Students might not initially connect sinking shots with selling
shirts, but strong performances from men’s basketball as well
as football may have a positive effect on BearWear sales,
Associated Students UCLA officials said.
Projected sales of BearWear ““ UCLA-branded clothing and
merchandise ““ for this academic year are estimated at $8.1
million. Midway through the school year, the UCLA Store has already
attained more than half the expected revenue, said Patrick Healey,
the director of general merchandise at the UCLA Store.
But past trends have shown that basketball, like football, does
have an impact on sales of BearWear, he said.
This year, UCLA men’s basketball has risen to the top
position in Pac-10 standings with a 9-2 conference record and a
19-4 record overall.
Earlier this year, football ended its season with a win in the
Sun Bowl against Northwestern, finishing with a 10-2 record and
marking one of its best performances in recent history.
“As the UCLA teams continue to excel in their respective
conferences, the fan base tends to expand. More and more people
will come out to support the Bruins. Therefore, the demand for
BearWear increases,” Healey said.
Following UCLA’s Final Four victory in 1995, ASUCLA sold
approximately $2 million in championship merchandise, he said.
“It is a good thing when UCLA plays well because it makes
concession sales go up,” said Bob Williams, executive
director of ASUCLA.
Sales of BearWear peaked in the last 35 years after the
1991-1992 fiscal year with $8.2 million in revenue. This came
during UCLA’s Elite Eight berth in the 1992 NCAA men’s
basketball tournament, the first such performance since 1980, when
UCLA was runner-up in the NCAA Championship to Louisville.
But after 1992, revenues dropped by $2 million between the
1991-1992 and 1992-1993 fiscal years, and $1.8 million between in
the year following UCLA’s championship performance in the
1995 NCAA men’s basketball tournament.
The most recent low in revenues was during the 2003-2004 fiscal
year, when BearWear sales garnered $6.5 million.
Some on the ASUCLA Board of Directors are unsure if athletic
success is the sole cause of the recent gains.
“This positive trend may be attributed to excellent
football and basketball performances, but it is hard to quantify
the true impact of sports on BearWear sales,” said Natalie
Nguyen, the chairwoman of the ASUCLA Finance Committee.
Fall quarter tends to produce the strongest revenue in BearWear
sales, as many students are eager to start off the year decked out
in blue and gold.
Soleil Delgadillo, an undeclared first-year student, has been
working as a BearWear cashier since November of last year, and said
she has not noticed a decrease in merchandise sales since fall
quarter.
“It seems to me that sales have gone up this
quarter,” she said. “A lot of people tend to buy
basketball gear. However, UCLA merchandise in general has been
selling strongly.”
The most popular BearWear items tend to be sweatshirts and
T-shirts, but replica jerseys sell the most during more successful
sports seasons, Healey said.
BearWear sales make up a significant portion of revenue for
ASUCLA. With the estimated increase in BearWear sales, some say
ASUCLA can better serve students and benefit the campus as a
whole.
“ASUCLA is always concerned about finances because we want
to ensure that we can financially support the mission of the
association and be able to provide services to the campus,”
Healey said.
Though the future of BearWear sales seems optimistic, ASUCLA
officials are aware that the trend is not limitless.
“We think that this high-flying trend may be hard to
maintain, as there will come a point of saturation,” Nguyen
said.
“Fortunately, ASUCLA’s revenue is not driven mainly
by BearWear sales, but also by many departments operating
optimally, led by BearWear, food and the computer store,”
Nguyen said.
With reports from Derek Lipkin, Bruin senior staff.