Police are investigating a break-in at the Fanatics Collectibles central London store in the early hours of Monday morning.
The store, which opened on Regent Street last year, is currently closed following the break-in.
The Athletic visited this morning and saw shards of shattered glass on the shop floor, beneath the NFL, latest releases and baseball cabinets, which had been emptied.
It’s understood the store was broken into via the rear of the premises, rather than through the front Regent Street entrance.
Security staff were on site at the time but were unharmed.
Products were stolen from the shop, and staff are now checking the stock to find out exactly what has gone missing.
However, no trading cards submitted to the store by customers for grading were taken.
Their computer systems were not accessed, and no customer data was compromised.
“Overnight, our Fanatics Collectibles store on Regent Street was broken into and a quantity of stock was stolen,” a Fanatics spokesperson told The Athletic. “Security personnel were on-site at the time, and no one was injured. We’ve reported the incident to the police and are supporting their investigation.
“The store will be temporarily closed while we assess the damage and restock, and we hope to reopen as soon as possible. We’re using this incident to review our security measures and will take any necessary action to ensure a safe environment for our customers and community going forward.
“We’re sorry for any inconvenience caused and will share updates as we have them.”
The cabinets marked ‘NFL’ and ‘Latest Releases’ appeared empty, and there was shattered glass on the floor of the store (The Athletic)
Police told The Athletic that officers responded to reports of an aggravated burglary at 4.40am this morning.
“A man in his 30s was present during the burglary, but was not physically injured and did not require first aid from first responders,” a spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said. “He continues to be supported by police. Several high-value items have been reported missing. Urgent enquiries are ongoing. At this early stage, no arrests have been made.”
The Fanatics Collectibles Regent Street store launched to great fanfare in April last year, with thousands attending to see Sir Lewis Hamilton cut the ribbon at its opening.
The shop sells clothing, signed memorabilia and trading cards across a range of sports, alongside cards and merchandise from properties including Pokemon, Disney and Marvel. A number of items are priced at more than £1,000.
Most of the inventory is made up of trading cards, sold both individually and in sealed packs and boxes, many of which have risen dramatically in value amid the resurgence of the trading card industry in recent years. Disney trading cards, which are also stocked in the store, have seen particularly rapid growth.
Fanatics acquired leading trading card manufacturer Topps for around $500 million in 2022 and now holds exclusive licenses to produce cards and stickers for the Premier League, F1, NFL, NBA, MLB, WWE, Bundesliga, UEFA and many other leagues, teams and athletes around the world. The central London store opened last year as part of the company’s broader effort to transform what was predominantly an American business into a global one, with early results stronger than anticipated.
“I think we thought this would be a $6 or $8 million store, just about introducing people to trading cards,” CEO Michael Rubin said in August 2025, in quotes reported by The Times of London last year. “It’s going to be a $25 million store. It’s three times above projections. There’s so much demand for what we’re doing.”
This is not the first break-in involving a card store.
Last month, Tom Brady’s new CardVault store in Palo Alto, California, was targeted just one week after opening, Palo Alto online reported.
Police said around 60 cards were taken, with a value of $12,000 (£8.8k), the newspaper reported.
Anyone with information that may help with the investigation in London should contact police by calling 101, quoting reference CAD 0873/07SEP.
Alternatively, information can be provided anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
