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Tuesday, October 16, 2007

First NHL Store Bows in New York

Natalie Zmuda


The National Hockey League, in partnership with Reebok, is seeking to captivate fans with a distinct retail experience.

Last week, the pair opened the first NHL Powered by Reebok location at Sixth Avenue and West 47th Street in New York. The 6,700-sq.-ft. complex also includes a hockey-themed Starbucks and an XM radio studio. “It’s a great way to collaborate with the NHL and show our brand to New York,” said Paul Harrington, president and CEO of Reebok, during a press conference at the space.

The store also marks the NHL’s entry into brick-and-mortar retail. “This flagship store is our first, and it’s one-of-a-kind,” said Gary Bettman, the NHL commissioner.

“We have such a strong partnership with Reebok that this was the logical next step,” added Brian Jennings, the NHL’s EVP of marketing. “It’s also a way to promote our players, who are our greatest assets. And visitors to New York looking for an exciting place to go will come here.”

Indeed, executives are hoping the space becomes a true destination for hockey lovers and brings in a few new fans as well.

Jennings said that high-definition televisions mounted on a custom chandelier featuring more than 400 hockey sticks will simultaneously broadcast multiple games, as will floor-to-ceiling digital video walls — even when the store is closed. “Fans can set up chairs out on the sidewalk,” he said, only half joking.

Store visitors also will be able to watch tapings of daily radio broadcasts, which will take place in a second floor studio. Don La Greca and E.J. Hradek, the hosts of the radio show “NHL Live,” will broadcast from the store from noon to 2 p.m. daily.

The store will stock an extensive selection of footwear, apparel, accessories and souvenirs. Hockey skates are displayed on an ice wall, which will occasionally host the Stanley Cup. A 40-foot custom fixture holds jerseys from the league’s 30 teams. And a wide selection of performance and lifestyle footwear will be placed on a metal fixture that is shaped like a hockey stick. At one end of the footwear area an interactive station will allow shoppers to customize shoes with the logo of their favorite team and coordinating colors. On the opposite side of the store, larger-than-life images of players, such as Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin, are strategically placed to create smaller boutiques, featuring such items as vintage T-shirts and Reebok-branded performance gear.

San Francisco-based architecture firm Gensler created the space, with an eye toward authenticity, explained Glenn Maksymiak, Reebok’s regional manager of full price and concept stores. All the fixtures are inspired by hockey, taking their cues not only from hockey sticks but from skate blades and the act of skating, he said.

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