JC Penney has partnered with Fanatics Inc. to open 325 Fanatics in-store shops selling team apparel.
The shops will feature a curated selection of local collegiate and professional sports team merchandise for men, women and children, representing all major sports leagues.
Building on JC Penney’s existing partnership with Fanatics for the retailer’s online Sports Fan Shop, JC Penney plans to introduce approximately 325 additional Fanatics destinations by the back-to-school season for a total of 650 shops.
“Fanatics offers fans the world’s largest collection of official sports brands, merchandise and apparel in the industry. We’re delighted to combine their best-in-class assortment with a dynamic in-store experience that offers sports fans a one-stop destination for all their local team apparel needs,” said James Starke, senior vice president and head of merchandising. “Combining a stunning specialty store environment with the unparalleled power of our online Sports Fan Shop provides JC Penney a unique competitive advantage, driving spend and frequency of visits to both stores and JCPenney.com.”
The approximately 650 sq. ft. Fantatics shops feature modern fixtures, bold graphics and stylized mannequins showcasing t-shirts, sideline apparel, specialty jerseys and more from leading national brands such as Majestic, Fanatics, Adidas, New Era and Nike. The shops will also include an expansive headwear wall, and will be continually refreshed each sports season.
Furthermore, 50 JCPenney stores in top sports markets offer a premium Fanatics shop experience. These flagship destinations boast approximately 1,300 sq. ft. of space, elevating the shopping environment with 55 in., mounted, flat-screen televisions projecting the company’s latest marketing, back wall fan graphics, sports paraphernalia and an oversized headwear wall. These fully-immersive shops include interactive iPads, allowing displaced fans to connect to the retailer’s online Sports Fan Shop, where they can order Fanatics items online, from any sports team, with just a few easy taps. The premium Fanatics shops also offer MLB affinity apparel featuring Disney and Star Wars designs exclusive to JC Penney. Items include a Mickey Red Sox Disney t-shirt by Fanatics for $34.95 or a Los Angeles Dodgers and Star Wars co-branded t-shirt by Fanatics for $34.95.
Since 2014 JCPenney has partnered with Fanatics to offer nearly 300,000 licensed products spanning all major sports leagues via its online Sports Fan Shop.
Photo courtesy JCPenney
