Quadrivio Group invests in Epi and expands into digital services for the sports world

Quadrivio Group, through its private equity vehicle Industry 4.0 Fund for investment in digitalizing SMEs, has acquired the majority stake in EPI, an Italian ‘brick and click’ company and partner in managing merchandising for the leading clubs in first-division soccer and the National Basketball Association (NBA).

Founded in 1996 in Milan by Lorenzo Forte, EPI was among the pioneers developing e-commerce channels in the sports merchandising sector. The firm started out by handling Michael Schumacher’s merchandising, and since 2002 has been expanding and managing the first official online stores for top-division Italian football clubs. A multi-channel business logic has taken these online spaces to be accompanied by retail outlets in the most prominent Italian cities. Today EPI can go proud of well-established partnerships with AC Milan, ACF Fiorentina, AS Roma, Atalanta, FC Inter, Juventus FC, NBA, Pallacanestro Olimpia Milano and SS Lazio.

EPI is currently the main operator in the sports merchandising sector, focusing on professional soccer, a market presenting great development potential. The company’s business model melds managing e-commerce channels with specialist skills in the retail segment, through an all-round approach encompassing all aspects from purchase planning to marketing, and from product customization to logistics, through to delivery to the end consumer.