Hudson's Bay Hopes To Profit From Team Canada Deal At '10 Games
Department store chain Hudson's Bay Co. (HBC) is "set to tie its name to all things Canadian in its bid to cash in as the official outfitter" of the Canadian Olympic team at the '10 Vancouver Games, "something that eluded the retailer in the past," according to Marina Strauss of the GLOBE & MAIL. HBC last summer "missed out on the opportunity to use its Olympics sponsorship to boost its business" during the Beijing Games. The China-inspired "'urban camouflage' print in the Canadian team's uniforms didn't resonate with consumers at home, resulting in soft sales of Games-related merchandise." HBC VP/Olympics Mark Kinnin said that the "stakes are high for HBC to get its Olympics strategy right this time, especially because they are taking place on home turf, making the opportunity for the retailer bigger than in the past two Games combined." Strauss reports HBC is "betting heavily on the 2010 Games as a way to reconnect with customers." The company wants to tie its name "closely with the Olympics, partly by prominently featuring its new corporate logo, which evokes its heritage as Canada's oldest company." Kinnin said that HBC's design for the '10 Games uniform, to be unveiled in October, will "reflect the Canadian identity more than the last outfit for the 2008 Olympics." Kinnin added that it "will tap into the red and white of the domestic flag, along with other Canadian traits." Kinnin: "The way we're trying to keep it authentic is by keeping it true Canadian." Strauss notes HBC is "working closely with other Olympic sponsors, such as Panasonic Corp. and Coca-Cola, whose products are also carried in HBC outlets" (GLOBE & MAIL, 6/18).
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