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HANGZHOU, China, May 27, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- FC Bayern Munich is collaborating with Tmall Global, an overseas platform and an extension of Alibaba Group's B2C Tmall business in China, and DHL eCommerce -- part of DHL, the world's leading logistics company -- to launch an official FC Bayern Munich online flagship store (http://fcb.tmall.hk/) for consumers in China. With the new online store, over 90 million Chinese fans will now be able to purchase official fan merchandise from the world's leading football team and enjoy a premium shopping experience. For the first time, fans can now order a FC Bayern Munich jersey with their favorite player's name and also purchase a variety of fan merchandise ranging from genuine apparel for men, women and children, as well as other unique goods including traditional German and Bavarian products of the football team.
Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Executive Board Chairman of FC Bayern Munich, said: "We are delighted to be launching our official FC Bayern Munich flagship store on Tmall Global today. I am glad that we will be moving closer to our huge Chinese fan base. Making our fan merchandise accessible is crucial to connect with our fans in China."
Jorg Wacker, Executive Board Member Internationalization and Strategy of FC Bayern Munich, added: "China continues to be our key focus market and plays an important role in our internationalization strategy. For our market entry in China, Tmall Global is the best platform since many of our fans already use the platform today. Together with our strategic partner DHL, we will ensure a fast delivery. This store is a big first step in expanding our touch points with our Chinese fan base and we will interact with our fans even more during our Audi Summer Tour China in July this year."
Jeff Zhang, President of China Retail Marketplaces of Alibaba Group, added: "FC Bayern Munich, as one of the first football clubs launching their exclusive online flagship store on Tmall Global, will greatly reflect the diversity of brands and goods on the platform. This is a very important step to our European strategy and we will continue to bring premium goods, as well as focus on various interactive entertainment and cultural industries to comprehensively globalize the platform. By leveraging Alibaba's 350 million users across our China retail platforms, it will help FC Bayern Munich gain easier access to their 90 million Chinese fans within China."
FC Bayern Munich is the world's biggest football club with over 255,000 members and also one of the most successful having won 5 Champions League Titles, 3 Club World Cup trophies as well as 25 national championships. DHL, as strategic partner of FC Bayern Munich, will leverage its international logistics and e-commerce expertise to help build the club's global merchandise business amongst its over 400 million followers worldwide. The six-year partnership between DHL and FC Bayern Munich sees DHL as its exclusive logistics partner and full service provider for international e-commerce starting in China in 2015 with a planned roll-out across Asia-Pacific. DHL eCommerce will manage many aspects of FC Bayern Munich's merchandising in China working with Tmall Global on product listing, order management, fulfillment of orders, local distribution and returns, local customer service and market entry support.
Thomas Kipp, CEO of DHL eCommerce, said: "There couldn't be a better opportunity to demonstrate our expertise in e-commerce such as fulfillment and end-to-end delivery than launching the online flagship store of the world's biggest football club, FC Bayern Munich, on the world's biggest marketplace in China. We also have the added bonus to work even more closely with Tmall Global, China's leading online retail platform. Just like FC Bayern Munich, DHL is constantly striving to improve on our services and to perfect our game to build even more loyalty with our end consumers."
FC Bayern Munich is also planning to return to China for a summer tour in July 2015. The team will play three games: in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. The trip will be the second time that the Bundesliga champions spend part of the summer in China, following a five-day visit in July 2012. Prospective details for 2015, alongside three games in eight days, include a training camp and PR events.
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About Tmall Global
Launched in February 2014, Tmall Global (www.tmall.hk) is an overseas platform and an extension of Alibaba Group's B2C Tmall business, which enables overseas merchants to enter China's online retail market. Merchants can join Tmall Global using the business licenses of their home country or region and conduct businesses from overseas without the need for physical operations within China. International brands on Tmall Global benefit from the exposure to the hundreds of millions of visitors on Taobao Marketplace and Tmall.com. Through Tmall Global, Chinese consumers have access to a variety of branded products sourced and fulfilled from overseas countries outside of China.
About FC Bayern Munich
FC Bayern Munich is one of the most successful clubs in world football. It has a proven track record of developing world-class players and competing in the highest echelons of world football. The current and record German Bundesliga champion has won all international and national titles, including 5 Champions League and 3 Club World Cup trophies as well as 25 national championships. In the 2012/2013 season, FC Bayern Munich was the first German team (and seventh in history) to win the "treble" (national championship, national cup and UEFA Champions League) and topped this by adding the FIFA Club World Cup and the UEFA Super Cup later in 2013. The club currently has 6 world champions and key players on the German national team – more than any other club. The club is owned by its 255,000+ members and is therefore the biggest club in the world. Since 2005, FC Bayern Munich plays their home matches at the world-renowned 75,000-seat Allianz Arena, which is sold out every game.
From an economic perspective, FC Bayern Munich is the most sustainable club in the world. It has been profitable every year for the past 22 years and generated revenues of €529M in the fiscal year 2013/14. The club maintains close and long-term relationships to its 27 current partners, of which most are global brands and market leaders in their respective industries.
With more than 400 million followers worldwide, FC Bayern Munich is one of the strongest brands in world football.
About DHL
DHL is the leading global brand in the logistics industry. DHL's family of divisions offer an unrivalled portfolio of logistics services ranging from national and international parcel delivery, international express, road, air and ocean transport to industrial supply chain management. With more than 325,000 employees in over 220 countries and territories worldwide, they connect people and businesses securely and reliably, enabling global trade flows. With specialized solutions for growth markets and industries including e-Commerce, technology, life science and healthcare, energy, automotive and retail, a proven commitment to corporate responsibility and an unrivalled presence in developing markets, DHL is decisively positioned as "The logistics company for the world".
DHL is part of Deutsche Post DHL Group. The Group generated revenues of more than 56 billion euros in 2014.
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