The megastore located at Old Trafford has been closed down as a result of a protest led by fans of Manchester United against the club's current owners, the Glazer family. The demonstration occurred shortly after the release of the team's new home kit for the upcoming 2023-24 season on Tuesday, June 27. Supporters, who have grown increasingly frustrated over the past seven months due to the Glazers' failure to sell the club despite announcing their intention to do so in November, expressed their anger during the protest. The presence of pyrotechnics prompted the megastore staff to hastily shut its doors, while police observed the situation. However, the store later reopened to resume its merchandise sales.
Anticipating fan gatherings, Manchester United had already been aware of the planned protest following a statement from the Manchester United Supporters' Trust (MUST). The statement indicated that the majority of United fans desired a prompt conclusion to the prolonged sale process, with most supporting a full sale. The protest aimed to convey this message effectively.
The demonstration took place at a time when Manchester United projected an all-time high annual revenue of up to £640 million for the current financial year. The third-quarter financial results, released on Tuesday, June 27, raised the revenue guidance to a record range of £630m to £640m. This increase is primarily attributed to record-breaking match attendance and matchday revenues. Ticket sales for the 2022-23 season surpassed the previous record set in 2016-17, with a total of 2.4 million tickets sold. Additionally, global memberships reached 360,000, establishing Manchester United's paid membership program as the largest in the world of sports.
Currently, Qatari Sheikh Jassim is considered the front-runner to assume ownership of the club. However, there has been speculation surrounding Sir Jim Ratcliffe as a potential buyer, as well as the possibility that the Glazers may choose not to sell the club at all. The latter scenario is seen as the worst-case outcome for fans, who are eager to sever ties with the ownership duo that has seemingly drained the club's finances over the years.
🗣 A woman was heckled and booed by protesters after shopping at the Megastore this morning…#MUFC | #ManUtd pic.twitter.com/NOHB1SsoOF
— Man United News (@ManUtdMEN) June 27, 2023
The protest came as Manchester United projected record annual revenue of up to £640 million in the current financial year.
Revenue guidance for the current financial year was raised to a record £630m to £640m in the third quarter financial results for the period ending March 31, 2023, which were released on Tuesday, June 27.
This is driven by record match attendance and matchday revenues. Ticket sales for the 2022-23 season surpassed the previous record set in 2016-17, with 2.4m sold.
