The new division will develop “broader, more-timely” merchandise assortments to better connect with college fans and alumni.

NORTH AMERICA–Fanatics has launched a new division that will focus solely on increasing its offerings for its collegiate partners, called Fanatics College.

Fanatics currently provides e-commerce, omni-channel arena and stadium retail operations as well as brand management services for its collegiate partners; however, the new division will aim to provide partners with a better way to connect directly with their fan bases and alumni through a “broader, more-timely” merchandise assortment.

Additionally, Fanatics has acquired Fermata Partners, a collegiate licensing services practice, from CAA Sports, a division of CAA. Through the agreement, two of the founding members of Fermata­–Derek Eiler and Chris Prindiville–will be joining Fanatics College.

Furthermore, the Fermata team that oversees the college licensing business will operate as a separate division integrated into the Fanatics business unit that manages other major sports brand licensing programs.

“The acquisition of Fermata’s collegiate licensing business strategically aligns with our focus towards delivering leading-edge technology, robust data, omni-channel retail services and deepened licensing capabilities to university partners,” says Cole Gahagan, chief commercial officer, Fanatics. “The agile creation and distribution of high quality collegiate merchandise, coupled with our standalone ability to help universities manage their brands and connect more directly with their fans, presents our partners with the best possible set of solutions to help them grow their business.”