Kraken Merchandise Sales Set New Standard for NHL Expansion Teams By Megan Campbell, Puget Sound Business Journal
PEOPLE CAN’T GET ENOUGH SEATTLE KRAKEN GEAR. The National Hockey League team brand, unveiled in mid-July, sold 200% more gear its first week at its physical store in South Lake Union than the NHL’s Las Vegas Golden Knights did its first week in 2016. And shopping at the Kraken store, which opened on Aug. 21, is by appointment only. Actual revenue and sales figures have not been released. “We’re setting records what an expansion team’s logo has sold,” said store owner Jay Deutsch, CEO of Woodinville-based merchandising company Bensussen Deutsch & Associates LLC, and minority owner of the Seattle Kraken.
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Photos by Seattle Kraken
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The over-5,000-square-foot Chandler’s Cove site, once home to Cucina Cucina, was booked through its first weekend and into the next week before it even opened. Up until the opening of the store, branded gear was only available online.
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We’re going to go all-in on the fans
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“Now the Kraken have a home to go shop at. The response and demand has been pretty amazing,” Deutsch said. Deutsch knew he wanted to open a physical location despite the pandemic and the challenges of operating a brick-and-mortar location. “We’re going to go all-in on the fans,” he said. “For people to come in and touch your brand and to be around the Kraken, there’s nothing like it. Covid has made people feel like they took for granted that social experience. This is a long-term play.” ©
Photos by Seattle Kraken
He identified the store about six months prior but didn’t sign a lease until the launch of the brand. It was a mad dash to produce branded apparel in 24 hours because the logo and name were held in secret to build suspense around the unveiling.
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The Kraken is kind of the essence of Seattle sports.
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“(The fans) love the Kraken,” Deutsch said. “I think we just love our city and we love our sports. There’s this deep-rooted loyalty. We’re a glass-half-full kind of city. We love to bond together. Our sports have done that. … The Kraken is kind of the essence of Seattle sports.”
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Photos by Seattle Kraken
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Photo by Seattle Kraken
The store employs about 14 people, with others at BDA’s Woodinville headquarters dedicated to the gear. “This is a local company putting together a store for the local hockey team. There’s a pride factor that my BDA employees have,” Deutsch said. “BDA being a local company and me being local, there’s just that extra passion that we bring to the store.”
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