PORTLAND, Ore. (February 19, 2016) – While the Portland Trail Blazers enjoyed some well-deserved downtime during the NBA All-Star Break, the franchise’s Retail, Marketing and Venue Operations units were hard at work on a refreshed product strategy. When the team resumes play tonight at Moda Center versus the Golden State Warriors, the new Rip City Clothing Company (www.trailblazers.com/ripcityclothing) makes its debut as the prime source for Trail Blazers merchandise, souvenirs and memorabilia.
“We’re developing a fresh approach to how we market, display and sell our merchandise, and the Rip City Clothing Company is now the flagship platform for that new strategy,” said Daniel Cole, Trail Blazers Director of Retail Operations. The initial changes to the look, feel and vibe of the former Fan Shop are just the beginning. Ultimately, we are looking to build a brand and a platform that we can carry across our brick and mortar locations to match the other changes we’ve made in Moda Center, but we also think this will greatly enhance our online retail presence.”
“Our guests will find subtle changes in some retail locations, and total makeovers in others as we start this process,” said Dewayne Hankins, Senior Vice President of Brand Strategy and Digital. “Long term, this will be more than just about changing the name of our retail operations. Rip City Clothing Company will still carry the same high-quality NBA merchandise our fans have come to enjoy, but our goal is to capture more fan feedback, tap into the talented artist pool we have in the Pacific Northwest and take advantage of the great apparel resources we have here in our own backyard to create products that are even more authentic and unique to Portland. We will use the rest of this season and the upcoming offseasons to phase-in the changes.”
The initial conversion involves unveiling the new Rip City Clothing Company branding around Moda Center, including signage, merchandise bags and retail staff uniforms. New floorplans, wall treatments and merchandise displays in the primary store location at the arena’s North Entrance are in the works. Customer engagement also gets a makeover with a newly designed web presence for product ordering at www.ripcityclothing.co, and a dedicated social media presence on Instagram and Twitter under the handle @RipCityClothing. Followers on social media will have early access to information about flash sales, new product arrivals and exclusive offers; and will periodically receive surveys seeking opinions to help keep their retail experience at a high level.
Fans wanting an early taste of the new Rip City Clothing Company can swing by the Rose Quarter starting at 11 a.m. today for hourly discounts and launch day specials counting down to the Trail Blazers-Warriors battle at 7 p.m. Normal hours for Rip City Clothing Co. will be Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.; and throughout all Trail Blazers home games and select Rose Quarter events.