The summer season is typically a time of new kit launches. With nearly all Premier League clubs updating their kits annually, it's a lucrative venture for the teams.
In recent seasons, clubs have often sported next season's kit in the final match of the previous regular season. This allows for an earlier release of shirts and maximizes the merchandising window during the summer months when shirt sales tend to peak.
At the top level, clubs frequently switch kit suppliers, with the average length of kit supplier contracts being around five years per deal. This ensures a smooth transition between old and new, optimizing revenue generation from merchandising.
New home, away, and third kits are supplemented by a fresh range of training and leisurewear merchandise. However, Liverpool's situation this summer is unique.
The club is transitioning from Nike to Adidas for the upcoming season, but until the end of July, the Reds are still contractually bound to the American sportswear giant. As a result, the club will play three pre-season friendlies, including matches on the Hong Kong and Japan tour against AC Milan and Yokohama Marinos, in last season's kit.
The club's online and physical retail operations with Nike will continue until the end of the month, with the official commencement of the Adidas partnership slated for Aug. 1. This is just three days before the Anfield friendly match against Spanish team Athletic Bilbao.
While sneak peeks of the new kit have been shared, no official release has been made, nor is one expected before the Aug. 1 launch. The club is keen to honour its agreement with Nike, acknowledging the positive working relationship between the two entities.
The launch will also coincide with the unveiling of a larger, refurbished LFC store at Anfield.
The club finalized shirt designs with Adidas some time ago, and mass production of shirts and other Adidas/LFC merchandise has been underway with the launch date in mind.
Given that a change in kit suppliers is a relatively rare event, the early weeks of August are set to be incredibly busy for the club's global retail operations. With 19 standalone stores worldwide, including a new addition in Denmark earlier this year, Liverpool boasts the highest number of any sports team globally.
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Consequently, launching a new kit with entirely new merchandise from a different supplier presents a logistical challenge.
However, Liverpool has been gearing up for its ongoing expansion and the anticipated surge in demand that's expected not only this summer but in the years ahead, with the establishment of its first international fulfillment center last year, located in Roermond, the Netherlands.
While the club operates a distribution centre in Liverpool, the Dutch hub, realized through the club's commercial partnership with global logistics behemoth UPS, will empower the club's retail division to optimally support its ambitious international strategy. This will be achieved by meeting demand at a higher level, which is set to spike in the coming weeks with the launch of the new kit.