Hbc Olympic wear provides opportunities for suppliers

Publish Date: November 2005

There are thousands of opportunities for BC businesses to get their products into Hbc, the official outfitter for Canada's athletes for the 2010 Winter Games.

Hbc is outfitting Canada's athletes not only for the 2010 Winter Games, but also for the 2006 Winter Games in Torino and the 2008 and 2012 Summer Games. As well, Hbc is an exclusive supplier of official Olympic merchandise to be sold in every Bay, Zellers, Home Outfitters and Fields store in the country- more than 500 retail outlets. "There will be a broad range of products, but the epicentre of the Hbc Olympic boutiques will be merchandise that replicates the team wear outside of the competition clothing," says Rob Moore, who is responsible for managing Hbc's Olympics programs.

That means big opportunities for chosen suppliers. For example, BC's Kootenay Knitting Company submitted a proposal to put toques on 2010 Winter Games athletes. Their proposal snowballed into orders for two different types of hats for the 2006 Winter Games in Torino and 40,000 more replica toques for Hbc's Olympic boutiques. "Our intention is to sell Olympic products 12 months of the year," says Moore. "There will be a need for new products and clothing for the boutiques for the next seven years."

Jim Reed, a Victoria-based special advisor to Hbc on its Olympic strategy, says BC companies looking for Olympic opportunities should stick to what they do best. "Be clear about what your business is, your product and how it aligns with Hbc's Olympic product line. And be sure you have the capacity to deliver the quality and volume at the price point expected." To become Hbc vendors, companies must meet Hbc's standards and pass an audit to satisfy ethical sourcing requirements. For information visit www.hbc.com or contact Lori Ronald, Assistant General Manager for Hbc's Olympic merchandise program, at 905-792-6424.

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