You usually don't hear the words "shopping" and "hockey" in the same sentence, but for Bob Bradley, it's a winning combination.
Bradley grew up playing ice hockey and previously served as a personal shopper for Neiman Marcus. Today, he combines his interests as store manager of the Bruins Pro Shop in the FleetCenter, home to the NHL's Boston Bruins and the NBA's Boston Celtics. He's constantly busy, passing wearables and printing projects to vendors, keeping an eye on inventory, and blocking bad business relationships. Despite his breakneck schedule, Bradley says he enjoys his job.
The Pro Shop is one of many departments at
the FleetCenter, which hosts events including ice shows, concerts, circus shows,
pro wrestling matches, graduation ceremonies, sales meetings and sports
tournaments. The facility features an arena with more than 22,000 seats, two
restaurants, a private club, 104 executive suites and four promenade suites.
According to Bradley, each department manages its own printing projects.
Bradley orders wearables, collectibles,
invoices, plastic shopping bags, season ticket holder group-discount coupons,
season ticket IDs and more. He outsources printing of the Pro Shop's 70,000
annual catalogs to Northeast Offset Printing, a Boston-based manufacturer run by
former Boston Bruin Ken Hodge. Bradley says Hodge consistently offers affordable
prices and fast turnaround. Bradley in effect serves as distributor for the
catalog project, collaborating with promotional product vendors, a photography
studio, a mail house and an independent graphic designer with whom he has a
strong business relationship. For other projects, Bradley often works with two
Boston-based distributors who have long-standing relationships with the
FleetCenter.
Bradley says three factors matter most when he outsources printing projects: fast turnaround, affordable pricing and good service. The only problem he has faced is the Bruins logo sometimes stumps wearables providers. "They'll send us something that's bright, bright yellow, or gold, and it's way off," he says. To solve this problem, Bradley usually sends artwork through a print-savvy independent graphic designer.
Bradley says he's thankful for the occasional opportunity to work the store floor because he's able to gauge customers' likes and dislikes directly. The Pro Shop plans to expand from 2,500 square feet to 4,000 square feet soon, and Bradley hopes to expand the catalog, too. He's considering adding sleepwear and periodically issuing 3-page catalog updates when inventory changes. "Right now, half the catalog is sold out," he says. "You don't want to sit on the merchandise, but you don't want it to move too quickly." Bradley also plans to distribute fliers about the Pro Shop's expansion.
—Rita Tiefert
