244 replies to this topic

[jawnbc]

Well I just spent a week in the UK, 3 days of it in London. And until I got to the Duty Free in Heathrow prior to my flight home, I couldn't find any official merchandise. At LHR the only options were 2 adult t-shirts (black or pink) or one child's t-shirt.

Seems like an incredibly wasted opportunity, with the millions who visit the UK each year.

[oakydoky]

jawnbc, on Aug 25 2009, 08:13 PM, said:

Well I just spent a week in the UK, 3 days of it in London. And until I got to the Duty Free in Heathrow prior to my flight home, I couldn't find any official merchandise. At LHR the only options were 2 adult t-shirts (black or pink) or one child's t-shirt.

Seems like an incredibly wasted opportunity, with the millions who visit the UK each year.

How many other cities have a fully developed range of merchandise 3 years out from the actual staging of the games? It will all happen in due time! London's actually further ahead than other host cities in this regard.

[Rols O'Bertilsson]

oakydoky, on Aug 26 2009, 10:16 AM, said:

How many other cities have a fully developed range of merchandise 3 years out from the actual staging of the games? It will all happen in due time! London's actually further ahead than other host cities in this regard.

I kept pestering everyone I knew who was pasing through Beijing in the years leading up to the games to look out for merchandise for me. Nearly everyone drew a blank. It was only when I passed ythrough Hong Kong on the eve of the games that I managed to pick up stuff myself.

I'm not sure if that slackness was BOCOG's, or my Chinese-travelling friends and acquaintances.

[baron-pierreIV]

I think the Official games-related merchandise don't really get into the retailers' pipelines until about a year before the Games...because that is when they will be backed up by a merchandising campaign and the build-up of excitement to the Games.

[thatsnotmypuppy]

Sir Roltel, on Aug 26 2009, 01:20 AM, said:

I kept pestering everyone I knew who was pasing through Beijing in the years leading up to the games to look out for merchandise for me. Nearly everyone drew a blank. It was only when I passed ythrough Hong Kong on the eve of the games that I managed to pick up stuff myself.

I'm not sure if that slackness was BOCOG's, or my Chinese-travelling friends and acquaintances.

Slackness of your friends I am afraid Rol - BOCOG had flagship stores on Wangfujing, in the Oriental Plaza and at both airport terminals selling shirts, badges, pins, ties and mascot crap as early as Feb 2006... as soon as Torino ended the stores popped up everywhere.

[memorabilia]

baron-pierreIV, on Aug 26 2009, 07:47 AM, said:

I think the Official games-related merchandise don't really get into the retailers' pipelines until about a year before the Games...because that is when they will be backed up by a merchandising campaign and the build-up of excitement to the Games.

I would have said, wait after the Vancouver 2010 games... so to generalize, that merchandise for a specific games is starting 2 years before the games just after the "opposite" previous games (SOG for WOG or WOG for SOG).

But in the mean times, I was in Vancouver in septembre 2007 (so 2.5 monthes before the 2010 Games) and there was already possible to buy official items at The Bay (official retailer) and in an official store at the airport.

[English Kev]

jawnbc, on Aug 26 2009, 01:13 AM, said:

Well I just spent a week in the UK, 3 days of it in London. And until I got to the Duty Free in Heathrow prior to my flight home, I couldn't find any official merchandise. At LHR the only options were 2 adult t-shirts (black or pink) or one child's t-shirt.

Seems like an incredibly wasted opportunity, with the millions who visit the UK each year.

It's way too early. No-one is even talking about the olympics in their day to day lives. I'd say it will all start to appear in Spring 2012 .

[baron-pierreIV]

Actually, let me correct my statement. I remember buying some SLC 2002 merchandise in late 1996, on the way home form Atlanta. But what they had there was the bid stuff; so NOT the Official Host City material yet. I guess those didn't come out until after the Nagano Games were over; so sometime late 1998 or early 1999.

[4gamesandcounting]

Merchandise is available - but you have to know where to look at the moment. Give it 6 months.

[memorabilia]

London2012, on Aug 26 2009, 01:37 PM, said:

Merchandise is available - but you have to know where to look at the moment. Give it 6 months.

That's a teaser..... so please, tell us WHERE ?