Month: July 2019

Via The Stadium Business

Legends have announced today the acquisition of MainGate LLC, the premier event retail and merchandise company. The Acquisition will Create a Robust Omni-Channel Retail and Ecommerce Platform to Streamline the Connection between Brands and Fans.

Founded more than 50 years ago, MainGate provides custom merchandise marketing solutions through event retail, team stores and e-commerce platforms. In addition, the company has custom design and production capability at its distribution center, headquartered in Indianapolis.

MainGate will integrate into Legends existing industry-leading hospitality experience division—led by veteran executive and President, Dan Smith. The focus will be on expanding Legends’ current retail merchandise business operations (pictured above) to offer partners a best-in-class experience. This full-service vertical platform including design, production, ecommerce, brand marketing, analytics, large scale live event, venue, and flagship store retail operations is built for the global stage, with base operations domestically as well as internationally.

Shervin Mirhashemi, President and CEO of Legends, said, “The MainGate acquisition represents another significant step in our ambition to build the most compelling, flexible and effective retail and e-commerce platform for our clients across the globe. MainGate’s capabilities across e-commerce, merchandising and retail event operations strategically align with our focus towards building a platform that delivers omnichannel retail services leveraging cutting-edge technology and robust data, to present our partners with the best option to successfully grow their business.”

MainGate’s current client work portfolio includes major professional sports leagues and teams across the NFL, NBA, NHL; collegiate properties and its governing body the NCAA; along with marquee motorsports names, such as National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) and properties, such as International Speedway Corporation—a NASCAR property; and well-recognized media and consumer brands.

Dave Moroknek, President & CEO, MainGate stated, “Combining forces with Legends is a great opportunity for our employees, partners and customers and we look forward to bringing our shared expertise to a broader customer base where we can offer unique best-in-class services to realize their retail and merchandising needs. Through our current success with mutual clients, we are confident the market is looking for the end-to-end solution we deliver together.”

Via SportBusiness

Experiential services agency Legends has taken a significant step to expand its business operations by taking over Indianapolis-based event retail and merchandise company MainGate LLC. Financial terms were not disclosed.

MainGate – which provides custom merchandise marketing solutions through event retail, team stores and e-commerce platforms – will integrate into Legends’ hospitality division, which manages major sports brand retail and merchandise programs and e-commerce platforms.

MainGate’s current client work portfolio includes NFL, NBA and NHL teams, college teams and governing body the NCAA, and motorsport properties such as Nascar track owner International Speedway Corporation.

Via SportsBusiness Daily

The USWNT’s World Cup win is helping U.S. Soccer’s official website to multiyear highs when it comes to merchandise sales. The USSF’s online store, operated exclusively by official retail partner Legends, saw its best day of sales on Sunday in either ’18 or ’19, and numbers are also pacing ahead the same period in ’15, when the USWNT also won the World Cup.

The top seller has been the championship T-shirts, which U.S. Soccer worked with Nike on to have available as soon as the final whistle blew. The four-star jerseys are also doing well in pre-sales and will ship later this week. USSF Head of Marketing Mike Gressle said there was more product available overall to go out immediately after the final than there was after ’15.

Gressle also pointed to the early start time of Sunday’s game providing a nice post-match window for sales. Gameday sales on the site increased 350% over what they been pacing at throughout the tournament. Online sales are beating expectations, and Gressle believes they should stay steady for the rest of this month and throughout the fall during the USWNT’s victory tour that kicks off Aug. 3.

“We’re a little different than a normal sports league because the hot market doesn’t necessarily end when the parade’s over with,” he said. “We’ll have a nice opportunity for fans to interact with the team as they play across the U.S.”

GIVE IT SOME POP: U.S. Soccer partnered with Legends on a pop-up shop in downtown Chicago that contains the largest line of U.S. Soccer merchandise anywhere. It opened at the start of the World Cup and will stay open until July 15, with championship items available this week.

In addition to providing a retail space, the pop-up shop has interactive elements like a replica USWNT foosball table and a photobooth. “Overall, you see more branding elements that provide Instagram-able moments for that Gen Z target that we’re trying to communicate with and interact with,” Gressle said.

Via SportBusiness (UK)

Last month’s MLB London Series generated higher per-capita revenues than any other MLB international game, SportBusiness has learned.

Speaking at the SportBusiness Decision Makers Summit in London, Andrew Hampel, president of Legends International, said the two-day series between the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees was an unprecedented success in revenue terms, helping to underscore London’s reputation as a world-class host city.

Over 138,000 fans filled the London Stadium in Queen Elizabeth Park for the two sold-out matches, with roughly 30 per cent of fans traveling from the US and 70 per cent being local.

Hampel, whose Legends International held the retail concession for the series, praised the MLB for transforming the London Stadium into an authentic American ballpark, helping to drive revenues across the board.

“It was phenomenal, it felt like an American ballpark,” said Hampel. “You can’t just pick up a baseball diamond, with its physical size and sightlines, and plonk it down in any football ground.

“It worked at the London Stadium for precisely the same reason that it doesn’t work for football, because it’s got the physical size to accommodate it.

“Did it work for baseball? – absolutely. They did a brilliant job of bringing baseball to London.”

Hampel said he expects the MLB to return to London beyond its two-year spell at the London Stadium, following in the footsteps of the NFL. Though he warned that the MLB may struggle to export itself to other markets.

“As a platform it’s great, but they’ve got some real logistical issues about where they can take the sport.”