Oakland A’s Announce Retail Partnership with Fanatics
OAKLAND, Calif. (March 20, 2017) – The Oakland Athletics today signed a multi-year partnership with licensed sports merchandise leader Fanatics, which will allow for a much larger assortment of A’s fan gear available at the most competitive, fair prices in the industry, similar to the products and prices fans see online.
“This partnership will provide fans the A’s apparel they want while helping us increase the overall fan experience,” said Oakland A’s President Dave Kaval. ”Fanatics is the global leader for licensed sports merchandise and the official digital retail partner of Major League Baseball, and we are confident they will help us grow and expand our brand.”
Fanatics, which currently runs e-commerce for the team through its operation of MLBShop.com, will create an omni-channel retail experience for A’s fans attending games at the Oakland Coliseum, giving them consistency between online and offline products and a better overall assortment – all of which better merges the e-comm and in-stadium experience. Fanatics and the A’s will also help amplify the game-day fan experience through select merchandise and social media giveaways and promotions.
“The A’s are a tradition-rich franchise and we are excited to offer fans ready-access to the largest assortment of merchandise ever available at the ballpark,” said Cole Gahagan, chief commercial officer for Fanatics. “As a company that’s focused on creating unique omni-channel experiences for our partners, we look forward to using our tech-infused retail approach to help boost the overall game-day experience for A’s fans.”
Fanatics’ enhanced merchandise-buying model will apply data and analytics to ensure many of the A’s key items are consistently stocked around the ballpark, while the company’s in-house manufacturing capabilities and rapid-response supply chain creates faster speed-to-market of merchandise surrounding hot players or special events.
Fanatics has a proven track record operating in-venue, e-commerce and event retail across all the major sports leagues, global soccer and NCAA, while also operating on-site retail for select MLB teams and special events. As part of the partnership, Fanatics will be making substantial investments in upgrading the Oakland Athletics Team Stores, including new lighting, flooring and graphics and a new 65” HD monitor at the store inside D Gate at the Coliseum.