Wells Fargo Center Unveils New Strategic Updates To Retail Business
Oct 11, 2024
Today, Wells Fargo Center announced new strategic changes and upgrades to its retail business. This fall will mark the first retail line release fully inspired and designed by the in-house retail team.
In the summer of 2023, Wells Fargo Center hired Adrienne Briones-Carlson as Vice President of Retail and continued to build an experienced and well-balanced retail team. Briones-Carlson brings over 20 years of retail strategy experience with leading brands including Lululemon Athletica, Endeavor Athletics, Anthropologie, Banana Republic, and Lenox. In her new role, Briones-Carlson leads all retail business and design strategy, vendor relationships, e-commerce, oversees store operations and new retail location openings, and manages all retail employees and game day staff.
“We’ve assembled an extremely talented and experienced team to help bring our retail strategy and execution to life,” said Wells Fargo Center Senior Vice President of Marketing Christine Mina. “Our first retail line has been in the making for over a year with a focus on the authentic Philadelphia fan. We are really looking forward to unveiling the new collections and new shopping experiences this fall.”
Briones-Carlson and the team began with hands-on designing the new upcoming fall line for Flyers, 76ers, and Wings last summer. This fall, fans will see expanded offerings for women and kids and more lifestyle and fashion-forward pieces for everyday wear.
“We’ve based most of our creative decisions on direct feedback from those who wear it – our fans,” said Briones-Carlson. “The expectations from sports fans on their retail has evolved over the last several years, and we’re excited to offer aspirational, high-quality and affordable items for every type of fan. We’ll of course always have the traditional jerseys and T-shirts but now have a robust variety of transitional, fashion-forward items that fans can wear not only to games but express their fandom through fashion every day.”
The team has leaned in with several vendors to create a curated and more exclusive capsule approach. Fans will see new items from Travis Matthew, Sport Design Sweden, Line Change, ‘47 Brand, Pro Standard and Mitchell and Ness.
"We are excited to introduce 76ers fans to this new line of merchandise for the 2024-25 NBA season," said Victoria Isley, 76ers Vice President, Partnership Solutions. "Understanding that our fan base starts at a very young age, it was important for us to create quality and authentic merchandise that everyone can enjoy - from our youngest to our most seasoned supporters."
In addition to the upgrades to retail offerings, the team has also instituted major overhauls of the in-person shopping experience at Wells Fargo Center. At its two marquee OutPHItters team stores on the main concourse, new design and layout changes lead to better ingress and egress and are capped off by aesthetic improvements including added mannequins for better visual representation and more TVs and monitors so shoppers don’t miss a minute of game action. The team also launched new state-of-the-art RFID technology proven to speed up transactions from minutes to seconds. Wells Fargo Center partnered with industry leader EXO to bring in the seamless checkout technology seen in stores like ZARA and Uniqlo.
“We’re honored to be featured in Wells Fargo Center, bringing EXO’s RFID technology to their team stores,” said Lance Burnett, EXO CEO. “Our EXO frictionless checkout experience is the fastest available, and it ensures Philadelphia fans spend less time in line and more time enjoying the action.”
In addition to upgrades on existing retail spaces, Wells Fargo Center will debut two new concepts on the main concourse for expanded offerings. Threads will open on the 11th Street side of the main concourse and The Vault will be located on the Broad Street side. Threads will include select fashion-forward and trendy items where the most stylish fans can find new, aspirational pieces. The Vault will have a throwback vibe and will feature vintage inspired items aimed to honor Philadelphia’s rich sports history.
“We’re thrilled to debut these new spaces to our fans this fall,” said Briones-Carlson. “They create a more intimate and unique shopping experience and will offer items never seen before in Wells Fargo Center.”