Panini sales tumble after sticker maker loses Premier League licence
Collectable stickers maker Panini has seen its sales tumble in the UK following the loss of a major Premier League licence.
The Italian company’s UK subsidiary recorded a more than 20 per cent drop in turnover to £43.3m in 2025, according to accounts seen by Morning Wire.
The 65-year-old firm, which has had a partnership with football’s governing body Fifa since the 1970 World Cup, lost its exclusive licence to produce player stickers for the Premier League in 2024 to rival Fanatics. Panini stopped printing Premier League stickers at the end of the following season in June 2025.
“The company’s performance is largely dependent upon the quality and availability of sport and entertainment licences and the retention of key senior employees,” Mark Riddell, Panini’s UK managing director, said in accounts filed to Companies House.
“The Premier League licence expired in 2025, however, the directors are confident that the investment in acquiring new licences and the strength of current sport & entertainment licences will ensure operating profit forecasts can be maintained.”
Riddell added that “Significant investment continues to be made in acquiring licences for future products.”
Despite the sliding sales, Panini boosted its profitability during the year, with profit after tax almost doubling to £2.5m, which the firm put down to being “favourably impacted by exchange gains.”
Panini launched a World Cup partnership with M&S Food in May, in which official national team sticker packs for England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales were sold to customers for £3, along with a free sticker pack for every £20 spent in store.
The partnership proved popular with football fans. By June, an M&S spokesperson told The Sun that sticker albums “have been flying off the shelves and we only have a small number left, so customers should visit their local M&S as soon as possible if they want to grab one and join the fun.”
Panini rival Fanatics, which alongside stickers sells club-branded replica kits, leisurewear and souvenirs, also suffered a sales slump in 2025, with total turnover down eight per cent to £360m.
The company said the revenue fall was “primarily driven by the conclusion of the Manchester United partnership and the decision to not renew.”