Fanatics Partners and three-time Japanese Series winners the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters announced a ten-year retail deal in one of the largest sports merchandising partnerships in Japan. The new deal will see Fanatics gain a broad set of e-commerce rights and work with the club in the design and build of a flagship store at its new ballpark, the ES CON Field in Hokkaido, scheduled to open in 2023.
The Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters will become the second Japanese sports organization to sign with Fanatics taking advantage of its vertical commerce model which combines a technology platform with supply chain and on-demand manufacturing for access to a broad assortment of fan merchandise. Fanatics, the largest online licensed sports retailer, partners with more than 300 successful sporting organizations including the NBA, MLB, NFL, NHL, Ryder Cup, and Formula One as well as many of the largest soccer teams including Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea, and Paris Saint-Germain. Speaking about the new deal, Ken Maezawa, director & general manager of the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters, said: “We believe this partnership with Fanatics is a great opportunity for our business to take a huge step forward. Our merchandising business has been able to grow with twists and turns until now, but we are absolutely certain that this partnership will mean a better service for our fans and, in turn, will deliver further growth for our business.”Fanatics’ Masanori Kawana, Managing Director for East Asia, said: “We are thrilled to partner with Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters, one of the most innovative and forward-thinking sports teams in the industry. We are particularly excited to be involved in the new retail facilities from the development phase at “the ballpark the world has never seen before”. . As a company we are committed to dramatically improving fan experience through expanded assortment, upgraded online/offline shopping experience and better service levels to maximize fan satisfaction for all the Fighters’ fans in Hokkaido and around the world.”
Photo courtesy Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters
