An exclusive partnership has been signed between sports retailer Fanatics and Six-time National Basketball Association (NBA) champions, the Golden State Warriors.
According to reports in the US, the initial deal is set to run for 10 years, with Fanatics becoming the exclusive operator of all ‘Warriors’ stores in the San Francisco Area, including the flagship store near the Chase Center – which is set to become the new home stadium of the basketball franchise.
Rick Welts, the Warriors’ president and chief operating officer, commented on the enhanced fan experience set to come from the deal: “Fanatics is the unquestioned industry leader in retail and ecommerce solutions for sports licensed merchandise. Warriors fans around the world display their affinity for the Dubs by proudly wearing their team merchandise. This partnership with Fanatics will provide fans with an enhanced, seamless, omni-channel shopping experience.”
Fanatics also has retail partnerships with other Bay Area sporting teams, with the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers, MLB’s San Francisco Giants, MLS’ San Jose Earthquakes, and the NHL’s San Jose Sharks all on its books.
Doug Mack, Fanatics’ chief executive, excitedly looked to the future stating: “The Warriors have established themselves as one of the great modern-day sports dynasties and we could not be more excited to partner with them to best service their passionate global fan base through this new, transformative retail and e-commerce partnership. Given our large employee presence in the Bay Area it is a very special place for our company, which makes us all proud to be a part of the Warriors’ ambitious vision.
Over the last five years, the Warriors managed strong sales performances, ranking in the top three for merchandise sales throughout league. Moreover, Steph Curry, seven-time NBA All-Star, in particular has continually ranked in the top five in league-wide shirt sales for the last six seasons.