University of Texas at Austin and Fanatics Extend and Expand Partnership, Broadening Product Offering and Retail Availability for Fans with Exclusive Apparel Partnership
Fanatics, a leading licensed sports merchandiser and global digital sports platform, and The University of Texas at Austin today announced a comprehensive partnership extension that will see Fanatics continue e-commerce and in-venue retail operations for UT Athletics through 2030. Additionally, Texas and Fanatics have expanded their relationship to include exclusive rights to design and manufacture a broad selection of Longhorn fan gear across e-commerce and select retail channels for the next decade. Through this expanded partnership, Fanatics will continue to power the Longhorns’ official online shop, while also launching a state-of-the-art flagship retail store inside UT’s Moody Center, which will become the new home of UT Men’s and Women’s Basketball in 2022.
As one of UT’s new, exclusive primary fan apparel partners, Fanatics will implement its vertical manufacturing capabilities to design, manufacture and distribute a significantly expanded assortment of products for the Longhorn faithful around the world. The partnership, which was brokered by UT’s trademark licensing agency, CLC, will also see Fanatics design merchandise that is unique to Texas, focusing on relevant trends such as vintage, state pride, and the Texas and Austin culture. This bespoke collection of hyper-localized graphics under the Hometown Collection moniker, will allow Texas fans to celebrate its traditions on merchandise found both online and across the state. In addition, Fanatics, Texas, and CLC will work to expand Texas’ retail assortment and product selection for fans by bringing on additional licensees across several apparel categories.
“Our new partnership with Fanatics allows The University of Texas Athletics programs to benefit from having a world class retail and e-commerce partner, now coupled with the apparel design and manufacturing strengths of Fanatics,” said Drew Martin, Executive Senior Associate Athletics Director for External Affairs at UT-Austin. “We selected Fanatics through a competitive process, largely because of its progressive vision as both a retail and e-commerce partner, and how well that now dovetails into our licensed apparel strategy as well.”
A centerpiece of this expanded partnership will be a new best-in-class retail footprint inside of the Moody Center, the Longhorns’ future men’s and women’s basketball home which is set to open in 2022. The roughly 1,800 sq. ft. primary team store will be customized for the passionate Longhorn fans visiting on gameday and beyond, featuring wrought iron product display fixtures, a Nike concept shop, and multiple entry points to ensure a smooth shopping experience. Mobile point of sale and online pick up options will also be available for shoppers.
Earlier this fall, Fanatics began creating new experiences before, during and after football games, opening unique pop-up shops at Bevo Boulevard, the popular UT Football pre-game street party.
“The University of Texas at Austin is one of the elite academic and athletic institutions in the world and we’re incredibly excited to extend and expand our comprehensive partnership together,” said Derek Eiler, Executive VP of Fanatics College. “Longhorn fans and alumni everywhere have immense pride in the University, and we look forward to creating an even more immersive shopping experience featuring the most robust, real-time merchandise assortment whether shopping online, via mobile, at Texas athletic venues, or at hundreds of retailers across the state.”
While Fanatics will exclusively acquire select fan apparel rights, Texas will retain its partnership with Nike as the provider of performance products and specific fan merchandise for the Longhorns’ Athletics programs.
In addition to the University of Texas, Fanatics holds similar primary fan apparel deals with renowned college partners including the University of Notre Dame, University of Oregon, Texas A&M University, University of Florida, University of Oklahoma, University of Miami, University of Minnesota, and University of Tennessee.