Penguins victory is a win for merchants
Within an hour of opening on Friday, Hometown Sports at Station Square had already made five times its average daily sales.
For the first time in seven years, the Pittsburgh Penguins advanced to the Stanley Cup Final Thursday night with a 2-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning. Following the win, fans flocked to Pittsburgh-area stores and pulled out their wallets for the Eastern Conference champions in the National Hockey League.
Merchandise sales typically peak in the 48 to 72 hours after a series is clinched, said Matt Powell, a sports industry analyst at the NPD Group in Port Washington, N.Y. It’s especially helpful when a team has gone a while without winning it all.
“Historically when a team reaches championship level, it has a very, very positive impact on sales,” Mr. Powell said, adding that because the Penguins hadn’t advanced this far since 2009, the effect of the run is even greater. Teams that reach the championship level after a several-year drought tend to see their merchandise sales jump higher.
“This should be a banner year for Penguins merchandise,” he said.
At the moment, the Penguins are on pace with their 2009 Stanley Cup Finals run in merchandise sales online and at retail, said James Haskins, NHL group vice president president of consumer products licensing in New York City. That year, they took game seven of the finals over the Detroit Red Wings for the franchise's third-ever championship.
The challenge for merchants is having enough gear ready when excited fans come in but not having too much if a team collapses and goes home.
James Coen, owner of Yinzers in the Burgh in the Strip District, said when he buys too much of an item, he’s forced to discount the merchandise later — cutting into his profit margins.
“When we almost lost to Washington and the Penguins had the three penalties in a row, I had to turn the TV off. I was so nervous that my blood pressure went up to 207 over 107,” Mr. Coen said.
“It’s different watching a game when you’re in business for yourself. You’re taking chances. The chances I take can really pay off if I make the right decisions on what I’m buying. And it’s not easy.”
The Pittsburgh Fan, a merchandise store located near PNC Park on the North Shore, was running low on Penguins name and number T-shirts on Friday. Only extra-large and double-extralarge T-shirts were available, but the store expected a shipment on Saturday morning.
Jersey sales for Matt Murray, the rookie goalie who started in each of the Penguins’ four wins over the Lightning, were soaring, said Joe Smeals, the store’s supervisor.
“Some fans hadn’t had a Penguins shirt all season,” he said. “Now all the sudden they want to come and buy one.”
At Yinzers in the Burgh, team captain and forward Sidney Crosby has been the most popular jersey. But forward Phil Kessel and goalie Matt Murray jerseys also are selling well, he said.
Joyce Hermanowski, a cashier at Black and Gold Forever in the Strip, also has seen a spike in sales. Most customers spend between $60 and $120. The store expects a “huge surge” in sales this weekend.
Tricia Gorman of West Mifflin didn’t buy jerseys on Friday, but she estimated that she spent $150 on conference title T-shirts and hats at Mr. Coen’s store.
“For the big championships, we usually spend about that much,” she said.