Foudys, the women’s football eCommerce specialist, has secured £290k in new investment.
The cash injection will allow the retailer 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, 33-year-old Helen Hardy founded Foudys as the first and only retail platform in the world dedicated to women’s football apparel.
Today, through their online store, Foudys sell replica kits and fan apparel for the Women’s World Cup, Women’s Super League, international, and Champions League, as well as offering bespoke kit design for grassroots football teams.
Foudys have 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.
The company’s entire 2022 revenue was surpassed in June 2023 alone after the drop of their Lucy Bronze World Cup range.
In January 2023 Fearless Adventures made a six-figure investment into Foudys.
A planned bridge funding round was agreed at the time to bring in smart money and make up the rest of the round.
On Friday, the Foudys bridging investment round closed although the investors involved in the bridging round have not been identified.
England’s 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.
Helen Hardy, founder of Foudys, said: “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, said: “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’.
“This over-subscribed funding round will allow the team to expand even further and execute the opportunities seen as the momentum within the women’s game continues to gather pace.”