Walmart scores with FIFA deal

Walmart announced that it will operate official FIFA World Cup branded event shops in nearly all of its stores. The World Cup is similar to the Olympics in that it comes around every four years, and in 2010 the month-long tournament will be played in South Africa. Thanks to the deal with Walmart, officially licensed FIFA branded merchandise, such as hats, shirts, balls and bags, will be tailored to specific markets and available at Walmart stores in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Japan, Mexico, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico, the United Kingdom and the United States. Plans also call for store to host special events leading up to the games.

“Given Walmart’s global leadership position in the retail industry, it is the ideal platform to showcase the world-class merchandise we have been developing specifically for the 2010 FIFA World Cup,” said FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke.

The relationship with FIFA and its master licensee Global Brands Group is a coup for Walmart as the initiative creates a global seasonal selling opportunity and the potential for tremendous exposure for the Walmart brand. The last time the tournament was held in 2006 an estimated 26 billion cumulative views watched the 64 matches, according to FIFA.

“We want soccer fans around the world to participate in the world’s most spectacular sporting event by giving them access to exclusive FIFA World Cup merchandise at a great price,” said John Aden, an SVP with Walmart International. “'This is a unique opportunity for us to leverage our global scale, bringing the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa experience to Walmart stores for our local customers.”