MIAMI – The Miami HEAT has been named the 2013 Co-Team Retailer of the Year by the National Basketball Association for their successful merchandise sales during the 2012-13 NBA season. The HEAT is now the only four-time winner of the award, which has been given annually since 2002 to highlight the accomplishments of team merchandise sales and operations. Theaward 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 and 2011. The HEAT shares this year’s award with the Golden State Warriors.
On the heels of its second consecutive NBA title, the HEAT achieved record-breaking merchandise sales in-arena and expanded its marketing and retail efforts by opening new retail locations throughout the community. Energized by the introduction of the White Hot and Hardwood Classics Red uniform collections, the team recorded the highest regular season, NBA Playoffs and NBA Finals retail sales per cap average in league history. 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 seven years and currently leads the NBA in retail sales per cap for the 2013-14 season.
Under the direction of Vice President of Retail Business and Development, Andy Montero (“Crazy Andy”), the Miami HEAT Retail Department manages four retail outlets: the flagship store at AmericanAirlines Arena, the satellite store located in Dolphin Mall, its newest location inside Miami International Airport’s American Airlines Concourse D32 and its online retail site, TheMiamiHEATStore.com. In addition, first introduced during the 2011 NBA Playoffs, two 48’ The Miami HEAT Store trailers are stationed outside the front of the Arena to meet the increasing retail demands of HEAT fans.
The HEAT also implemented unique promotional campaigns such as the 2013 White Hot playoff program, Crazy Andy Items of the Game and Internet-only, Black Friday and Cyber Monday themed programs to help drive sales.