From the hockey stick chandelier to the “ice wall” merchandise display, the National Hockey League is following a well-worn game plan for its splashy new store on Sixth Avenue.
The NHL is opening its 6,700-square-foot flagship store this week – nearly two years after a lockout wiped out the 2004-2005 season and long after most sporting leagues built such showcases.
While the NBA Store on Fifth Avenue is approaching its 10-year anniversary, the NHL, the second oldest of the four major pro sports leagues, is just taking the plunge.
“They’re really a form of experiential marketing,” said Kevin Adler, president of Chicago firm Engage Marketing. “They’re a place where people can come in and interact with the brand.”
Still recovering from the lockout, the NHL is trying new tactics to become a national brand and take hockey beyond its regional fan base in New York and the Northeast.
Brian Jennings, the NHL’s group vice president of consumer products marketing, said he expects the store at the corner of Sixth Avenue and 47th Street to move merchandise as well as showcase the sport.
As is stands, few people in the U.S. are watching the NHL, something that observers blame in part on the switch of cable outlets from ESPN to the much smaller Versus.
The new NHL store – a partnership with Reebok called “NHL Powered by Reebok”- also features a hockey-themed Starbucks on the first level and a broadcast studio upstairs for XM Satellite Radio, which will air shows and game coverage from the store on weekdays.
The store sits below the new headquarters for the NHL, which occupies five floors in the building.