Fanatics and the Minnesota Wild have joined forces in a long-term partnership to revolutionize the retail experience for Wild fans. The renowned global sports platform has officially become the team’s end-to-end retail partner, managing all physical retail outlets at the Xcel Energy Center and overseeing the online store, HockeyLodge.com. This collaboration aims to provide a seamless omnichannel shopping experience for fans both online and at the arena.
Previously responsible for powering the Wild’s official e-commerce site through a league-wide partnership with the NHL, Fanatics now extends its services to integrate online and in-arena retail operations. This move ensures that fans can enjoy a consistent and convenient shopping experience whether they are browsing online, on mobile devices, or attending live games at the upgraded Xcel Energy Center store.
Carin Anderson, the Senior Vice President of Corporate Partnerships and Retail Management for the Minnesota Wild, has expressed excitement about the partnership. She highlighted that fans can look forward to an enhanced shopping experience, with a wider range and increased availability of their favorite team merchandise, both online and at the renovated Xcel Energy Center store.
Fanatics plans to make significant investments in upgrading retail spaces at the Xcel Energy Center, focusing on stores, kiosks, and other touchpoints to optimize the shopping experience during games and events. By merging e-commerce and in-venue retail, Fanatics aims to provide a unified shopping environment that caters to the needs of all Wild fans.
As part of the agreement, Fanatics will offer an extended range of high-quality team merchandise through its licensed apparel partnership with the NHL. Fans can expect authentic and replica jerseys, as well as various fan apparel and headwear. Starting this season, Fanatics will also be the NHL’s official provider for on-ice uniforms, allowing fans to purchase the same jerseys worn by players during games.
In addition to Fanatics-branded products, the retail offerings will include items from other top brands like Mitchell & Ness, New Era, WinCraft, as well as local favorites such as UNRL, SotaStick, and Levelwear. This diverse selection aims to cater to the varied tastes of Wild fans and provide a wide array of options for supporters to celebrate their team.
Ed O’Brien, the Senior Vice President of Business Development at Fanatics, expressed his enthusiasm about the partnership with the Wild. He emphasized the significance of hockey in Minnesota’s culture and reiterated Fanatics’ commitment to providing an unparalleled retail experience for fans to passionately support their team on game days and beyond.
Fanatics has been actively renovating the team’s flagship retail location, The Hockey Lodge, over recent months. The store is gearing up to host a grand opening event on September 21 at 11 a.m., introducing fans to the new portfolio of authentic and replica jerseys in collaboration with the NHL and Fanatics.
With this partnership, the Minnesota Wild become the third NHL team for which Fanatics operates both in-venue and e-commerce retail, aligning with other Minnesota-based sports organizations partnered with Fanatics, including the Timberwolves, Lynx, Vikings, and University of Minnesota Athletics.