Dive Brief:
- Macy's announced that it has entered into "an exclusive long-term partnership" with Fanatics that will broaden the company's assortment of fan gear online and through its app, according to a company announcement sent to Retail Dive.
- The deal will grow the fan apparel product offering at Macy's by nearly 20 times and marks the largest selection of licensed sports products ever offered to the department store.
- Macy's will oversee the front end of e-commerce operations, while Fanatics will fulfill and ship orders.
Dive Insight:
Sports fans will soon have more ways to celebrate their favorite teams at Macy's.
The exclusive partnership with Fanatics expands the department store's assortment of fan gear, apparel and hardgoods, and encompasses all leagues including the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL and more. It features products from well-known brands like Under Armour, Adidas, Nike and New Era.
Additionally, championship merchandise will be available at Macy's along with other "real-time products" that are designed on-demand.
Fanatics has partnered with other department stores in the past. In 2018, the company launched team apparel shops in J.C. Penney stores. The department store still has an active Sports Fan Shop that is dubbed "A Fanatics Experience" on its website.
Meanwhile, Fanatics has recently been through multimillion-dollar fundraising rounds. In March, Fanatics announced it had raised $320 million. Only a few months later, in August, the company reached an $18 billion valuation after raising another $325 million. The company said it aimed to build a new large-scale digital sports business beyond vertical commerce, through the launch of gaming, sports betting and media.
In a little over a year, Fanatics also acquired college headwear brand Top of the World and sports merch company WinCraft. In December, Fanatics partnered with Lids and Barnes & Noble Education to help supply and operate college websites and bookstores.
Macy's, for its part, has been entering into new product categories and focusing on partnerships with favorite brands like Toys R Us to revamp its merchandise assortment.
