CANADA: WINTER OLYMPICS VANCOUVER 2010 - Olympic Superstore sells to thousands of visitors looking for that special something to take home

Record ID: 329564

  • Title: CANADA: WINTER OLYMPICS VANCOUVER 2010 - Olympic Superstore sells to thousands of visitors looking for that special something to take home
  • Date: 18th February 2010
  • Summary: CUSTOMERS WAITING IN LONG LINE OUTSIDE THE STORE
  • Embargoed: 5th March 2010 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Canada
  • Country: Canada
  • Topics: Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVA8311D3FCS2482ML9GWVDYX912
  • Story Text: Thousands of people were waiting in long lines on Wednesday (February 17) for the opportunity to purchase official Olympic merchandise for the 2010 Vancouver games.
    The Olympic Superstore has become on of Vancouver's biggest attractions with more than 15,000 people per day are filing through Hudson's Bay Company to purchase official apparel and souvenirs.
    Hudson's Bay Company, known as the Bay, is an iconic Canadian retailer that dates back to 1670 when it was a fur trading merchant.
    During the Olympic Games, long lines of people curl around the city block as security personnel allow limited numbers of shoppers to enter as other shoppers exit.
    Dana Hall, The Olympic Superstore Manager, told Reuters the "it" product during the Vancouver games has become red Canadian mittens. The $10 mittens with the Olympic symbol on the outside and the Canadian maple leaf on the inside, have sold an estimated two million pairs so far.
    Hall says the Bay has taken steps to make sure there is something for every price point for the Olympic shopper. "We have about 32 different licensees in here so we have a wide assortment of products from a 59 cent postcard to a $7500 (CAD) canoe" Hall said.
    The Vancouver Olympic Committee (VANOC) factors retail sales of official merchandise into its $1.7billion (can) budget and is confident it will meet it's target of $54 million (can) in sales.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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