The Minnesota Wild have embarked on an exciting venture with Fanatics, a premier global sports platform and licensed sports merchandise provider. This long-term partnership aims to revolutionize the retail experience for Wild fans at the Xcel Energy Center and online at HockeyLodge.com. Fanatics has stepped in as the official end-to-end retail partner for the team, taking charge of all physical retail locations at the arena and managing their online store.
The collaboration between Fanatics and the Minnesota Wild seeks to deliver a seamless and unified shopping experience for supporters. By integrating both online and in-arena retail operations, fans can enjoy a consistent shopping journey whether they are browsing from the comfort of their homes, on mobile devices, or attending live games at the Xcel Energy Center.
Carin Anderson, the Senior Vice President of Corporate Partnerships and Retail Management for the Minnesota Wild, expressed her excitement about the enhanced partnership with Fanatics. She anticipates that fans will benefit from an enriched shopping experience, with a broader selection and increased availability of their beloved team merchandise both in-store and online.
As part of this new agreement, Fanatics will make significant investments in upgrading the retail spaces at the Xcel Energy Center, encompassing stores, kiosks, and various touchpoints. These enhancements are tailored to optimize the shopping experience for fans during games and events, aiming to provide a convenient and consistent retail environment for all Wild enthusiasts.
Fanatics’ extensive licensed apparel partnership with the NHL enables them to offer Wild fans an expanded range of high-quality team merchandise. With the added bonus of becoming the NHL’s official provider for on-ice uniforms starting this season, fans can purchase the same Fanatics-branded, Made-in-Canada jerseys worn by the players during games—an offering not available for over a decade.
Apart from Fanatics-branded products, fans can look forward to a diverse range of merchandise from renowned brands like Mitchell & Ness, New Era, WinCraft, as well as local favorites such as UNRL, SotaStick, and Levelwear. This wide selection ensures that fans have access to a variety of apparel, headwear, hard goods, and lifestyle items to showcase their support for the Minnesota Wild.
Ed O’Brien, the Senior Vice President of Business Development at Fanatics, shared his enthusiasm about the partnership with the Wild. Recognizing the significance of hockey in Minnesota’s culture, he emphasized Fanatics’ commitment to providing an unparalleled retail experience for fans to celebrate the game and exhibit their team pride on game days and beyond.
Fanatics has been diligently working on upgrading and renovating 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 authentic and replica jerseys lineup by the NHL and Fanatics.
With this collaboration, the Minnesota Wild join the ranks of NHL teams benefiting from Fanatics’ omnichannel retail partnership. They become the third NHL team for which Fanatics manages both in-venue and e-commerce retail, showcasing a shared commitment to enhancing the fan experience. Joining other Minnesota-based sports entities such as the Timberwolves, Lynx, Vikings, and University of Minnesota Athletics, the Wild look forward to offering fans an exceptional merchandise selection both in-person and online.
