Avery Dennison Secures Global Contract with F.C. Barcelona to Supply Names, Numbers for Team Jerseys

Avery Dennison was named the global licensee of F.C. Barcelona’s name and numbers shirt customization.
 
Having previously supplied names and numbers for the football club in the Iberia region, Avery Dennison will now supply product globally for F.C. Barcelona, establishing them further as a leading supplier across a number of professional sports leagues, teams, clubs, and federations.
 
Avery Dennison products include names, numbers, crests, woven labels and specialty trims, and the company is already providers for a number of the top clubs in La Liga and 90% of clubs in the English Premier League. Additionally, over 80% of the national team jerseys worn by teams in Russia this summer featured Avery Dennison products, ranging from team crests to brand protection elements.
 
The bespoke F.C. Barcelona range of products will be sold here to distributors & retailers, who will sell the official name and numbers of F.C Barcelona in retail stores worldwide for fans to buy.
 
“We fully trust in Avery Dennison to partner with F.C. Barcelona on our global plann[ed] growth and on the development on the new products to connect our final consumer,” said Rubén Benseny, licensing and merchandising director at F.C. Barcelona.“Avery Dennison has demonstrated their capabilities to cover the market and to create new embellishments with new technologies that afford us to up the partnership to a global level.”

“We are proud to partner with F.C. Barcelona, one of the biggest clubs in world football. We offer a first-class service with speed and high-quality products, specifically tailored for the players and fans,” said Nikita Jayasuriya, global director and head of Team Sport at Avery Dennison.“This includes numbers on the back of player jerseys that have an aerated enhancement to ensure they are extra breathable, which can help improve player performance.”

Avery Dennison has optimized its service levels and processes by using its RFID technology to facilitate the tracking of products to retail outlets. RFID enhances the speed and efficiency in which retailers can manage their stock levels, reducing out of stock situations.
 
“The RFID technology we use to package our products is a game changer in the sports supply industry and can really help increase retail revenue,” Jayasuriya said. “The time from which products are supplied from our factories to a store for purchase is also reduced dramatically, so fans can have the name and number of a new player on their shirt within hours.”
 
The global partnership with F.C. Barcelona will also see Avery Dennison increase sustainability efforts even further. They will produce tens of millions of names and numbers for the club over the next four years, and the new products are already producing 47% less polyester waste in the F.C. Barcelona production process and taking ownership of the recycling process by batching more items onto the carrier and shipping less to the customer.