With the release of Manchester United’s 2023/24 home jersey, the club is anticipating a significant financial gain of nearly £10 million. The newly unveiled kit carries a price tag of £80, marking a £10 increment from the preceding season’s kit.
The trend of increasing merchandise prices is evident across all Premier League clubs, with an average rise between nine and 14 percent. Interestingly, the price surge for Manchester United’s new kit falls at the higher end of the spectrum.
According to estimations, United are likely to generate a profit of £4.80 per shirt under a ‘licence fee’. Historically, the club has consistently sold close to two million shirts annually, with 2021 seeing 1.95 million units sold. Therefore, with a 16 percent cut on each sold unit, the club is projected to reap an impressive £9.4 million from global shirt sales alone.
Notably, 2022 saw a significant spike in sales figures, with a total of 3.2 million units sold. The surge was largely attributable to Cristiano Ronaldo’s return to the club and the lure of his iconic number 7 shirt. Reports have indicated that “United made £13.1million from sales of Ronaldo’s shirt in the first 10 days following his arrival.”
The cost of a new shirt goes up to £100 if purchasers opt for official Premier League badges along with a name and number. Dr Peter Rohlmann, a sports marketing expert from Germany, quoted by The Daily Mail, reveals that the ‘basic’ manufacturing cost of an £80 shirt is approximately £8 per unit, which equates to 10 percent of the sales price.
While Adidas, the kit manufacturer, earns £23.47 from each sale, £2.40 goes towards marketing efforts. However, the biggest beneficiaries of each shirt sold at £80 are retailers, who walk away with £26.40.
