Fanatics, Barnes & Noble College, Lids, Announce Strategic Partnership with the University of Notre Dame
BNC to Deliver Unparalleled Merchandise Assortment and Best-in-Class Omnichannel Customer Experience through Ongoing Partnership with Fanatics and Lids
BASKING RIDGE, N.J. – June 28, 2021 – Barnes & Noble Education, Inc. (NYSE: BNED), a leading solutions provider for the education industry, today announced it has entered into a ten-year partnership with the University of Notre Dame (“Notre Dame” or “the University”) under which Barnes & Noble College (“BNC”) will manage all course materials, retail, and online operations for the University’s campus retail stores.
BNC, through its strategic alliance with online and offline licensed sports merchandise leaders Fanatics and Lids, will deliver an exceptional retail experience to the Notre Dame community with a reimagined consumer-centric platform to elevate engagement with students, faculty, alumni, family, friends and fans. Key benefits include:
Enhanced access, convenience and affordability for students: BNC offers students access to course materials across multiple formats to meet any student’s needs or budget, including more than one million digital titles, a flexible rental program with the most expansive title list in the industry and access to the nation’s largest used textbook exchange.
Simplified course material management for faculty and the administration: Notre Dame faculty and academic leadership will have access to BNC’s Adoption & Insights Portal, allowing them to easily research and choose affordable course materials.
Unparalleled merchandise assortment and omnichannel customer experience: BNC will deliver an interactive, hyper-personalized retail experience for the Notre Dame community. With BNC’s long-term strategic omnichannel merchandising partnership with Fanatics and Lids, Notre Dame will have the most innovative merchandise and apparel programs available in the college market, as well as cutting-edge online and mobile accessibility and a progressive direct-to-consumer platform.
BNC’s state-of-the-art e-commerce platform and mobile app: Family, alumni, friends and fans of Notre Dame will enjoy convenient access to BNC’s industry leading e-commerce platform and mobile app, where they can purchase books and merchandise, track orders, obtain exclusive offers, facilitate curbside pickup and access rewards.
Unique opportunities to extend the reach of Notre Dame’s retail presence: BNC is committed to protecting and enhancing the strong recognition and reach of Notre Dame’s retail distribution, while maintaining the University’s distinctive mission, culture and values. Leveraging its successful merchandising strategies, BNC will combine local empowerment and insight with national expertise and resources to expand the presence of the University’s iconic brand and elevate the Notre Dame community's experience.
“We couldn’t be more excited to be partnering with Notre Dame to bring a best-in-class courseware and retail experience to students, faculty, alumni, fans and friends of the University,” said Michael P. Huseby, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of BNED. “This partnership with Notre Dame is the result of a true team effort with our strategic partners Fanatics and Lids, and underscores the strength of our offerings and capabilities, including the power of BNED’s academic solutions and our established retail expertise. Together with Fanatics and Lids, we will deliver new and innovative in-store and e-commerce retail solutions, while respecting and upholding the unique and traditional elements of the iconic Notre Dame brand. We look forward to a long and mutually rewarding relationship with the Fighting Irish!”
“We are thrilled to partner with industry leaders Barnes & Noble College, Fanatics and Lids to elevate the course materials process for faculty and students and create the premier collegiate in-store and online retail experience,” said Micki Kidder, Vice President of University Enterprises and Events for Notre Dame.
“We are excited to further our relationship with the University of Notre Dame to now reimagine their digital and physical college store experience as part of our ongoing partnership with Barnes & Noble College and Lids,” said Michael Rubin, Founder and Executive Chairman of Fanatics. “The combination of Fanatics’ cutting-edge e-commerce technology and mobile expertise and Lids’ world-class retail merchandising will innovate and enhance the Notre Dame retail experience for the University’s students, faculty, fans and alumni to celebrate the school’s past, present, and future.”
“As an Indiana-based company, Lids looks forward to supporting the Notre Dame team as we leverage our valuable partnership with Barnes & Noble College and Fanatics,” said Tom Ripley, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Lids. “Our vast merchandising expertise as the leading brick and mortar retailer of sports licensed apparel and headwear in North America, coupled with our relentless investment in elevating the fan experience, will deliver progressive new concepts to the Hammes Notre Dame Bookstore, while honoring all that makes the University such a special and sacred place.”
The partnership with BNC will be effective July 1, 2022. The University has five full-time bookstore retail properties, including the Hammes Notre Dame Bookstore on campus, Hammes Bookstore and Café at Eddy Street, Leep Varsity Shop in Purcell Pavilion, Dellelce Irish Hockey Shop in the Compton Family Ice Arena, and the Notre Dame Outlet Store at 1610 N. Ironwood Drive in South Bend. Notre Dame also has a catalog/online order fulfillment center and several seasonal retail locations.
BNC operates more than 770 campus bookstores and school-branded e-commerce sites for each store, and serves more than 6 million college students and faculty nationwide.