MILAN AND LONDON – The National Basketball Association (NBA) and EPI s.r.l. today announced plans to open the first NBA Store in Europe, during the 2018-19 NBA season, located at Galleria Passarella close to Piazza San Babila in Milan, Italy.

The NBA Store will provide fans in Italy, and visitors from across Europe, with access to an extensive range of official NBA merchandise and memorabilia, including exclusive NBA products, apparel, jerseys, footwear, sporting goods, toys and collectibles.

“We are really enthusiastic and pleased with this important new partnership,” said EPI s.r.l CEO Lorenzo Forte.  “This project increases and diversifies our sports brand portfolio of those who have chosen to partner with EPI s.r.l. in the retail sector.  With the support of the NBA and the work of our well-established team, we are confident we will create an innovative and engaging store where fans can enjoy an authentic NBA atmosphere and a totally unique shopping experience.”

“Our first NBA Store in Europe highlights the NBA’s ongoing commitment to serve our global fan base,” said NBA EME Vice President, Global Partnerships, Vandana Balachandar.  “As the appetite for official NBA products continues to grow in Italy, our partnership with EPI s.r.l., a leader in the management of sports merchandise stores, will allow us to offer fans a wide range of official and exclusive merchandise to help them celebrate their passion for the NBA.”

The NBA opened its newest flagship NBA Store in New York in December 2015, on 45th Street and Fifth Avenue, and recently opened an NBA Store in Doha in 2018, marking the first of its kind in the Middle East.

NBA fans in Italy and across Europe can continue to shop online on NBAStore.eu for a wide range of NBA product for all 30 NBA teams.

The NBA has more than 300 international NBA-branded retail stores and attractions, serving as the league’s official experiences for fans around the world.

Fans in Italy can also find more NBA information at nba.com/italia, the league’s official online destination in Italy, and on Facebook (NBA Italia) and Twitter (@NBAItalia).  In addition, fans can watch live NBA games, highlights and special programming on Sky Italia.

About the EPI s.r.l
Based in Milan, Italy, EPI s.r.l. was originally founded in 1996 as a mail-order sales service for sports merchandising. Now it is specializes in e-commerce, brick and mortar stores, events merchandise, as well as product development. Currently, EPI s.r.l. is the official licensee and/or the retail partner of several sports clubs, including top Italian football and basketball teams. Now with over 65 employees, EPI s.r.l.’s central mission is to increase their clients’ value through excellent customer retail experiences.

About the NBA
The NBA is a global sports and media business built around four professional sports leagues: the National Basketball Association, the Women’s National Basketball Association, the NBA G League and the NBA 2K League.  The NBA has established a major international presence with games and programming in 215 countries and territories in 50 languages, and merchandise for sale in more than 100,000 stores in 100 countries on six continents.  NBA rosters at the start of the 2017-18 season featured 108 international players from a record 42 countries and territories.  NBA Digital’s assets include NBA TV, NBA.com, the NBA App and NBA League Pass.  The NBA has created one of the largest social media communities in the world, with 1.5 billion likes and followers globally across all league, team, and player platforms.  Through NBA Cares, the league addresses important social issues by working with internationally recognized youth-serving organizations that support education, youth and family development, and health-related causes.