The inventory at Kansas City grocery stores recently has featured a new addition alongside the expected assortment of fresh produce, meat and canned goods.
At supermarkets across the metro area, a selection of FIFA World Cup apparel greets customers — U.S.A. World Cup baseball caps for $18.99, Kansas City '26 T-shirts for $19.99 and FIFA World Cup '26 hoodies for $39.99.
Kansas City will host six games and serve as home base for four national teams during the World Cup, and supermarket chains like Hy-Vee and Price Chopper are trying to capture some of the hype in the form of apparel sales.
Dan Shaul, executive director for the Missouri Grocers Association, said grocery stores catering to local events is part of a strategy that looks to harness the excitement of an event.
"They are really wanting to meet the needs of the local community," Shaul said. "If you go to … some of their stores in other markets, you'll see that they market to what's happening in the community, and they're very good at that."
Shaul believes this merchandise is targeting not just hardcore soccer fans, but the casual observer as well.
"I think the FIFA fan is certainly the ultimate target," Shaul said, "but there's going to be casual fans that are walking in the store and say, 'Oh, the World Cup's coming. Let's go ahead and get a T-shirt or shirt, or some piece of memorabilia.'"
Karla Quandt, a district store director for Hy-Vee, is pictured in the apparel section of a Lee's Summit store. | Missouri Business Alert
Hy-Vee has 20 stores in the Kansas City area, and they started receiving World Cup gear this spring, according to Karla Quandt, a district store director for the Iowa-based grocery chain. Quandt said apparel sales have increased as the tournament has drawn closer, and she anticipates that continuing.
"People are going to be, like, 'Oh, hey, we're going over Bob and Sue's, we've got to get a shirt if we're going to be a part of this,'" Quandt said. "And so we definitely see the (uptick) in business definitely happening the week prior to that first game."
Supermarkets typically have slim profit margins. The average net profit for U.S. food retailers in 2024 was 1.7%, according to the Food Marketing Institute, an industry association. General merchandise, which includes apparel, makes up the smallest portion of grocers' overall sales but has the highest margins, according to a 2023 FMI study.
Despite that profit potential, Quandt said the influx of gear was driven more by a desire to be a "one-stop shop" for patrons.
"We literally do just focus on the customer experience," Quandt said, "of making sure that if we can provide apparel merchandise as well as the grocery side of it, we're going to."
A Lionel Messi cutout stands in the midst of World Cup merchandise at a Hy-Vee in Lee's Summit. The Argentinian superstar is expected to be a big draw in Kansas City. | Missouri Business Alert
Although World Cup merchandise is a recent phenomenon, these stores have been selling Kansas City sports apparel for years.
Clementine Illanes, who leads retail strategy merchandising for the consulting firm Accenture, said in an email that more and more shoppers are going to grocery stores for purchases other than groceries.
"By positioning World Cup merchandise next to everyday essentials, supermarkets are combining fan enthusiasm with convenience," Illanes said. "They are turning routine grocery trips into something more experiential, while reinforcing the store as a destination tied to real-life moments."
Once the World Cup moment passes, grocers' merchandise mix will take on a new flavor.
"(The) majority of our apparel focus is around the World Cup, and obviously that'll shift," Quandt said. "Once the World Cup's out of here, then we get excited for the Chiefs' season."
Michael Stacy contributed to this story.
