Liverpool FC Opens Third South Africa Store in Six Months.

Roger Hampel

Image: Liverpool FC

Liverpool FC has opened its third standalone retail store in South Africa within six months, adding Durban to its existing locations in Cape Town and Johannesburg as the club expands its physical retail presence in international markets.

The new store is located at Gateway Theatre of Shopping in Durban, a major retail destination attracting nearly two million visitors per month. It will sell Liverpool’s adidas kits and training wear alongside fashion, accessories, gifts and other official club merchandise.

The opening comes during a wider expansion of Liverpool’s international retail business. Over the past 12 months, the club has opened seven new stores, entered three new markets, staged four international kit-launch events and added two retail partners.

South Africa Becomes Three-Store Market for Liverpool Liverpool

Liverpool opened its first two South African locations in Cape Town and Johannesburg earlier in 2026, followed by Durban six months into the expansion.

The club says it remains the only European football club operating standalone retail stores in Africa, making South Africa a notable part of its physical international distribution strategy.

Liverpool estimates that it has 12.5 million supporters in South Africa, alongside six million social media followers and four Official Liverpool Supporters Clubs. The club also reported a cumulative South African television audience of 36.6 million during the 2025/26 season.

Those figures provide the commercial rationale for establishing permanent physical locations in the country instead of relying exclusively on e-commerce and third-party retail distribution.

Durban Store Opens at Gateway Theatre of Shopping

Liverpool’s latest location places the club inside one of South Africa’s largest shopping destinations.

Gateway Theatre of Shopping receives close to two million visitors each month and is ranked by Liverpool among the world’s 100 largest shopping centres.

The store will carry the latest Liverpool FC x adidas match kits and training collections as well as a broader range of club-branded products.

Former Liverpool midfielder Lucas Leiva attended the opening, participating in a ribbon-cutting ceremony and supporter meet-and-greet. His appearance formed part of the launch activation, while the broader significance of the opening lies in Liverpool establishing a third permanent retail location in the market.

Seven New Stores in 12 Months

South Africa forms part of a larger international retail expansion by Liverpool.

During the past year, the club says its international retail operation has:

• opened seven new stores

• entered three new markets

• held four international kit-launch events

• added two new retail partners

  
  

The expansion provides Liverpool with additional physical touchpoints in markets where much of the relationship between international supporters and European clubs has traditionally been digital.

Stores can serve a dual purpose in that strategy: distributing official merchandise locally while providing permanent branded environments through which supporters can interact with the club.

Physical Retail Supports International Fan Strategy

Lee Dwerryhouse, Liverpool FC’s Senior Vice-President of Merchandising, said the three locations reflect both the size of the club’s South African following and its longer-term commitment to the market.

“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.”

Liverpool’s expansion comes as its merchandise operation enters a new cycle with adidas, giving international stores direct inventory around one of the club’s most visible consumer products.

For Liverpool, the South African rollout is therefore both a merchandise play and an international brand-distribution strategy. Three stores across Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban give the club a permanent consumer presence in a country where it estimates its supporter base at 12.5 million.

The Durban opening takes that strategy one step further, turning South Africa from a market served primarily through media, digital channels and supporter groups into one with a growing network of dedicated Liverpool retail locations.