Sunderland owner Kyril Louis-Dreyfus has shown his appreciation for the red and white faithful after what he's described as mind blowing response to the launch of the 2024/25 home kit and new club shop.

Black Cats supporters have long awaited a club shop to be proud about, having criticised previous ownership regimes for their attitude towards the retail side of the club.

The appointment of chief business officer David Bruce, refurbishment of Black Cats house, a technical partnership with hummel and a long-term deal with Fanatics, a huge step forward and commitment from the Black Cats hierarchy in that regard.

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The 2024/25 home shirt, which officially went on sale on Friday, sold out online and was met with huge demand at the Stadium of Light. Some supporters queued outside the new club shop from the early house of the morning to get their hands on this year's new merchandise.

“I mean, it was mind-blowing to see people queuing up here since two in the morning to come and get the new home shirt,” Sunderland owner. Louis-Dreyfus said. “It's probably why now I'm glad that we put in so much effort over the last six months to make sure that this place is ready, the new shop with the new kit, because we can see what it means to people and we're delighted.

“I think someone told me that the club's broken all records online compared to many Premier League clubs, so it just summarises again that people love this club.

"People want to engage with the club and it's our job to make sure we can be better at that and I think this is the first step with the new shop and the new retail experience.

“I think the home shirt is a great piece of work, a great team effort to come up with that concept and I'm glad that it also embodies a lot of what the city is about and something that people can wear with pride."

Sunderland gave the first 500 supporters in the queue a Mackem delicacy in the form of a pink slice, as a thank you for their dedication, something Louis-Dreyfus felt was a great touch.

“I have," he said when asked if he'd heard of one prior to handing them out. "Of course, I've heard of a pink slice before, but I think it was a great touch by the team to think of the people who've been queuing for so long to at least reward them with a little treat before they can come into the store.”