North Jersey sporting goods stores gearing up for the Super Bowl
* Generic gear celebrating big game plentiful at North Jersey stores
CHRIS PEDOTA/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Even though the Super Bowl is in East Rutherford next month, football fans might find it difficult to get their hands on any Denver Broncos or Seattle Seahawks jerseys at North Jersey sporting goods stores before the big game.
Big retailers such as Modell's Sporting Goods, Dick's Sporting Goods and Sports Authority are flush with generic Super Bowl gear for fans looking to buy cold-weather clothing emblazoned with this year's Super Bowl logo. But finding a Peyton Manning or Richard Sherman jersey to wear before heading to a Super Bowl party might prove to be more difficult, because larger retailers are focusing on their Manhattan-based locations, where the tourists are.
Local sporting goods stores are prevented from selling the apparel because of licensing issues. Buddy's Sports Corner in Paramus has stocked up on official Super Bowl programs, hats and mini-helmets for each championship team in addition to the generic gear - but will not be able to sell any jerseys.
'In my experience, the Super Bowl is a phenomenon, but it doesn't really pick up until the weekend before,' said Buddy Kurzweil, the owner of Buddy's Sports Corner. 'We couldn't get the jerseys because Nike has the rights to them. They don't deal with the little guys like me, but we have everything but the jerseys.'
Mitchell Modell, chief executive officer of New York-based Modell's Sporting Goods, said the company's four stores in Manhattan have been stocked with not only the generic Super Bowl items being sold across the region, but Seattle- and Denver-specific products as well.
However, the nine Modell's stores in North Jersey will not see any major restocking, the CEO said, because most of the visitors attending events related to the big game will be in Manhattan. Instead, the company has instructed stores in the region to focus moving generic Super Bowl merchandise such as hats, gloves, scarves and T-shirts to the front of their main floors in anticipation of the big game.
'The real hype won't happen until next week,' Modell said.
Modell said the Manhattan stores will be receiving jerseys of both of the teams' quarterbacks - Manning of the Broncos and Russell Wilson of the Seahawks - but said the company also will be offering them online for any customers who want to buy a jersey before the big game. Manning and Wilson jerseys are the top sellers in the NFL, according to NFLShop.com.
On NFL.com's online store, jerseys range in price from $69 to $155, depending on the authenticity or style of the jerseys. Manning's jersey is the most expensive current player jersey on the website. Fans spend about $2.9 billion a year on NFL merchandise, according to Ira Mayer of the Licensing Letter, a trade publication.
Post a Comment for "North Jersey sporting goods stores gearing up for the Super Bowl"