Edgars Consolidated Stores (Edcon) has been appointed the official operator for the 2010 Fifa World Cup stores in South Africa, the soccer body announced on Wednesday.
The official event stores will be in 160 branches of Edgars throughout the country, with the first shop scheduled to open later in November to coincide with the preliminary draw in Durban on November 25.
Another 10 will follow on November 26 countrywide in South Africa.
The agreement also includes the right to produce official licensed merchandise for the event and will act on behalf of Fifa’s master licensee, Global Brands.
”The shops offer Fifa and the local organising committee [LOC] a great opportunity to reach out to football fans across the length and breadth of the host country,” said Fifa general secretary Jérôme Valcke.
Chief executive officer of the LOC Danny Jordaan congratulated Edgars on securing the deal.
Fifa said the success of the event stores underlined the increasingly important role that fan shops played as local centres of attraction.
The most popular products are traditionally T-shirts, scarves, badges, pens, cups, caps and figures of the official mascot.
Steve Ross, CEO of Edcon, said the company was proud to be associated with the ”biggest sporting event in African history to date”. — Sapa