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Beating the Buzzer: HanesBrands Flexes Quick-Turn Muscle to Deliver More Than Half a Million Pieces of March Madness Apparel
Beating the Buzzer: HanesBrands Flexes Quick-Turn Muscle to Deliver More Than Half a Million Pieces of March Madness Apparel
March 9, 2018 at 10:43 AM EST
Hanes’ large scale, robust supply chain and direct-to-garment digital
printing capability make tournament-specific graphic apparel possible
for the
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180309005470/en/
For the 20th consecutive year, HanesBrands’ graphic design,
screen-printing and logistics teams in
“They call it March Madness for a reason,” said
And come Selection Monday for the Division I women’s national tournament, the madness of March will double with another 64 teams announced.
HanesBrands’ Event 1 business, part of the company’s Sports Apparel division, has served as the NCAA’s onsite apparel concessionaire for the national tournaments since 1998. The company will operate multiple sales concessions at the 14 different game locations for the men’s tournament and 21 game locations for the women’s tournament.
T-shirts and hats account for about 80 percent of sales, but fans also expect the availability of fleece, hoodies and up to 150 other items to be available at each stage of the events.
The company’s Sports Apparel division’s retail business operations will get in on the action as well. To provide tournament-specific apparel to thousands of local mass merchant and department stores seeking to stock fanwear for their area’s favorite teams, the company will utilize local screen-printers around the country to provide specialized quick-turn service.
“Onsite at the tournament games and in stores around the country, many fans not only want apparel representing their favorite collegiate team, they also want apparel specifically designed for a regional final, Sweet 16, Elite 8 or Final Four appearance,” Fryer said.
The March Madness magic for
The work begins ahead of Selection Sunday as the more than 50-member graphic design team begins design work as teams automatically qualify for the tournament. Immediately after the regional seedings are announced on Selection Sunday, the team has just two days to create apparel for the tournament’s play-in games.
More than 100 different pieces of art are produced during and
immediately following the announcement of the 68-team field, and every
approved design will be on press Monday and delivered in advance of the
first-round games. This process is repeated during each round,
culminating in the Final Four where
“The championship shirt adds an extra level of complexity to our process,” Fryer said. “We produce shirts for both schools and, as the final buzzer sounds, we begin stocking the shelves. So while close games and buzzer beaters can be exciting for fans, our team typically hopes that they can predict the winner a few minutes ahead of the game’s end.”
The tournament ends in a flourish as excitement builds throughout the month. Approximately 25 percent of all the apparel sold during the tournament is bought at the Final Four semifinal and National Championship games.
View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180309005470/en/
Source:
HanesBrands
Matt Hall, 336-519-3386
or
Carole Crosslin,
336-519-3201
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