Latest sports licenses wheel into boys' apparel dept - Roller Hockey International league

Discount Store News, June 19, 1995 by James Mammarella

NATIONWIDE DSN REPORT -- Wheeling into boys' apparel departments this summer are the first elements of a new angle of differentiation in sports licensed goods: Roller Hockey International league apparel.

In tests at Wal-Mart, Kmart and Target, as well as sports superstores The Sports Authority and Herman's, RHI team graphics are adding snap to athletic and casual assortments. Now in its third year, RHI boasts 19 teams, located in cities with an aggregate 40 million population.

Herman's has gone so far as to co-sponsor an RHI pro team, the New Jersey Rockin Rollers. Dave McCarthy, national buyer for licensed sports apparel at Herman's, said the marketing package includes ticket-back and stadium billboard ads. In all 125 stores, Herman's has given prime real estate to the Skate Zone, a boutique that features ice and roller hockey equipment plus apparel assortments. For roller hockey, the featured items are replica RHI jerseys in a mesh/dazzle nylon combination by Dodger Industries and cotton twill and wool blend caps by High Point Knitting.

The Herman's retail price points are $34.99 for men's and $29.99 for boys on the jerseys (compared to $60 for NHL replicas) and $15.99 for the caps.

Besides micromarketing for local teams like the Rockin Rollers and the Philadelphia Bulldogs, Herman's carries garments with "the most clever logos," such as the Vancouver Voo-Doo and the Arctic Blast, McCarthy said.

Kmart is testing simpler items for now. Mary Behlman, vp merchandising for Jem Sportswear, said her firm shipped basic poly/cotton T-shirts with team graphics in sizes 8 to 18 to Kmart stores in 18 RHI markets. Merchandise with the RHI label was set to hit the floor just as the season opened in early June. Depending on performance, Kmart buyers can choose from Jem's complete line of RHI activewear, tops and bottoms, featuring mesh as well as cut and sewn knits and wovens.

"We see it basically as a boys' business," Behlman said, "but in the mesh area, we're sizing it large and extra large" because oversize fits are in vogue. Retail on the T-shirts run from $7 to $12, with somewhat higher prices likely for the more elaborate part of the line.

For Jem, which is one of some three dozen RHI apparel and equipment licensees, the opportunity to participate in sports licensing was an enticement. Jem markets under the JimmyZ label and has mainly produced character and entertainment goods in the past. Behlman believes RHI has long-term potential and is impressed by the roller hockey workshops and other programs organized nationally for kids through local schools and YMCAs.

McCarthy observed, "It's a fast-moving game; it's in the off-season to give hockey fans something extra, and tickets are only $10 or $12 for good seats, so the whole family can enjoy it."

Behlman noted that cross-licensing with entertainment properties is already under discussion to gain future velocity for RHI goods.

Vendors already signed on as licensees range from CCM Sport--which makes official NHL replica apparel--to mass channel apparel suppliers like Cutler Sports Apparel, Wormser Co. and Haddad.

Gregg Davis, vp at It's My World, the exclusive master license agency, explained why the budding market has long-term potential. "There are 20 million inline skaters in the U.S., with five million playing inline hockey." These numbers represent a doubling in popularity within the past several years. "Inline skates reached $500 million in sales last year and will probably hit $1 billion by the year 2000--just skates, not counting sticks, pads or apparel."

It's My World data shows that inline equipment is outselling ice hockey equipment 3-to-1.

In a comparison to soccer, which has large-scale amateur participation but no major pro presence in the United States, roller hockey can benefit from a two-prong approach. In fact, RHI is cosponsoring a 45-city, April-to-August amateur barnstorming campaign with a focus on kids' participation.

For the second year, ESPN is carrying the June-to-September RHI season on both its channels. ESPN2 will offer a live broadcast of 11 games in a Monday night prime time slot. ESPN will carry the Championship Series and All-Star game. PepsiCo has ample faith in the league's reach and credentials to have entered into a corporate sponsorship that includes its Pepsi-Cola and Taco Bell units.

At the pro level, RHI is a league with a special link to the NHL. Pro players are participating in the RHI both on their way up from the ice hockey minor leagues and on their way out after successful NHL careers.

One of the star attractions is Manon Rheaume, goalie for the Rockin Rollers team. Rheaume made history as the first female goalie on an NHL team. She played briefly for the Tampa franchise.

The RHI commissioner is Ralph Backstrom, a former collegiate and pro coach. He played professionally with the Montreal Canadians, L.A. Kings and Chicago Black Hawks, winning the Calder Cup as Rookie of the Year in 1959. In all, Backstrom played for six Stanley Cup teams. Jerry Diamond, the RHI president, hails from a 35-year career in sports promotion, including leadership posts with the Women's Tennis Association and the Major Indoor Soccer League.