Team Records Highest Total Retail Sales in League History;
Team is Only Five-Time Winner of the Award
MIAMI – The Miami HEAT has been named the 2014 Team Retailer of the Year by the National Basketball Association for their successful merchandise sales during the 2013-14 NBA season. The HEAT is now the only five-time winner of the award, which has been given annually since 2002 to highlight the accomplishments of team merchandise sales and operations. The award recognizes the NBA’s most successful merchandising operations in the categories of innovative marketing and merchandising programs, breadth of product assortment, customer service, consumer shopping experience, and overall sales success. The HEAT previously won the award in 2003, 2006, 2011 and in 2013, shared the award with the Golden State Warriors.
On the heels of its fourth consecutive trip to the NBA Finals in 2014, the HEAT achieved record-breaking merchandise sales in-arena and expanded its marketing and retail efforts. Energized by the introduction of the Red Zone and Hardwood Classics Throwback Black uniform collections, theteam recorded the highest regular season, NBA Playoffs and NBA Finals retail sales per cap average in league history breaking their own records already established during the previous season. The HEAT has been among the top 10 teams in NBA retail sales every year since 2002, among the top five teams in retail sales for eight years, has led the NBA in retail sales per cap for the past three years, and maintains the lead in retail sales per cap for the 2014-15season.
“The Miami HEAT continued to demonstrate its best-in-class retail operations throughout the 2013-14 season,” said Brian Keegan, NBA Vice President of Global Retail Development. “The HEAT’s ability to introduce new and creative merchandising and marketing initiatives to effectively sell an extensive assortment of products in-arena, out of arena, and online is the reason this organization is a five-time winner of this award.”
Under the direction of Vice President of Retail Business and Development, Andy Montero, the Miami HEAT Retail Department manages five retail outlets: the flagship store at AmericanAirlines Arena, two satellite stores—one located inside Dolphin Mall and the other located inside Miami International Airport’s American Airlines Concourse D32—its online retail site, TheMiamiHEATStore.com and it’s newest outpost, The Miami HEAT Store “By the Bay” located adjacent to the Box Office at AmericanAirlines Arena.
The HEAT also implemented unique promotional campaigns such as the 2014 White Hot playoff program, Crazy Andy Items of the Game and Internet-only, Black Friday and Cyber Monday themed programs to help drive sales.
