Women’s football retail specialist ‘scores’ six-figures in latest investment round

Foudys, the “trailblazing” women’s football retail specialist, is set to reshape the industry landscape after ‘scoring’ £290k in its recent investment round.

The cash injection is set to increase its product range via existing partnerships with sportswear giants such as Nike, Adidas and Puma, as well as support expansion plans for its in-house creative arm of the business, Foudys Creative.

In December 2020, Helen Hardy founded Foudys as the first and only retail platform in the world dedicated to women’s football apparel. Today, through its online store, Foudys sells replica kits and fan apparel for the Women’s World Cup, Women’s Super League, and Champions League, as well as offering bespoke kit design for grassroots football teams.

Foudys has undergone exponential growth, with its team having doubled in size it is quickly establishing itself as the “go-to destination” for all women football fans. In fact, Foudys’ entire 2022 revenue was surpassed in June 2023 alone after the drop of their Lucy Bronze World Cup Range.

England replica apparel remains its most popular product, with 25 per cent of all England shirts requesting personalisation. Uniquely, the brand is now offering a bespoke upcycling service for fans to add their favourite players’ names and numbers onto their shirts.

As the female game experiences unprecedented growth, amplified by the “exhilarating” performance of the Lionesses, Foudys addresses an unmet need for the swelling number of female footy fans. This investment will enable Foudys to elevate the women’s football retail experience to “new heights”.

Helen Hardy, founder of Foudys commented: “I’ve been delighted with the support shown on the investment round with industry veterans joining the journey and backing the team’s goal of creating the destination for women’s football. In the past 12 months, we’ve more than doubled in size and are on track to deliver a 300 per cent growth in revenue this year.

“As well as onboarding all the major brands, we’ve pushed for the creation of official lettering and numbering to fit children’s kits which are now readily available, crucial to engaging the next generation of fans aiming to follow in the footsteps of their idols.

“This funding round will allow us to continue our growth trajectory, build out our stock range across International, WSL and NWSL licensed apparel and expand into new territories.”

Oli Connolly, investment director at Fearless Adventures, added: “Helen and the team at Foudys are an excellent example of backing people who have the passion and sector knowledge to push a market forward and not be content with the industry norm.”

By Matthew Neville – Senior Correspondent, Bdaily

• Add me on LinkedIn and Twitter to keep up to date
• And follow Bdaily on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
• Submit press releases to editor@bdaily.co.uk for consideration.

Looking to promote your product/service to SME businesses in your region? Find out how Bdaily can help →