November 10: Liverpool have opened an official store in Oslo, the second in the Nordic region and the latest in a string of eight international openings over the past year.
The store, in the Paleet Shopping Centre, is run with sports retailer Unisport and sells adidas gear, replica shirts, fashion, accessories and memorabilia. Former striker Robbie Fowler cut the ribbon, met supporters and joined a question and answer session, the night after attending a fundraiser with local fans for the LFC Foundation.
Norway is a natural market. Liverpool are estimated to have close to 800,000 supporters there, the most of any Premier League club, in a country of around 5.5 million. Last season they attracted a cumulative TV audience of 3.5 million in Norway and have 1.4 million followers on social media.
The club’s popularity in Scandinavia runs deep. Norway’s official fan base is one of the largest outside the UK, and generations of Norwegians and Swedes have followed Liverpool since English football became a weekend fixture on Scandinavian television in the 1970s and 1980s. Every season, thousands make the trip to Anfield.
“It’s been a fantastic 12 months for our international retail business, with record growth across our store network and expansion into new markets,” said Lee Dwerryhouse, senior vice president of merchandising.
Over the past year, Liverpool have entered three new markets, signed two new retail partners and completed six international kit launches. The model uses local partners to run physical stores.