Special Report Industry opinions W
ith Euro 2024 concluding last month, Printwear & Promotion spoke with
managing director at Infi nity Inc, Darren Cohen and director at Wild Thang, John Howarth, to get their thoughts on the matter.
Wild Thang has worked with Premier League clubs such as Manchester City, Liverpool and Everton, while Infi nity Inc has worked with clubs such as Nottingham Forrest, Aston Villa and Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Q. Do you feel counterfeit football shirts have had an impact on the garment decoration industry? Darren Cohen, managing director at Infi nity Inc: The surge in counterfeit football shirts, especially during major tournaments like the Euros, has a signifi cant impact on the garment decoration industry.
The key impact is that the offi cial brands and retailers miss out on a large number of sales hence knocking on the effect to garment decorators like Infi nity, who work heavily in the sportswear sector and print for many of the big brands and clubs. Fake goods create unfair price competition. Genuine manufacturers cannot match the low prices of fake merchandise which is produced with inferior materials, cheaper labour and doesn’t include any of the costs involved in developing the product and designs. John Howarth, director at Wild Thang: As a company who works with the top brands in the game we have not actually noticed an impact on the industry from the printing of fake goods, simply because the top brands are still producing the authentic kit in large numbers and this is what we embellish.
Q: Why do you think fans are increasingly opting to buy fake alternatives? DC: The number one reason is cost. For example, an authentic England shirt costs between £85 and £125 depending on the version you opt for whereas a fake shirt can cost as low as £12.
The quality of fake products in general has massively improved over recent years, items such as perfume, jewellery, tech
www.printwearandpromotion.co.uk Managing director at Infinity Inc, Darren Cohen
products and trainers for instance are so good that it’s nearly impossible to notice the difference, so when faced with the option of fake or real, the decision is getting much easier. JH: I think there will be a draw for fans in the UK to buy fake shirts, simply due to costs of genuine shirts which can now be £100+, alongside the cost of living crisis.
Q: Why should fans buy authentic football shirts? DC: Fans should buy authentic shirts to support their club. A lot of profi t is made from shirt and merch sales which goes to help the running of the club and balancing the books for the fi nancial fair play rules. In recent years, the retail operations of football clubs have become very sophisticated and play such an important part of the club’s revenue stream. Buying fake goods also comes with massive risks around health and safety as there aren’t any of the usual checks around materials, fi re safety and chemicals used etc. as well as the issues around child labour and even organised crime. JH: Authentic shirts have many advantages over those copies, for example the supply chain is fully vetted, all materials are tested for safety and the quality is far superior. When buying fake alternatives, you are potentially supporting child labour overseas and other criminal activity.
Q: How much do you think Euro 2024 has impacted the rise in counterfeit football shirts? Have you noticed a similar pattern with fake football shirts within the Premier League? DC: I think there has been a massive rise in fake shirts during the build-up to Euro 2024. A lot of the online marketplaces that sell fake shirts have been able to promote and sell other fake shirts for Premier League and
Director at Wild Thang, John Howarth
Championship clubs which only makes the problem grow and gain momentum. JH: As with all big tournaments like the World Cup, Euros and Copa America you see a rise in availability of fake shirts. This is because all nations have released their updated kits so it’s an opportunity for the counterfeiters to jump on board, this also happens each summer when PL and EFL clubs release shirts.
Q: How prevalent do you see fake football shirts becoming in the near future? DC: I expect this to remain a prevalent issue moving forward.
Brand protection efforts need to remain focused so it’s good to see football clubs and brands increasingly investing in anti-counterfeiting measures, such as authentication holograms, QR codes, and other authentication technologies, to protect their products.
Governments and consumer organisations are stepping up efforts to combat counterfeit goods through stricter regulations, increased border controls, and tougher sentencing and legal actions against counterfeiters.
We also need to see continued efforts to educate consumers about the importance of buying authentic products and the negative impact counterfeit goods have on economies and workers, in the hope that it may gradually reduce demand for fake, poor quality merchandise. JH: I would say fake shirts will always have a market; I don’t think they will ever be any more successful than they are now as the vast majority of fans will only want the genuine kit.
However, as mentioned earlier I can appreciate there may be people or families who will buy fake purely because it’s all they can afford, therefore meaning the market will also have an outlet.
August 2024 |31 |
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