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Published
Oct 17, 2017
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Fanatics forms new Fanatics College division, acquires Fermata Partners from CAA Sports

Published
Oct 17, 2017

Fanatics on Monday announced a new division, Fanatics College, which will focus exclusively on elevating the comprehensive offerings the company provides for its collegiate partners.


Fanatics/Glassdoor

 
The new division comes at a time of growth for the Jacksonville, FL-based sports e-commerce company. Earlier this year, Fanatics acquired VF Corporation’s Licensed Sports Group business, and in September the company closed a $1 billion funding round.
 
Fanatics College will provide partners with sophisticated ways to connect directly with fan bases and alumni through broad, timely merchandise that fulfills real-time demand. The division will assist partners in e-commerce, omnichannel, stadium retail operations and brand management services.

In addition to launching Fanatics College, the sports e-commerce firm announced that it has acquired the collegiate licensing services practice of Fermata Partners from CAA Sports, a division of Creative Artists Agency (CAA).
 
“The acquisition of Fermata’s collegiate licensing business strategically aligns with our focus towards delivering leading-edge technology, robust data, omnichannel retail services and deepened licensing capabilities to university partners,” said Fanatics Chief Commercial Officer Cole Gahagan.
 
Founded by Derek Eiler, Chris Prindiville, Kit Walsh, and Scott Bouyack in 2012, Atlanta-based Fermata is a specialty consumer products licensing agency focused on colleges, universities, global football clubs, and iconic sports and lifestyle brands. CAA acquired Fermata in 2015, and now the agency is under Fanatics.
 
Gahagan added, “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.”
 
With the acquisition, Eller and Prindiville will join Fanatics and will be joined by an existing team. The Fermata team that oversees the college licensing business will remain in Atlanta and operate as a separate division integrated into the Fanatics business unit that manages other major sports brand licensing programs.

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