(Jon Gardiner/UNC-Chapel Hill)
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has selected Hanesbrands Inc. as the University’s primary licensee for apparel products.
The new agreement, which was executed in collaboration with its exclusive trademark licensing agent, IMG College Licensing, covers UNC-branded men’s, women’s, youth, and infant/toddler apparel across all retail channels, and ensures the university has greater control over the supply chain along with stability in licensing income over the next 10 years.
In addition to the new agreement with Hanesbrands, UNC-Chapel Hill will continue its partnership with Nike and the Jordan Brand as exclusive suppliers of uniforms for the university’s athletic teams, coaches, and staff, as well as licensed fan apparel. Semi-exclusive headwear partnerships that are currently in place will remain. UNC-Chapel Hill and Hanesbrands will also continue to work with IMG College Licensing to use the company’s extensive, proprietary data to identify additional best-in-class licensees in select product categories that can help ensure a broad and diverse selection of merchandise for Tar Heels fans and consumers.
“Carolina’s Trademarks and Licensing office strives to deliver the highest quality, responsibly made products to our consumers, while generating revenue for student scholarships. We selected Hanesbrands as a partner to help us accomplish these goals,” said Derek Lochbaum, director, UNC Office of Trademarks and Licensing. “Hanesbrands and its family of apparel companies have shown a commitment to help us achieve our brand goals and support the academic mission of our university.”
The new agreement with Hanesbrands, a North Carolina-based company that has served as a university licensee under its Champion label since 1988, provides a minimum guarantee that ensures the university more than a 40 percent growth in apparel royalties.
Under the new partnership, Hanesbrands will support UNC-Chapel Hill in its effort to develop, grow, and market university-branded product through IMG College’s innovative, customized marketing programs that connect and engage Carolina’s consumers across the globe. Additionally, the company will support UNC-Chapel Hill’s Three Zeros Environmental Initiative, which advances environmental goals on campus.
“We’re very pleased to be named the primary licensed apparel partner for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and are ready to help our home-state university take its apparel program to the next level,” said John Fryer, president, sports apparel, at Hanesbrands. “More than three decades of working with Carolina, not to mention the many passionate Tar Heel alumni among our ranks, gives us an edge on delivering the best possible apparel program for the school’s fans around the world. And, as an organization that operates with corporate responsibility at its core, we are looking forward to being an engaged partner in the school’s scholarship and environmental responsibility initiatives.”
Since instituting an initial semi-exclusive headwear program in 2003, UNC-Chapel Hill has taken a strategic approach to managing its brand, working with IMG College Licensing to use its data and market expertise to identify licensing partnerships that provide top-quality products for Tar Heels fans while ensuring long-term brand value for the university.
“As a long-time partner of UNC-Chapel Hill, we are proud to leverage our extensive data and knowledge of the university’s licensing program to help secure this new agreement with Hanesbrands,” said Cory Moss, SVP and managing director of IMG College Licensing. “Through our continued partnership, the university will maintain complete control of its world-renowned brand while receiving access to all the support, services and unmatched marketing platforms needed for continued growth of the UNC-Chapel Hill brand.”