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Future Looking “Crystal Clear” for Licensed Sports Retailers
April 22, 2009
The company that made the Scoreboard Clock a standard item of every man-cave in America will soon be dressing up living rooms, bedrooms and family rooms with its new personalized crystal #1 Fan Photo Frame. Team Sports America—the go-to guys for licensed patio, garden and pool items—is introducing a program that delivers a unique, team-identified item to fans while helping stores forge new relationships with their customers.
“We send the retailer samples of the two different styles along with order forms,” explains National Sales Manager David McQuilliams. “The customer pays the store, then emails us with the attached image they would like internally engraved, along with their favorite team. In around a week the frame is available for pickup at the store.”
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The frames measure 4" x 6" and retail for $99.95. Stores don’t need to carry inventory, and the product can be shipped to a customer’s home if requested.
“We wish we’d had these frames at the 2009 Sports Licensing & Tailgate Show, but unfortunately the product was still under development,” McQuilliams says. “From the initial reaction, though, we believe everyone will hear of this item by next year’s show in Vegas.”
Other new items in the pipeline from Team Sports America include Keyrings and Men’s Leather Accessories, as well as a Dorm and Office Spacesaver Line.
“We actually have a lot of new and exciting things here,” says McQuilliams, who acknowledges that it’s a “tough time to be putting time money into new ventures.”
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“Fortunately,” he says, “we're in a position to do so.’
The
tight economy isn’t
being particularly kind to anyone, McQuilliams
acknowledges, but it does play to Team
Sports America’s strengths. With a growing
trend towards “Staycations,” people
are spending more time with family and friends
in their backyards, and
around their pools and patios—a category
the company owns within the licensed product
market. Team Sports America
currently offers products licensed by MLB,
NFL and more than 90 top colleges.
