The Golden State Warriors and Fanatics, the global leader for licensed sports merchandise, today announced a long-term, omnichannel retail partnership which will significantly broaden the assortment and availability of high-quality merchandise for fans across online, mobile and on-site retail stores. With this announcement, Fanatics will become the exclusive operator of all Warriors Shop locations throughout the Bay Area, including the new, multi-level 10,000 sq. ft. flagship location at Thrive City and stores inside of the new state-of-the-art Chase Center.
“Fanatics is the unquestioned industry leader in retail and e-commerce solutions for sports licensed merchandise,” said Warriors President and Chief Operating Officer Rick Welts. “Warriors fans around the world display their affinity for the Dubs by proudly wearing their team merchandise. This partnership with Fanatics will provide fans with an enhanced, seamless, omnichannel shopping experience including the new, world-class Warriors Shop at Thrive City, just outside the main entrance to Chase Center.”
The Warriors’ Thrive City flagship store is part of the multipurpose, privately financed complex in San Francisco’s Mission Bay neighborhood consisting of 3.2 acres of publicly accessible plazas and open space that are part of a larger mixed-use development including Chase Center, the Warriors new state-of-the-art sports and entertainment venue, two office buildings, and dozens of unique restaurant and retail locations. Additional stores can be found at Walnut Creek (1201 S Main St, Walnut Creek, CA 94596), San Francisco (Westfield San Francisco Centre; 865 Market Street #249, San Francisco, CA — 2nd floor near Bloomingdale’s) and San Jose (Westfield Valley Fair; 2855 Stevens Creek Blvd Suite #2281, Santa Clara, CA 95050).
Fanatics’ vertical, omnichannel retail offering will ensure the most timely, high-quality assortment of Warriors fan gear for all members of the family are readily available across all retail channels and can be easily replenished using a slew of data and predictive analytics. In addition, Fanatics’ local, on-demand manufacturing capabilities will have the ability to quickly execute against unplanned “micro moment” opportunities, such as record-breaking team and player feats.
“The Warriors have established themselves as one of the great modern-day sports dynasties and we could not be more excited to partner with them to best service their passionate global fan base through this new, transformative retail and e-commerce partnership,” said Fanatics Chief Executive Officer Doug Mack. “Given our large employee presence in the Bay Area it is a very special place for our company, which makes us all proud to be a part of the Warriors’ ambitious vision for Chase Center and Thrive City, and we look forward to innovating together to bring this next generation fan experience to life.”
Fanatics also recently launched a new e-commerce and mobile platform for the team available at warriors.com, which provides Warriors fans worldwide with a seamless online and mobile shopping experience to easily browse and checkout the widest selection of Warriors team apparel and merchandise. Highlights of the new online shopping destination include a live chat feature for expediting communication, seamless international shipping processes, and an integrated ability for fans to track their orders.
The Warriors have enjoyed a strong sales performance over the last five years, highlighted by seven-time NBA All-Star guard Stephen Curry ranking in the top-five in league-wide jersey sales over the last six seasons, including three-straight seasons in which his jersey was the most-purchased among all players (2016, 2017, 2018). Additionally, over the last five years, the Warriors have ranked in the top three in all team merchandise sales, including 2016 and 2017, when the team led the NBA in merchandise sales.
About Chase Center & Thrive City
Chase Center, an 18,064-seat sports and entertainment arena set to open in September of 2019, will anchor Thrive City, the multipurpose, privately financed complex in San Francisco’s Mission Bay neighborhood consisting of 3.2 acres of publicly accessible plazas and open space that are part of a larger mixed-use development including two office buildings and dozens of unique restaurant and retail locations. Chase Center will play host to games featuring the six-time NBA Champion Golden State Warriors, concerts, cultural events, family shows and more, totaling nearly 200 events per year. Thrive City, the surrounding district of Chase Center, will be a community gathering space providing a slate of year-round health and wellness programming, including Get Fit clinics, yoga sessions, farmer’s markets, ice skating and much more.
About Fanatics
As the global leader in licensed sports merchandise, Fanatics is changing the way fans purchase their favorite team apparel and jerseys through an innovative, tech-infused approach to making and selling fan gear in today’s on-demand culture, including manufacturing and distributing all Nike NFL and MLB jerseys and fan apparel sold at retail beginning in 2020. Operating multi-channel commerce for the world’s biggest sports brands, Fanatics offers the largest collection of timeless and timely merchandise whether shopping online, on your phone, in stores, in stadiums or on-site at the world’s biggest sporting events.
A Top 50 Internet Retailer Company, Fanatics comprises the broadest online assortment by offering hundreds of thousands of officially licensed items across its Fanatics (www.fanatics.com), FansEdge (www.fansedge.com), Kitbag (www.kitbag.com) and Majestic (www.majesticathletic.com) brands, as well as the largest selection of sports collectibles and memorabilia through Fanatics Authentic (www.fanaticsauthentic.com). As multi-channel company, Fanatics operates more than 300 online and offline stores, including the e-commerce business for all major professional sports leagues (NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, NASCAR, MLS, PGA), major media brands (CBS Sports, Yahoo! Sports, Bleacher Report) and more than 200 collegiate and professional team properties, which include several of the biggest global soccer clubs (Manchester United, Real Madrid, Chelsea, Manchester City). The company’s in-venue and event retail portfolio includes the NBA and NHL flagship stores in New York City, Kentucky Derby, The Ryder Cup along with in-arena stores for dozens of NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL teams and numerous college teams.
