Fanatics and WWE will expand their partnership after Fanatics spent a year managing the company’s e-commerce.
A year after initially partnering with WWE, Fanatics will take over the wrestling giant’s global event merchandise business and operations, the companies announced on Tuesday.
Beginning May 1, Fanatics Commerce — the company’s e-commerce, licensed merchandise, and physical retail operations division — will take charge of on-site retail sales. The will include more than 300 live WWE events per year, including premium tentpole flagships like WrestleMania, RoyalRumble, and SummerSlam.
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“The WWE has built one of the most incredible global events portfolios across sports and entertainment, and we’re honored that they’ve tapped Fanatics to build on our overarching partnership together,” Molly Adams, Fanatics Commerce’s chief strategic retail officer, said. “Through our expansive global footprint and event retail operations expertise, Fanatics is uniquely positioned to provide an unrivaled event retail experience for WWE’s passionate fans at hundreds of events worldwide.”
Shortly after taking over WWE’s e-commerce business in March 2022, the company boasted record-breaking sales at WrestleMania, RoyalRumble, Money In The Bank, and SummerSlam.
“Fanatics has been an amazing partner and will immediately bolster WWE’s event retail business,” Alex Varga, WWE’s senior vice president, head of corporate development, said. “Expanding our partnership will allow WWE to further expand our offering to fans and grow merchandise revenue in 2023 and beyond.”
Earlier this month, Endeavor bought a majority stake in WWE. It then merged with the UFC in a deal that valued the wrestling brand at $9.3 billion. The two sports entertainment companies now exist under the ticker symbol TKO on the New York Stock Exchange.
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