Launching and operating a UK flagship and the home of the hobby for trading cards and sports collectibles.

What we built

Experience-led market entry

Fanatics Collectibles, a global leader in trading cards and collectibles, is far from new to retail. Despite operating over 60 physical store locations across its portfolio worldwide, Fanatics turned to Agile Retail to accelerate their growth and tap into the rapidly growing enthusiasm for trading cards across Europe with a first of its kind flagship experience.

We began by operating a dynamic pop-up, leveraging our turnkey retail solution to conceptualise, build, staff, and operate the store, we created a space to test and refine the concept, hosting events, card breaks, and workshops to build awareness and establish a community, and showcase Fanatics as the leader in UK collectables.

We now operate the 8,000+ square foot flagship on Regent Street, a highly experiential and innovative store that is the home of the hobby for collectors across the UK. There is no store like it in the world, with extensive breaking tables, a dedicated streaming and content suite, a ‘take a card, leave a card’ swap wall, and a cinema style sports broadcasting zone – it is truly a one-of-a-kind retail experience.

This new and engaging retail experience, built on a foundation of world class service, is fostering the collector community in the UK and launching Fanatics Collectibles international expansion.

Experiential Flagship on Regent Street

The UK
Home of the Hobby

Exclusive events for the collector community

Solutions

What problems are we solving?

Unlike traditional retail products, trading cards require more than shelf presence. Education, engagement, and community-building are vital in attracting customers and sparking curiosity. By designing spaces where customers could learn about the hobby, participate in events, and see the excitement firsthand, we have turned a niche hobby into a growing category.

Insights from the pop-up informed the flagship store’s design, which now delivers an even more immersive experience, a space that regularly hosts community trading and events and athlete visits and appearances.

Physical Retail With Less Risk - Entering a new market can be a daunting and complex process. With our agile and cost-effective retail solution we spun up a pilot pop-up store to test operational complexities and derisk the hugely successful flagship endeavour.

New and Unique Product to Market - We worked to attract and introduce a new audience to a category in its infancy. Through an engaging and eye-catching retail presence, we have created a retail offering that has helped Fanatics thrive in a new market.

Experiential Community Building - The collector community is small, but its members are passionate. To engage the existing community and expand the audience we organise and run events with visiting athletes and early releases.

Insights

What we learned

Our strategy centres on creating a retail environment that excites, engages, and educates customers about trading cards. By leveraging our deep understanding of the UK market and managing every aspect of the launch and the ongoing operation of the flagship store, we ensured a seamless and impactful entry for Fanatics and continued growth in the market.

This venture not only expands Fanatics’ reach but also sets a benchmark for their retail presence, fostering a thriving community and igniting interest in trading cards across a new audience.

Are you ready to expand into new markets or transform the way customers experience your brand? Whether you’re launching a niche product or scaling a global retail presence, we’re here to help you succeed. Let’s turn your next big idea into a thriving reality.

I wanted to pass on a massive THANK YOU to the group that made magic happen.

The agility, collaboration, and hustle on display was truly impressive - you moved fast, adapted constantly, and kept pushing forward with positivity.

Casey Kravit,
Senior Director Strategy, Fanatics Collectibles

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