LA Kings and Winmark Corporation Launch First-Of-Its-Kind Partnership Benefitting Youth Sports and Hockey Development Programs Across Southern California
Multiyear Partnership Makes Winmark the Official Resale Partner of the LA Kings and Includes Community-Based Donation and Resale Programs Designed to Help Fund Increased Access to Hockey and Other Sports for Underserved Youth Throughout the Region
LOS ANGELES – November 10, 2021 – The LA Kings, have launched a first-of-its-kind partnership with Winmark – the Resale Company, ™ a nationally recognized franchising business focused on sustainability and small business formation. The multiyear agreement, brokered by AEG Global Partnerships, makes Winmark the official resale partner of the LA Kings and Kings Care Foundation, the award-winning charity of the team, and will include community-based donation and resale initiatives focused on sustainability and the support of youth sports in underserved communities across the greater Los Angeles region. The new relationship provides Winmark with enhanced visibility across the LA Kings and deepens its ties to vibrant sports and live entertainment fans across Southern California, a strategically important market for the company and its leading franchise brands which include Play It Again Sports®, Plato’s Closet®, Once Upon A Child®, Style Encore®, and Music Go Round®. The agreement also marks Winmark’s first official partnership with an NHL team and underscores its ongoing commitment to sustainability, the growth of hockey and youth sports overall.
Winmark and the LA Kings will kick off the partnership in tandem with the 2021-22 NHL season, with the launch of two key initiatives including a hockey equipment donation program and a one-of-a-kind resale fundraising program. To begin, Winmark and the LA Kings will develop and promote an equipment drive in partnership with five community rinks across Southern California. Each rink will serve as a strategic drop-off location for quality used hockey and sports equipment donations from the community along with participating Winmark franchised retail stores across the region, significantly expanding the program’s reach. Proceeds from donated equipment, which will be sold across Winmark’s participating locations, will go towards the Kings Care We are All Kings and Hockey Is for Everyone – youth hockey development programs designed to support underserved Southern California communities.
The mission of Kings Care Foundation is to support families in Los Angeles by dedicating financial and in-kind resources to services and programs. To that end, the LA Kings Hockey Club reinvests in LA-based non-profits with the following shared goals: wellness, sustainability, advocacy and inclusion. Since 1996, Kings Care Foundation has invested over $15M in the community.
Additionally, as the official authorized resale partner of the NHL team, Winmark and the LA Kings will support the Kings Care Foundation’s charitable efforts through the development of a unique apparel resale program. Utilizing the gently used and player worn official LA Kings locker room issued apparel, LA Kings and Winmark, will resell select items across Winmark’s participating retail stores with proceeds directly supporting the Kings Care Foundation.
“We have admired what the LA Kings and Kings Care Foundation have accomplished in the local community, and we look forward to assisting them in growing the game of youth hockey and providing access for underserved youth in the region. Additionally, we expect the added visibility for Winmark and our sustainable franchise brands: Plato’s Closet, Once Upon A Child, Play It Again Sports, Style Encore and Music Go Round will accelerate our mission to provide Resale for Everyone,™” stated Brett D. Heffes, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Winmark Corporation.
Building upon Winmark’s recently announced partnership with Blake Bolden, AHL Scout/Growth and Inclusion Specialist, this new partnership with the LA Kings expands the company’s investment in the growth of hockey as a sport, particularly for youth throughout Southern California and furthers its long-standing mission to provide Resale for Everyone™.
Additionally, as part of the agreement, Winmark will be a presenting partner of numerous Kings Care Foundation events throughout the year, such as We are All Kings’ growth and inclusion initiatives and Try Hockey for Free.
“The LA Kings are very excited to announce our new relationship with Winmark. Our organization prides itself on working with partners who share a common vision and similar values in supporting our work in the community,” said Josh Veilleux, senior vice president, AEG Global Partnerships. “Their commitment to the Kings and the Kings Care Foundation in particular benefits so many. We are also pleased Winmark has selected the Kings as the first NHL club they have chosen to align with. We appreciate that trust and we’re thrilled to move forward together.”
Winmark is the most established and largest multichannel player in the resale industry with a growing footprint of approximately 1,300 franchises in operation and over 2,700 open territories across key North American markets, one of which is Los Angeles. Currently the company has over 450 open territories in California alone, more than 180 of which are within 90 miles of STAPLES Center, which is home of the Kings and located in the heart of downtown Los Angeles. A nationally recognized franchising business, Winmark champions and guides entrepreneurs interested in opening one of its award-winning resale franchise brands which include: Plato’s Closet®, Once Upon A Child®, Music Go Round®, Play It Again Sports® and Style Encore®. For more than 30 years, Winmark has been at the forefront of the sustainability movement, making resale retail their business and believing in the model of buying and selling locally sourced, quality used products that bring value to communities.
For more information, visit https://winmarkcorporation.com/.