Merchandising
August 11, 2011
As the Dodgers operate under bankruptcy protection, its merchandise vendor has asked the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for protection from the team. With Dodger Stadium merchandise revenue down 25 percent this season, Facility Merchandising Inc. could face a "business-threatening event" if the court doesn't intervene on its behalf, the company attorneys wrote in a court filing.
July 25, 2011
The buzz over the new Winnipeg Jets logo continued as the team was forced to close its store over the weekend because it anticipated having no stock to sell. Jets Director of Communications Scott Brown said the Jets Gear store at the MTS Centre sold all 1,900 hats it had brought in. By mid-day Saturday, the team had processed more than 1,200 on-site transactions and expected to be sold out of all the rest of the nearly $200,000 of stock before the end of the day.
July 22, 2011
For some, it’s the Neiman Marcus Christmas Book. For others, the catalog-drop event of the year comes courtesy of IKEA, the Swedish seller of furniture and home decor. It’s a big enough deal that IKEA hosted a press event Thursday in New York to unveil the 2012 edition — all 374 pages of it. An iPhone app version and IKEA's first catalog for the iPad will be available on iTunes in August.
July 18, 2011
President Barack Obama’s approval ratings may be slipping, but his commercial appeal remains robust. Entrepreneurs who capitalize on the “Obama brand” said consumer interest in the 44th president continues to surpass any previous president.
July 13, 2011
A special Anti-Counterfeiting Task Force has been formed to crack down on the production and sale of counterfeit merchandise and tickets during Major League Baseball's All-Star Week in Phoenix.
July 12, 2011
Nothing says "milestone" quite like merchandise, something the New York Yankees seem to be keenly aware of. Within minutes of shortstop Derek Jeter reaching the 3,000-hit mark, the shelves of the team's gift shops were lined with commemorative items of just about every shape and size.
June 30, 2011
It's official — Rod Blagojevich is guilty as charged. Minutes after the Blago verdict had been announced, people had already bought T-shirts, tote bags and other fun stuff stamped with Blago imagery.
June 21, 2011
eBay’s auction-based e-commerce solution is often loaded with merchandise after a celebrity dies. Ryan Dunn, a noted cast member of the infamous "Jackass" TV and movie series, died in a car crash outside Philadelphia. MTV has already posted a photo retrospective on their website. Many celebrity and entertainment news outlets are also running extensive coverage, as well as the other staple of a celebrity death: the massive outpouring of Twitter sadness.
June 10, 2011
It wasn't that long ago that retail industry experts were saying Target needed to do something to stem the numbers of shoppers heading to Wal-Mart to buy everyday staples. Today, the company is being criticized for the low margins associated with getting greater numbers of people to buy food products in its stores. For a little history, a 2008 report by Citi Investment Research found that 87 percent of consumers perceived Wal-Mart to have lower prices than Target. Many consumers were flocking to supercenters that offered food items not available at locations with the bull's-eye logo.
May 4, 2011
The killing of Osama bin Laden quickly spawned a mini-industry of memorabilia, with street vendors and online stores busily peddling trinkets to celebrate and commemorate the moment.
