Why Target Chose to Partner with Major League Soccer
Last week Major League Soccer announced that it had reached a multi-year agreement to partner with Target, one of the largest retailers in the United States.
The post on MLSSoccer.com however didn't mention wether or not MLS team merchandise will be available for purchase in-store but one could assume that will be the case.
Forbes quickly picked up on the business partnership and pointed out how Target has been struggling to grow their revenue. They include fully detailed model in their article which you can see here.
"The sports push can increase Target’s visibility in the demographic it is targeting – young families and multicultural communities."
Usually a business partnership within the American soccer landscape may not get it's due attention however, Fortune also ran a story on the announced sponsorship. While also mentioning the struggle the retailer has had with revenue growth Rick Gomez,Target's senior vice-president of marketing, also told Fortune:
"soccer's popularity is on the rise across demographic groups and said soccer items are a hit with Target's customers: sales of soccer-connected merchandise, including 1 million soccer balls, rose 15% last year, making it Target's fastest-growing sub-category within its sporting goods business, he said"
As a fan of professional soccer in America I am extremely optimistic about this announced partnership and am hopeful that it will increase awareness of Major League Soccer with the average consumer/sports fan.
What are your thoughts?