Red Hot: Wings' Championship Apparel Flying Off Shelves
By Terry Lefton, Editor-at-Large
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Sales Of Red Wings' Stanley Cup Apparel
Could Surpass Revenue Record Set In '94 |
The Red Wings' fourth Stanley Cup championship in 11 seasons is on track to yield one of the best years of championship hot-market licensed merchandise ever. With teams in smaller NHL markets winning the league title the past four seasons, sales fueled by the Red Wings' success are up by huge percentages. NHL Exec VP/Marketing Brian Jennings said sales in the 72 hours following the championship are more than double those generated by the Ducks' victory during the same period last year; 265% more than those generated by the Hurricanes' championship in '06; up over the Lightning's '04 championship more than 300%; and more than 280% over the Devils' championship in '03. Sales also are 125% more than Red Wings' last Stanley Cup win in '02. The fast-paced sales of NHL licensed product follow a Stanley Cup Finals in which the league garnered some of its biggest American TV ratings in years.
ALREADY OVER $1M IN SALES: Without revealing specific dollar amounts, Jennings said NHL licensees had already sold more than $1M in championship goods. "We are in record territory and may even approach the Rangers' 1994 championship," he said, adding that initial sell-throughs averaged 70% and higher, "far exceeding" retail expectations. Stanley Cup locker room caps from New Era have been big sellers, even at the new NHL store, downstairs from the league's Manhattan offices, which sold a gross in one day. Championship locker room T-shirts from VF, and the championship team roster T-shirt from Reebok have all been moving fast. "Certainly, the retail environment is somewhat troubled generally right now, but after the initial burst, we are even seeing huge re-orders from mass merchants," Jennings said. "There's always an initial spike for the first 72 hours, but right now I would say this will have more legs than everyone initially believed."
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