Can licensed pajamas be as big a hit for FOCO as its sports-logoed ugly holiday sweaters were five years ago? That noteworthy question was among the weighty issues debated at the NBA’s recent annual gathering of licensees and team merchandising execs.
FOCO (aka Forever Collectibles) is teaming with kids/youth licensee Outerstuff on the PJs, festooned with holiday images, along with MLB, NBA, NFL and NHL indicia, and available in sizes ranging from infant ($30) to adult XXL ($50). There’s also matching canine sweaters for $20.
The pajamas include holiday images and buyers can choose from among MLB, NBA, NFL and NHL teams.Courtesy FOCO
Without revealing specifics, FOCO founder and CEO Michael Lewis said sales are well ahead of where ugly sweaters were at the same point in their life span as a licensed product. “This is bigger,” he said. “It’s not even close.” Since their introduction in 2014, FOCO had sold “tens of millions of dollars” in ugly sweaters, he added.
A built-in advantage for PJs: Nobody orders just one set. The trend that FOCO is tapping into is one in which families take photos bedecked in matching holiday-themed sleepwear.
Lewis said one woman bought a record 32 sets of Dallas Cowboys PJs for her family. The average order is around five sets.
It’s been a trend outside of licensed apparel for years. Retailers selling “holiday family pajamas” this season include heavyweights like Amazon, offering more than 140 different styles, and Target, selling more than 250. Naturally, this trend is fueled by the power of social media, so FOCO will have a few dozen NFL players and their families touting them socially before the holidays.
“The family pajama trend now is where ugly sweaters were 15 years ago,” Lewis said.
FOCO is not only exercising its usual acumen in trend-spotting here, it’s also combining powerful affinities with this product line: family, holiday and sports. Currently, “Family PJs” are available on FOCO’s own sites and Fanatics.com, along with the MLB.com and NFL.com stores administered by Fanatics.
■ SLIDING UP: When former Reebok marketer Justin Kittredge pitched his customizable slide company on CNBC’s “Shark Tank” three years ago, he walked away without a deal — by his own choice. No problem. ISlide recently secured a $1 million round of Series A financing, with no sharks in the water. Instead, it included Milwaukee Bucks President Peter Feigin, Memphis Grizzlies forward Jae Crowder and former Lids president/CEO and longtime sports licensing executive David Baxter. ISlide now has licenses from MLB, the NBA, and the NHL, along with more than 50 colleges. It’s considered the prototype for today’s licensing business because of its on-demand/low-inventory model.
TK Insoles wants to gain a foothold in what it says is a $3.5 billion market for orthotics. Terry Lefton
■ FANCY FOOTWORK: In a business as mature as sports licensing, companies work hard to unearth the few remaining underexploited niches. Such is the case with TK Insoles, whose founder, orthotics specialist Tamir Kfir, has worked privately with pro athletes, including Novak Djokovic, and is now launching his first consumer products via an NBA license. On display were NBA team-specific insoles priced at $30 and up. Distribution and availability have not been established, but company officials, who defined orthotics as a $3.5 billion market, said they hope to have them at retail before year’s end.
Bleacher Creatures has cooked up plans for a popcorn popper.Terry Lefton
■ POPPIN’: Bleacher Creatures is best known for its folksy plush figures of sports and entertainment stars. But having acquired the IP of the old Pangea Brands, it’s now pushing into hard goods under the Uncanny Brands label. On display was an NBA basketball-shaped popcorn popper, complete with Adam Silver’s facsimile signature, reminiscent of the Stanley Cup popcorn popper that was a hit for Pangea many years ago. Founder and CEO Matt Hoffman said he also has plans for an NBA-branded waffle iron and a toaster, but they will carry league marks, not team logos, meaning far fewer SKUs.
Spalding hopes its Marble Series ball is to dye for.Terry Lefton
■ LICENSE TO SELL: As for products more central to the NBA, Senior Vice President Lisa Piken Koper said the league’s holiday apparel push starts this week, with the latest round of Nike City Edition jerseys, supported by an increasing number of apparel and non-apparel City Edition branded items, including slides from ISlide, caps from New Era and mini-basketballs from Spalding. We also liked Spalding’s “Marble Series” rubber outdoor basketballs, decorated with a process that leaves unique dye traces on each, allowing for “mass customization.” They are available in team retail and sporting-goods distribution for around $20.
■ HONORIFICS: Licensee and team accolades bestowed at the show included the Los Angeles Lakers garnering the highest arena per cap award, courtesy of LeBron James joining the team before last season. WinCraft took honors as hard-goods licensee of the year; Mitchell & Ness and Sportique shared apparel licensee of the year; and the Chicago Bulls and Milwaukee Bucks were co-team retailers of the year, an award based on increased sales, use of technology and innovation and consumer engagement.
Terry Lefton can be reached at tlefton@sportsbusinessjournal.com.
