Fanatics, a leading global digital sports platform, announced the completion of its acquisition of EPI, an Italian sporting goods company that operates the official online and retail stores of several top Italian soccer clubs and international sports brands.
Milan-based EPI, soon to be renamed Fanatics Italy, provides complete end-to-end e-commerce, brick-and-mortar retail store operations and logistics for many of the biggest sports clubs in Italy, including several leading Italian Serie A clubs such as AC Milan, Atalanta BC, Bologna FC, ACF Fiorentina, FC Internazionale Milano, Juventus, S. S. Lazio and FIGC (Federazione Italiana Giuoco Calcio), as well as for Italian basketball club Olimpia Milano and the NBA. As part of the deal agreed with the Industrie 4.0 Fund, the private equity fund of the Quadrivio Group that invests in digital transformation and technological transformation of SMEs, Fanatics will also acquire The Pitch Football Store, a renowned omnichannel retailer of soccer.
With this acquisition, Fanatics will further expand its growing presence in European soccer. Many of the world’s top clubs and countries, including Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester United, Chelsea, Bayern München, Atletico Madrid, England (FA), Germany (DFB) and UEFA, already leverage the company’s comprehensive retail and merchandising capabilities, including its innovative vertical retail model, to better serve fans.
EPI will become part of the Fanatics Commerce Division, and all of its approximately 150 employees will continue to report to CEO Lorenzo Forte, who now serves as CEO of Fanatics Italy. Forte will report to Fanatics Commerce co-presidents for direct-to-consumer, Jack Boyle and Chris Orton.
