Record sales for new Aston Villa kit
Aston Villa's new kit has recorded record sales – outperforming launch sales over the last five seasons.
The new home, away and goalkeeping shirt have been designed by fashion brand LUKE 1977, run by Luke Roper, from Walsall.
And the football club says sales are up almost 750 per cent from historic data over the past two season across all three kits since becoming available.
My Roper has supported Aston Villa since he was five and says his first memory was watching the side on television in Walsall Wood in 1982.
On the partnership with his boyhood club, he said: "It's hard to put into words. We are absolutely thrilled with the new deal that's going through.
"To see our lion crest on the opposite side of the famous Villa crest is fantastic. It means a lot to me and my business partner Simon, who is also a Villa fan.
"My love of Aston Villa started when I was five years old. My first football memory was May 26 1982, it was Rotterdam on the TV at Walsall Wood, Holly Lane.
"I went up to my aunty Hazel's house and my mom pointed to the TV to my brother Mark, who was in the crowd.
"The Claret and Blue colours for me are the most iconic in my head. They resonate me and from the age of five were my colours.
"When I see the Luke lion next to the Villa crest next season will be an amazing feeling."
Retail contracts manager, Rasoul Didarzadeh spoke of “unbelievable appetite” for the strips from Villa's fanbase and a “huge determination” within the club to bring forward the next batch of stock.
It comes as the club revealed it had sold stock for eight weeks in just under two.
The incredible figures recorded have led to a shortage in the Villa Store and from the online store too in certain sizes – but the vows it is working hard to rectify the situation.
As it stands, Villa are expecting new stock at the end of August due to the fact that it has already been dispatched from source but club chiefs are working hard to speed up the process once it arrives in the UK.
A club spokesman said: "Aston Villa’s new home, away and goalkeeping have done so unbelievably well, it’s even taken us by surprise.
"Original figures saw us understandably rely on historic data over the past two seasons of life in the Championship as we took collection of stock for the first few weeks of launch.
"However, they’ve been completely blown out of the water with sales up almost 750 per cent across all three kits since becoming available – outperforming the last five season launch sales.
"The home, away and goalkeeping shirts are now back on pre-order so if you put your name down for them now, you’ll get them as soon as they become available, which could well be sooner than expected.
"Our training wear range has also sold exceptionally well – and you’ll be seeing new lines hitting our outlets over the next few weeks."
The kit has been made as part of a new partnership between Aston Villa and the LUKE label who joined Fanatics – a leader in performance sport garments, to design the kit.
The arrangement has seen Fanatics develop a relationship with the club, by becoming the official kit manufacturer.
Mr Roper’s brand has helped maintain the ‘quality and heritage of the iconic kit’.
LUKE 1977’s creative director and Villa fan Luke Roper said ahead of its release: “As part of the pride and a lifelong Villa supporter, it is a huge honour to be asked to bring my 20 years of design experience to the creation of the new kits.”
