Follett Higher Education and Dyehard Fan Supply Launch Partnership to Expand Preeminent Retail Solutions for College Athletics
Strategic partnership brings best-in-class product and retail offerings to enhance overall fan experience on college campuses
WESTCHESTER, Ill., (Jan. 9, 2023) — Follett Higher Education, North America’s largest campus retailer, and Dyehard Fan Supply, the premier retail solutions provider for America’s top sporting events, venues, and teams, today announced a new partnership to create the preeminent fan retail experience in collegiate athletics.
Through this agreement, the companies – both known for their partner-first approach – will combine Dyehard’s retail operations into Follett’s merchandising infrastructure to bring best-in-class retail solutions to teams, venues, and sporting events at college campuses nationwide.
“We’re thrilled to team up with Dyehard to enhance fan shop retail experiences,” said Follett Higher Education CEO Emmanuel Kolady. “Both Follett and Dyehard are laser-focused on providing world-class products, services, and solutions for our college and university partners – and we both recognize the importance of curating unique offerings that meet the needs of each individual campus. By joining forces, we’ll leverage our shared values and joint expertise to revolutionize the college athletics experience for students, families, alumni, and fans.”
Uniting the industry expertise of Dyehard with the scale and advanced retail operations of Follett Higher Education will bring new and unmatched opportunities to market: Dyehard stores will benefit from the buying power of Follett to ensure the best merchandise selection, enhancing the company’s bespoke management style and customized approach to fan bases, and Follett will benefit from Dyehard’s deep relationships and expertise in the sports market, extending the company’s reach within college athletics and boosting the fan retail and event experience.
Additionally, Follett campuses will now have the opportunity to create one-of-a-kind fan experiences with support from Dyehard’s sister company REVELXP – a leading fan engagement and hospitality company with deep expertise in collegiate sports and entertainment.
Dyehard CEO Wes Day said, “Bringing together Follett and Dyehard allows us to combine our in-depth expertise in collegiate athletics with Follett’s deep knowledge of building and scaling campus retail operations, creating the best of both worlds. This is a huge opportunity for Dyehard to expand our reach to campuses throughout North America in partnership with a highly respected company that shares our commitment to putting campuses first and being good stewards of their brands. We couldn’t be more excited about this new chapter in the Dyehard story.”
The majority of Dyehard’s retail partnerships are with universities and college sports properties, but the company also manages merchandising programs for some of America’s most notable sporting events and organizations, including Pro Rodeo Cowboys Association, USA Volleyball, Bassmaster, Preakness, Kentucky Derby, professional soccer teams, and many more. Dyehard Fan Supply and Follett Higher Education will maintain a strategic focus on college athletics while also exploring select partnerships in the broader sports and entertainment space.
Dyehard Fan Supply is part of Teall Sports & Entertainment, a holding company of sports and entertainment brands based in Winston-Salem, NC.
# # #
About Follett Higher Education | www.highered.follett.com
Follett Higher Education is a leading educational service provider and omnichannel retailer providing students, faculty and staff, parents, and fans the course materials, learning tools and retail services needed to successfully support the academic, athletic, and collegiate journey. Follett Higher Education supports over 6 million students through its 1,100 physical and 1,750 eCommerce collegiate retail stores across North America.
About Dyehard Fan Supply | www.dyehardfansupply.com
Dyehard Fan Supply is a turnkey sports retail solutions provider for some of America’s top sporting events, venues and brands. With a focus on your brand, Dyehard leverages best-in-class practices to deliver a superior omni-channel buying experience to fans online, at-event, and inside your brick-and-mortar stores. Whether you’re a fan of college or pro sports, teams or individual events, Dyehard Fan Supply is on the forefront of customer-focused concepts and innovative solutions designed to grow your retail business.
