Fanatics has struck a deal with Topsports, China’s largest sports retailer, to develop its operational capabilities in the country, SportBusiness understands.

While Fanatics will continue to locally design and create relevant merchandise, managing rights globally on behalf of its sports rights-holder clients, the tie-up has been agreed with a view to tapping into Topsports’ local expertise and experience in sports and fashion retail.

Through the agreement, Fanatics is looking to markedly increase reach and distribution across China, generating a much bigger pool of potential buyers for sports teams’ and leagues’ merchandise…