The Minnesota Wild have scored a new partnership goal by teaming up with Fanatics, a prominent digital sports platform, to revolutionize the retail experience at the Xcel Energy Center. This long-term collaboration aims to provide Wild fans with an enhanced and cohesive shopping experience both in-person and online.
Fanatics, known for its top-notch licensed sports merchandise, has now become the official end-to-end retail partner for the team, taking over operations of all physical retail locations at the Xcel Energy Center and managing the online store HockeyLodge.com. This move ensures that fans can enjoy a seamless shopping experience whether they are browsing the online store, using their mobile devices, or attending games in-person.
Carin Anderson, the Senior Vice President of Corporate Partnerships and Retail Management for the Minnesota Wild, expressed excitement about the enhanced retail partnership. She highlighted that fans can look forward to an upgraded shopping experience at the Xcel Energy Center store, with a wider selection and increased availability of their favorite team merchandise.
Fanatics will be making significant investments in upgrading the retail spaces at the Xcel Energy Center, including stores, kiosks, and various touchpoints. These enhancements are set to optimize the shopping experience during games and events, aiming to provide a consistent and convenient environment for all Wild enthusiasts.
With its comprehensive partnership with the NHL, Fanatics will offer Wild fans an expanded range of high-quality team merchandise, including authentic and replica jerseys. Starting this season, Fanatics will be the NHL’s official provider for on-ice uniforms, allowing fans to purchase the same jerseys worn by the players during games.
In addition to Fanatics-branded products, the retail offerings will feature apparel, headwear, hard goods, and lifestyle items from renowned brands such as Mitchell & Ness, New Era, and Minnesota-based WinCraft, as well as local favorites like UNRL, SotaStick, and Levelwear.
Ed O’Brien, the Senior Vice President of Business Development at Fanatics, expressed his enthusiasm about the partnership, highlighting the significance of hockey in Minnesota’s culture. He reiterated Fanatics’ commitment to providing Wild fans with an unparalleled retail experience, allowing them to celebrate the game and show their support for the team both on game days and beyond.
Fanatics has been working on upgrades and renovations to The Hockey Lodge, the team’s flagship retail location, over the past few months. The store is gearing up to host a grand opening event on September 21 at 11 a.m., coinciding with the launch of the new portfolio of authentic and replica jerseys for fans to enjoy.
With this successful partnership, the Minnesota Wild join other Minnesota-based sports organizations like the Timberwolves, Lynx, Vikings, and the University of Minnesota Athletics in teaming up with Fanatics to enhance the retail experience for fans both online and in-venue.
