Elite Sports Group, Hummel's UK distributor, have gone into administration, leaving many British football clubs unable to restock their stores and question marks over their futures with Hummel.
Hummel's UK Distributor Goes into Administration
Elite Sports Group handle the supply of Hummel gear to clubs in the UK, as well as being the distributor of Meyba and several other sports brands. Several clubs such as Oldham Athletic, Southampton and Coventry City have been forced to close their physical and online shops due to issues with Elite Sports Group this week, and it has emerged today that ESG have gone into administration.
Read more below👇https://t.co/tvmkM5qaqj— Newport County AFC (@NewportCounty) November 24, 2022The closure of the club shops is bad news for fans who have placed orders, as many of them will not receive their purchases and it is unclear if the clubs will refund them. The clubs themselves will also lose money as long as their stores remain closed.
Southampton announced on Monday that they have ended their partnership with Elite Sports Group although they did not mention their relationship with Hummel. They referred to a contingency plan in their statement but did not go into detail as to what it involves. Hummel themselves have not yet commented on the matter.
Hummel's biggest club in the UK, Everton, will not be affected by ESG's problems as their distribution deal is with US company Fanatics. For many of Hummel's smaller clubs across the English and Scottish football leagues the disruption comes at the worst possible time as they would have a busy sales period in the run up to Christmas. According to footballkitarchive.com, almost 20 UK clubs have deals with Hummel/ Elite Sports, including Bristol City, Millwall, Kilmarnock and Cambridge United.
It remains to be seen what will happen next in terms of kits for the 23-24 season. The current situation may lead to clubs leaving Hummel for other brands. The Danish company will need to start looking for a solution and also at the possibility of finding other distribution partners in the UK, or else they could lose a lot of clubs.
Do you think the clubs affected will look for other kit partners as a result of all of this? Comment below.