Fanatics Acquires Majestic, Maker of MLB Uniforms

Fanatics, which sells officially licensed sports merchandise and operates more than 300 online and offline stores, including the e-commerce businesses for Major League Baseball, NFL, NASCAR and many other professional sports leagues, has acquired Majestic, a VF Corporation brand that has become synonymous with the production of MLB uniforms. The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of this year. Terms of the agreement weren't disclosed.

Total Retail's Take: VF Corp. had made it known that it had an interest in selling its Licensed Sports Group, including Majestic, and Fanatics would appear to be a natural landing spot for the business. However, a key question for Fanatics will be what are its future plans for Majestic, which learned in last year's fourth quarter that it was losing the MLB uniform contract to Under Armour. Jacksonville, Fla.-based Fanatics has has a history of being able to evolve, however, shifting from a supplier for sports leagues’ e-commerce sites into a leading buyer, seller and manufacturer of sports-licensed goods.