Sporting KC Planning To Build First Flagship Retail Shop At Sporting Park

Sporting KC is planning to build an approximately 5,000-square-foot retail shop at Sporting Park that would cost seven figures and serve as the venue's first flagship merchandise hub. The shop would be open for the start of the '16 MLS season, though SKC VP/Merchandise John Moncke noted it could open as early as Black Friday next year if it reaches its "fast-track" goal. The club built the stadium in '10 with around just 750 square feet of dedicated retail space, as it was constructed with the idea that retail sales "wouldn't be what they are now and what they've become," Moncke said. The club had previously compensated for the lack of a flagship store by transforming shipping containers into pop-up shops and using concession stands and service space as retail areas. Moncke said despite not having "one, main, big flagship store," SKC this year ranks No. 2 in the league "in both growth sales and per-caps." But he added, "To take us to the next level, we really need a true flagship store." The shop will be designed by K.C.-based architecture firm Hufft, with a construction company yet to be selected. Fans will be able to access the shop through access points both inside and outside the stadium. Moncke and SKC CEO Robb Heineman have been meeting with Hufft for the past six weeks, and renderings should be out in the coming months.

: Moncke said the club this year sold more than 5,000 of the throwback scarves that featured the club's former moniker, the Wizards. This was the most sales of a single version of a scarf in club history. Moncke said that SKC execs only green-lighted the colorful scarf after the club won its first post-rebranding MLS Cup last year. "We only re-branded the team in the fall of 2010, so 2011 was the first year of Sporting Kansas City. At that point, we really needed to sort of distance ourselves from the past brand. ... We felt like in early 2014, with the MLS Cup championship from last year, it was a great time to sort of hearken back to our heritage. That's when we first felt like Sporting was established enough where (the scarf) wouldn't diminish the Sporting brand." Meanwhile, Moncke said that if the club performs as expected during the holiday season, year-over-yeartotal retail saleswould likely be up in the double-digit range. The club, which this year launched an in-house fashion brand that particularly caters to women, also expects to double its sales of female merchandise next year. This comes as every MLS club next season will have a female jersey for sale -- the first time in league history that has happened. SKC also is due to have a new adidas kit out next season.