Ambitious Fanatics has acquired Topps trading cards and collectables business, it has been confirmed.
The acquisition of Topps’ sports and entertainment division includes all parts of its worldwide trading cards and collectables business – both the physical and digital divisions – which sells in more than 100 countries and has physical operations in 10 countries including the UK, Germany, Brazil, Italy and Japan.
The Topps brand will now be the foundation of Fanatics Trading Cards business – which launched in 2021 after the company secured exclusive, long-term trading cards rights from several sports leagues and players associations. These include Major League Baseball, National Basketball Association and National Football League Players Association among others.
The addition of Topps – which also has rights with Major League Soccer, Formula 1, UEFA and Bundesliga – significantly accelerates the build out of the Fanatics Trading Cards business.
“With trading cards and collectables being a significant pillar of our long-term plans to become the leading digital sports platform, we are excited to add a leading trading cards company to build out our business,” said Michael Rubin, ceo at Fanatics. “Their iconic brand, commitment to product excellence and passionate employees worldwide will allow us to immediately serve our league and players’ association partners and our fans.”
All of the approximately 350 global Topps sports and entertainment employees will become part of Fanatics Trading Cards.
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