The Minnesota Wild has taken a major step towards enhancing the retail experience for their fans by partnering with Fanatics, a global sports merchandise provider. This collaboration aims to provide a seamless shopping experience for Wild enthusiasts both online and at the Xcel Energy Center.
The partnership between the Wild and Fanatics marks a significant evolution in their relationship, with Fanatics now assuming operations of all physical retail locations at the Xcel Energy Center and managing the team’s online store, HockeyLodge.com. By integrating both online and in-arena retail operations, the collaboration seeks to create a unified omnichannel shopping experience for fans.
Carin Anderson, the Senior Vice President of Corporate Partnerships and Retail Management for the Minnesota Wild, expressed excitement about the new partnership. She highlighted the increased variety and availability of team merchandise that fans can expect to find both online and at the upgraded Xcel Energy Center store.
Fanatics plans to invest significantly in upgrading the retail spaces at the Xcel Energy Center, including stores, kiosks, and other touchpoints, to optimize the shopping experience during games and events. By unifying e-commerce and in-venue retail, Fanatics aims to offer fans a consistent and convenient shopping environment.
As part of the deal, Fanatics will provide Wild fans with an expanded range of high-quality team merchandise, including the official on-ice uniforms. This partnership will allow fans to purchase the same Fanatics-branded, Made-in-Canada on-ice jerseys worn by the players during games—an opportunity not available for over a decade.
In addition to Fanatics-branded products, fans can look forward to apparel, headwear, hard goods, and lifestyle items from renowned brands such as Mitchell & Ness, New Era, as well as Minnesota-based WinCraft, and local favorites like UNRL, SotaStick, and Levelwear, among others.
Ed O’Brien, the Senior Vice President of Business Development at Fanatics, expressed 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 celebrate the game and support their team.
Fanatics has already begun implementing upgrades and renovations to The Hockey Lodge, the team’s flagship retail location at the Xcel Energy Center. The store is set to host a grand opening event on September 21 at 11 a.m., coinciding with the introduction of the new portfolio of authentic and replica jerseys to fans by both the NHL and Fanatics.
With this partnership, the Minnesota Wild becomes the third NHL team for which Fanatics operates both in-venue and e-commerce retail. The team joins other Minnesota-based sports organizations that have partnered with Fanatics, including the NBA’s Timberwolves, the WNBA’s Lynx, the NFL’s Vikings, and the University of Minnesota Athletics.
