Cast your mind back a few years and Rangers were going into most summers with no idea who was going to provide our kit, or when it was going to be for sale, with Castore, we found a partner that met our needs.
A club that has a packed stadium like Ibrox every other week and a global fan base like ours should be making money on their kit and merchandising deal, previously, we were making pennies.
Speaking at the Rangers Fans’ Forum, commercial director Karim Virani has given an update on the current Rangers contract with Castore and if it is one that is paying dividends.
Rangers partnership with Castore paying dividends
Castore and Rangers were in a similar situation when the five-year deal was signed in 2020.
We were looking to rebuild and get back to the top, whereas Castore were looking to get a foothold in the football industry.
Rangers gave Castore the high profile platform, whereas they gave us something that we didn’t have for years, a fully functioning retail agreement that saw the club make serious money.
It wasn’t all plain sailing though.
The agreement was signed late in the 2019/20 season which meant that Castore had to design, source material and distribute the kits within a matter of months.
Then the Covid-19 pandemic really hit hard and the world ground to a halt.
They openly admitted that they had underestimated what the demand was going to be from Rangers fans.
Mistakes were made, complaints went through the roof, but growth and improvement for both Castore and Rangers was soon seen.
Now, four years later, records are being broken, as reported by the Four Lads Had a Dream blog in attendance at the fans’ forum:
“Record breaking year for the club with revenue from them, we are focused on the relationship and quality has made vast improvements, so we are currently focused on that.
“We are into double digit million revenue so we are very happy with that relationship.”
When you consider that Rangers once made just six figures from kit sales, seeing over £10m in the accounts will be a boost both on and off the park.
With just a year left to run on the contract, negotiations will, probably, aleady be underway and a tender process for the 2025/26 season and beyond being considered.
Everyone has their opinions, but I think Castore have got more right with the merchandise available than they have wrong.
One complaint has been that there has been too much choice or too many ranges.
I’m not sure how this is a bad thing, you don’t have to buy everything, however, it means that there is more likely to be something on offer for every element of the fan base.
The question is, will the deal get extended?
Knowing what the numbers are for sales now, with New Edmiston House and a bespoke club shop on site, you would like to think that Rangers hold all the cards.
