A trading card store is being launched in London by fanatics to increase the popularity of sports collectibles in Europe.

• Fanatics Collectibles is opening its first trading card-focused store in London.
• Topps' offerings in baseball, soccer, F1, WWE, and Disney, among others, will be the focus of the store.
• Despite the pandemic-era surge in trading card collecting, most of the growth has occurred in the U.S., where the practice is more widespread than in Europe.

The trading card collecting hobby has experienced a surge during the pandemic, with a growing interest in both new cards featuring popular sports stars and high-end, rare cards. However, most of this growth has occurred in the U.S., where baseball cards have long been popular and hobby shops selling trading cards and collectibles are more common than in other countries.

Fanatics, a sports merchandise giant, aims to expand its trading card business in Europe by opening a flagship store in London, targeting the growing collector market.

Topps president of trading cards, David Leiner, has stated that the 8,647-square-foot store set to open on London's Regent Street in spring 2025 will be known as "The house of the hobby" in Europe.

"Leiner stated that in Europe, people grew up collecting, beginning with sticker books and albums. However, he pointed out that the number of collectors compared to collector-focused stores is significantly different from the ratio in the U.S."

Fanatics claims that there are fewer than five Topps-partner hobby shops in the UK and less than 30 in all of Europe. Leiner stated that unlike in the US, cards are often found in the magazine aisle of smaller stores or grocery stores, and are rarely available in big box retailers. "Finding these products can be challenging," he said.

Fanatics Collectibles came up with the concept of a branded store to cater to the growing collector community in Europe and increase the visibility of the hobby.

Leiner stated that the store will primarily focus on trading cards, offering a variety of products such as boxes, packs, rare cards, and single cards for sale. In addition, the store will host community-building events like trade nights, athlete signings, and pack opening events. The store will also provide card grading services and a studio for live and taped card openings. Besides trading cards, Fanatics Collectibles will also sell other items such as apparel, memorabilia, and signed items.

Topps has other licenses that align with traditional European sports fandom, despite baseball cards being present due to MLB's hosting of games in Europe.

Topps has secured exclusive trading card rights to the Premier League and will launch a collection for next season. The company also holds rights to UEFA soccer national team and club team competitions, as well as the NBA, F1, UFC, WWE, and entertainment brands like Disney, Marvel, and Star Wars.

Fanatics Collectibles aims to open branches in major European cities to encourage the establishment of hobby shops and increase distribution of cards in existing stores.

Opening a store in a major U.S. city like New York or Los Angeles could lead to success for Fanatics Collectibles, but this approach won't be replicated nationwide due to the already thriving hobby market in the U.S.

"He stated that the goal is to increase the number of fans who become collectors while elevating the status of the hobby."