Super Bowl merchandise already is easy to score

For most of us, the closest we'll get to experiencing Super Bowl XL in Detroit is wearing the official ball cap, slipping on the logoed jacket or sipping from the embossed shot glass.

The big game is less than two months away, and Super Bowl merchandise is arriving in town by the truckload and showing up in stores just in time for the holidays.

Charlene Smith, 58, of Warren already has spent hundreds of dollars on Super Bowl merchandise. She picked up an $18 pink angora Super Bowl hat for her granddaughter last week at the Super Bowl Superstore at Oakland Mall in Troy.

And her grandsons can expect major Super Bowl swag under the tree.
"I'll be back to buy more," Smith said.

Don't worry, Charlene: There's plenty.

Super Bowl XL merchandise is as plentiful as tickets to the big game are scarce.
From polo shirts and infant onesies to golf ball sets and CD/DVD holders, Super Bowl stuff is hitting store shelves in the kind of retail frenzy usually spawned by a Pistons or Red Wings championship run. Super Bowl merchandise has been in some stores since September.

The popular items? Anything pink. Women's pink Super Bowl XL hats with a pink logo were nearly sold out at the Super Bowl store in Troy. White jerseys with pink lettering and women's varsity jackets are also a big hit, said manager Jason Neal.

"Most women shop for men, so they grab something for themselves as well," Neal explained.
The Scottsdale, Ariz.-based Super Bowl store opened five locations in late October at Fairlane Town Center in Dearborn, Oakland Mall in Troy, Great Lakes Crossing in Auburn Hills, Lakeside Mall in Sterling Heights and Laurel Park Place in Livonia.

The NFL has increased marketing to women after its apparel business surged 90 percent compared to a year ago, the league said.

This year, it's offering 20 percent more products after discovering more women watch the Super Bowl than the Academy Awards. The lineup includes not only fitted T-shirts, tank camisoles and $99 diamond and titanium rings, but also $300 compact mirrors and $2,700 Helmet bags adorned with Swarovski crystals.

More than $100 million in Super Bowl merchandise is sold each year, according to the NFL. Many retailers count on the annual bonanza.

Curt Zupi has been to the last 15 Super Bowls but he's never seen a game. The Ypsilanti resident is one of a handful of retailers nationwide who have the right to sell NFL-licensed merchandise.

This year, he doesn't even have to leave home. His company, CZ's Sports Marketing, already has opened two stores in Detroit to sell Super Bowl merchandise.

"The outerwear is going to be popular," Zupi said. "We have nice jackets, stocking caps and gloves. If the game is in Miami, you don't even produce that stuff."

At The Varsity Shop in Birmingham, $21.95 men's hats are selling quickly. Sweat shirts and polo shirts also are likely to be hot sellers, said manager Ryan White.

At last year's Super Bowl in Jacksonville, Fla., lightweight jackets, sweatshirts and T-shirts were the money items. But with the game moving north, cold-weather gear such as blankets, heavy jackets and headwarmers are expected to be popular.

One cold-weather item football fans can't seem to resist: a $300 leather varsity jacket with logo patches on the sleeves from every championship game. It's the top seller at the Super Bowl store, which sold 125 jackets in less than a month, Neal said.

The Motor City is only the third cold-weather town to host the championship game, and this marks the second time it's been played in Metro Detroit -- a potential public relations coup for a city that is often maligned in the press.

"It's a great marketing opportunity for the city," said Ken Kettenbeil, vice president of communications for the Detroit Super Bowl XL host committee. "A lot of people will purchase the merchandise and wear it around. It's another opportunity to talk about Detroit and change the conversation about the city."

The game is one big marketing blitz for supercenters such as Grand Rapids-based Meijer, where keychains, cups and mugs are popular. Meijer plans to give away Super Bowl tickets and host in-store Super Bowl parties and appearances by NFL players, said Cathy Cooper, the chain's director of promotions and partnerships.

To discourage counterfeit goods, the NFL has lawyers in Detroit and as far away as Toledo to nab unofficial merchandise, said NFL spokesman Dan Masonson.

"It protects the interests of the fans," Masonson said. "If you buy something that is not a well-made product, it could be inferior. We don't want our fans to associate an inferior product with the NFL."

For all the Super Bowl hype, it's not exactly a game day buying bonanza yet. Traffic at the Super Bowl XL's Oakland Mall store was light one afternoon last week, but manager Jason Neal expects business will pick up.

"It's in phases," said Neal, whose store will remain open until early February. "Once the two teams are announced and the game gets closer, we'll have a whole line of clothing all dedicated to the two teams."
source :
http://www.detnews.com/