Kayford Holdings Ltd, the global exclusive manufacturer of the 2018 World Cup mascot, has a different reason for its empty warehouse.

"They are all sold out," said Li Zhijia, marketing manager of the company, which is also based in Hangzhou.

"Orders are still flooding in, and our partner factories are busy stuffing the furry toys," she added, referring to the official mascot－a wolf called Zabivaka, which means "the one who scores" in Russian.

This is the second time the company has been chosen as the exclusive manufacturer of a mascot for FIFA.

The company was founded in 2013 by local businessman Li Hong, who used to act as a middleman in foreign trade. He realized that as the standard of spoken English among Chinese people improved, his profit margins were shrinking.

As a sports fan and with his connections with manufacturers of toys, textiles and souvenirs in China, he acquired a German agency involved in logo and image licensing for several soccer clubs in Europe and started a new business.

"In the beginning it was tough. But once we proved Chinese manufacturers not only make value-for-money products, but also stick to what the contract requires, everything has gone smoothly," Li said.

For FIFA, for example, the company can only make and sell things using the image of the wolf until the end of 2018, as specified in the contract.

So far, they have produced about one million mascot toys in four different sizes. By partnering with more than 100 factories all over China, the company also sells candies, T-shirts and key chains with the image of the wolf.

"The World Cup is the most prestigious sports event in the world. And working as its exclusive manufacturer twice in a row is helpful for our company's profile," Li said.

It is now the licensed manufacturer of some 100 sports clubs both at home and abroad for their collections, including AC Milan and Southampton.

Overseas businesses account for 70 percent of the company's revenue, but it hopes, with soaring Chinese interest in a variety of sports, the domestic business can contribute to half of its sales.