One of the major advancements the Club has made recently has been the updating and modernising of the Club's retail outlets.
The refurbishment and relocation of the Superstore in 2018 allowed the Club to modernise the retail space available and a new online retail site was successfully launched in October 2019. The new online platform was instantly popular amongst supporters, as it allowed easier navigation to browse the full range of products and made the purchases process safe and secure across a range of devices.
The product range is continuously reviewed and feedback from supporters has been essential for the Club to source merchandise that our dedicated fans wish to purchase.
Commercial Director, Tom Gorringe said, "We are pleased to be able to expand and explore new revenue streams, while constantly evaluating how we can improve existing income sources.
"Retail is a key component in the Club's income and was one of the areas we highlighted from supporter feedback that we needed to improve.
"We have been helped in recent season's by record sales for replica kits, but that process is a lengthy one, to make sure the designs of the playing kit reflect what the supporters want to see and the values of the football club.
"We have worked closely with external partners to achieve our goals. Barrs Court Construction and Macron aided the construction of the new Superstore to ensure the project ran to schedule and we also want to extend our thanks to Gareth Williams at Dogleg, who helped build the new online shop platform and helps keep the content apt and relevant. We also have committed staff at the Club, who are all focused on expanding the retail options and being a contact point for supporters.
"Lastly, our appreciation is extended to the supporters. Throughout the current pandemic, we have seen retail figures increase on the previous year, which shows the desire from the fanbase to support the Club through the challenging climate.
"The more we can grow revenue streams, the quicker we can work towards our goal of becoming a sustainable football club."