Achilles Heel
Player Valuation: £950k
With regards to kit supply, sometimes you are dealing with a secondary supplier that just has a licence to utilise the brand. Don't think Adidas or Nike do this but Puma and Umbro definitely do. If you are dealing directly with the main brand e.g. Adidas they have their top tier clubs who are their absolute priority, receive huge deals linked to shirt sales, exposure and even specific high profile players in their squads. Like it or not, these clubs are prioritised on supply by the manufacturers. Everton right now, sadly, would not be in that band of clubs - we remain unfashionable I am afraid and will do so until we start winning things. We also do not have any superstar players that such a brand might want to be associated with, certainly not since Lukaku left. That is the reality. Adidas or Nike may take us as a client but the terms would be very different - much lower income linked to the fact that shirt sales, although good on Merseyside or even the North West, would not be anywhere near those of MUFC, Chelsea, LFC etc nationally. Even Spurs I guess would be miles ahead of us. We are probably more on a par with Villa or Newcastle, even Leeds. The club have a tough job getting a big kit deal for Everton without regular European football or some trophies in the long unopened cabinet.
For smaller clubs, buying in Adidas kit and training gear is expensive and therefor the margins are much lower for any retail outlet including the club shop. So a club may take a calculated risk that they do not have the fan base to sell lots of shirts, but but they do want to be associated with the brand. Its a business decision. This puts the club retail dept under pressure to find a way to sell more garments because the margins are so much lower. Some may even take the decision just to sell everything online and reduce overheads, so long as they can field angry questions from fans as to why there is no club shop open during the week or on a match day.
Even if we got an Adidas or a Nike I am not sure the deal would be much better than it is right now in terms of income. It might even be lower. They can argue - we are Adidas, if you want us you need to accept our terms because you don't have the profile and won't sell the same number of shirts as the top 6 clubs. Everton have been close to those deals before, but pulled away, likely because the income was not what they were hoping for, didn't feel carrying such a brand represented good value for them and likely had a more lucrative monetary offer from an alternative supplier which would then help boost income and turnover.
Hummel would be a refreshing change from Umbro. They supply Rangers and maybe they see a synergy between the two clubs trying to get back to where they once were - competing regularly for honours. It would be a clever move by Hummel and there must be a reason for their interest. Bigger portfolio of clubs or clubs that they can see making progress soon. Rangers are doing a better job of it than us right now although the competition north of the border is nothing like the PL.
My first choice would be Kappa, but they seem to be on the way to the big time already owing to their association with Leeds, likely linked to their Italian ownership. Great kits, so long as you aren't carrying any timber. Their logo also represents equality which in fairness to Everton they have embraced with recent kit marketing campaigns featuring both the male and female players and the renaming of the women's team to just Everton FC rather than Everton Women.
If there is any truth in the Usmanov rumours, its a shame Everton can't or won't confirm it - I am sure his definite investment would boost their ability to demand more from suppliers and sponsors. Sure they have their reasons to keep him and his companies in the shadows for now but until he emerges (if and when) the only thing that is going to change it quickly is success.
And btw - you would not believe the amount of stock that can be left over unsold in a club shop storeroom or unused at the training ground, especially if there is a change of manufacturer. The quantities and associated retail value can be huge.
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