against Argentina on Sunday. On Intersport’s side, ”
sales started slower than a summer world cup, but the good course of the Blues made it possible to return to the usual standards
“. The group is now approaching 100,000 jerseys sold. Some players are particularly popular: the jersey of Kylian Mbappé, world star of the national team, is being taken by storm, so it is no longer in stock in some Intersport store, said Guillaume Payen.
Fortunately for supporters, sports equipment manufacturers are aiming wide for Blues jerseys. On the other hand, Morocco surprised them. No one could count on the historic performance of the Atlas Lions, except for the few Intersport shops that made this risky bet, rejoices with Guillaume Payen. Faced with reduced stocks, very high demand and the impossibility of restocking, Go Sport decided to focus the products on the group’s website to ”
promote as many fans as possible
“.
“ALSO READ-
The novel of six semi-finals of the French football team
However, it is necessary to be patient for those who prefer to buy a Blues jersey decorated with three stars: sports equipment manufacturers still do not know when it will be available, if there is a day.
