L.A. Retailers Report Record Sales For Lakers Championship Gear

L.A. Retailers Reporting Record Sales For Lakers NBA Championship Gear

L.A. retailers are "reporting record sales" for Lakers NBA Championship gear, and the "outpouring of pride is more than welcome for business owners, who have been fighting a down economy for months," according to W.J. Hennigan of the L.A. TIMES. AEG's three Team LA stores in the 24 hours following the Lakers' Game Five win over the Magic Sunday night "pulled in 14 times what they did when the team last won a championship" in '02. The Team LA Web site also "had its best sales day ever, eclipsing the previous high by 650%," though AEG VP/Merchandise Sean Ryan "declined to discuss exact sales numbers." Ryan: "Winning a championship seems to be curing a lot of people's blues." California-based Sport Chalet Inc. Chair & CEO Craig Levra said the company experienced its "single biggest sales day by far." Sport Chalet "just two minutes after the Lakers' win ... put official championship products on its website," and demand was "so strong that website orders backed up." The company had to "manually override the system to ensure that everybody received their items on time." Meanwhile, NBA Marketing Communications Manager Kristin Conte indicated that NBAStore.com also "broke its previous sales record," which was set after the Celtics won last year's championship. Conte "didn't give sales figures," but she indicated that the "biggest sellers were T-shirts, hats and a replica of a towel draped over Kobe Bryant's shoulder during a postgame interview" (L.A. TIMES, 6/17).

PAYING FOR THE PARADE: L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa Monday said that "private donors have pledged to pay the estimated $900,000 cost of providing police and fire protection and city street services" for today's Lakers championship parade, "ensuring that no tax dollars will be necessary." In L.A., Willon & Winton report AEG President & CEO Tim Leiweke "took the most active role in raising donations," adding to the $1M in parade costs that the Lakers and AEG "had already pledged to pay." Villaraigosa "dismissed those who would criticize the city for hosting a parade for a lucrative sports franchise and wealthy athletes when families are struggling and city employees are facing furloughs." Villaraigosa: "If we hadn't had a parade, you'd have had a whole bevy of other people criticizing. How could we do that?" Willon & Winton note today's parade will begin at Staples Center at 11:00am PT and end at the L.A. Coliseum, where a rally will be held that opens to fans at 9:30am (L.A. TIMES, 6/17). Villaraigosa said of the parade, "Come on, people. This is what cities do" (USA TODAY, 6/17).