Liverpool FC opens third South African store in Durban as Old School partnership widens
Image by LFC
Liverpool FC has opened its third standalone retail store in South Africa, adding a Durban outlet at the Gateway Theatre of Shopping in Umhlanga less than five months after launching its first two African stores in Cape Town and Johannesburg. The opening gives the Premier League club an official retail presence in all three of the country’s largest metro areas. It also gives its local licensing partner, Old School, a store in KwaZulu-Natal well inside the first year of the agreement.
Former Liverpool midfielder Lucas Leiva fronted the launch, with an exclusive preview on 1 October followed by a public opening on 3 October. The store stocks the LFC x adidas kit and training ranges alongside fashion, accessories, gifts and club merchandise. Liverpool opened at Canal Walk in Cape Town on 12 May and Mall of Africa in Johannesburg on 15 May, those were the club’s 24th and 25th stores worldwide. Liverpool says it is the only European football club operating standalone retail stores on the continent. The club puts its South African following at 12.5 million supporters, six million social media followers and a cumulative TV audience of 36.6 million over the 2025-26 season. It also says its international retail team has opened seven stores, entered three new markets and signed two new retail partners in the past 12 months.
Lee Dwerryhouse, senior vice-president of merchandising at LFC, said: “South Africa has a huge and incredibly passionate community of Liverpool FC supporters, and we’re really pleased to be opening our third store in the country in just six months.
“Having a presence in Cape Town, Johannesburg and now Durban allows us to bring the club closer to even more supporters and give them a dedicated place to access official LFC products.“To be the only European football club with standalone retail stores in Africa is something we’re very proud of and reflects both the strength of our support here and our long-term commitment to the market.”
The Model
Old School, a South African business that started out of a Stellenbosch university residence, carries the operating risk, leases, staff and stock. Liverpool takes brand control and licensing income - Old School chief executive Daneel Steinmann has said Durban requests followed the first two openings, and the partner’s remit already includes e-commerce through its Locker Room platform and shop-in-shops nationally.
The pace looks like a franchise proving demand, Rival Premier League clubs reach South African fans mainly through sportswear wholesalers and their own websites, so Liverpool’s head start is in physical presence and not only products. Supporter numbers in the tens of millions still tend to struggle into sales in a market where official replica kits sit at the top end of household spending and dupes are widely available. Footfall at the mall draws close to two million visitors a month, by the club’s estimate.
More on Retail
