Impressions - Sports Fan Retailer - Spring 2014 - 42

NBAStore.eu (Europe, Middle East and
Africa) in the fold, and more to follow.
"[The NBA's] licensing and retail businesses benefit as we continue to see tremendous incremental global growth,"
Picca says.
PUMPING UP RETAIL
The NBA works with its licensees and retailers worldwide to create marketing programs that drive licensed product sales. "We
use traditional and new media marketing
and advertising opportunities - whether
they be shop-in-shops, signage, incentive

More Than WNBA
The NBA stepped into the women's
realm with the inception of the
WNBA in 1996, but it still works
with partners and licensees to cater to this important component of
its fan base and vital consumers
of its merchandise.
The league's women's apparel offerings have become more
diverse in the past few years,
with fashionable lines created by licensees like Junk Food,
Majestic Threads, Mighty Fine, Unk
and Klutch. And this past March,
the NBA launched the Forever 21
X NBA collection, featuring dresses, shorts and relaxed tank tops
with NBA team logos.
But women's-geared wares
don't stop there. In addition to
maternity, plus, juniors and kids
sizes, the NBA also offers products ranging from swimwear and
home goods, to accessories like
handbags and jewelry.
"Our female fans are stylish and
aware of fashion trends, but we
understand that not all women are
the same," Picca says. "As such,
we continually try to diversify our
women's offering by adding compelling, progressive products to
ensure that we offer something
for everyone."

42 Spring 2014

The recently launched Forever 21 X NBA collection features dresses, shorts and
relaxed tank tops with select NBA team logos. It is available in stores globally and
online at Forever21.com.

programs, social media, radio, TV or print
- as part of these programs," Picca says.
The following are examples of retail
programs the NBA has enacted that have
seen measurable success:
NBA Pro Zone: This retail program,
in its second year, is located in 315 Kids
Foot Locker stores and features NBA
player footprint floor clings that lead
customers from the store entrance into
the Pro Zone. The Kids Foot Locker flagship store, located in New York, has an
enhanced Pro Zone experience, which
includes a video game station for customers to play the NBA2K14 video game,
illuminated signage, player exhibits and
other branded elements.
NBA Shop: This retail initiative showcases NBA-licensed products in more
than 500 Champs Sports locations nationwide. The league recognizes this
mall-based chain as a destination for
NBA merchandise and in-store marketing
presentations for key league and product
initiatives, Picca says.
Apparel is the top dog in the licensed
sports product game, with retail sales
totaling $5.01 billion in 2012, according
to The Licensing Letter. But Picca says the
NBA has seen two other categories, headwear and inflatables, grow significantly
due to respective supplier partnerships
with Mitchell & Ness and Spalding.
"We anticipate the Mitchell & Ness
business to see record growth with its
global expansion during the 2013-2014
season, fueled largely by its headwear business," she says. "As [Spalding] celebrates
its 30th anniversary as the official NBA
game ball, it has experienced double-digit
growth in NBA basketballs and systems."

With regard to its team business, Picca says it has nearly tripled in the last 10
years thanks to the league's guidance to
retailers. "The NBA works closely with
our teams to provide retail best practices
and helps give team retailers tools to show
continued retail sales growth," she says.
FUTURE STRATEGIES
Though the NBA recently experienced a
leadership change - ex-commissioner
David Stern retired this past February,
handing the reigns to his successor, Adam
Silver - the league expects to continue
the push for globalization with retail and
licensing programs, as well as consumer
products.
Picca says online and bricks-andmortar NBA Stores will continue to be
rolled out. In fact, as of this past January,
MK Trend, the league's licensee in Korea, has opened 56 NBA-branded shops,
with 14 more planned by the end of 2014.
This adds to a roster that includes more
than 30 locations in Taiwan and a more
expanded presence in China, the Phillipines, Australia and New Zealand.
Focus on the global game doesn't mean
the NBA will abandon further expansion
on its home court. In existing spaces, the
league will continue to grow its traditional
product categories while expanding into
new ones. For example, a recent partnership with Walmart introduced the NBA
to produce sections inside 3,600 stores.
The initiative, called NBA FIT Food,
featured oranges with NBA stickers and
bags. Marketing included 6,100 in-store
displays, social media, and NBA FIT
clinics and player appearances, according to Picca.
SportsFan Retailer

http://www.NBAStore.eu http://www.Forever21.com

Impressions - Sports Fan Retailer - Spring 2014

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