A winning season for an LSU sports team usually spells a winning season for Tigers apparel retailers, and this year, basketball season has taken the spotlight.
With both the men’s and women’s teams finding success on the court—the men’s team currently 15-2 and ranked No. 13 in the AP poll and the women’s 17-2 and ranked No. 11—retailers have seen an influx of customers buying basketball apparel.
Customers have shown an increased interest in basketball-related merchandise since Will Wade became men’s basketball coach in 2017, but the intensity has spiked this season, says Patrick Wilkerson, owner of Bengals and Bandits.
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Because the store anticipated the higher interest, it ordered more basketball-related inventory, and has sold most of it, he says.
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The same is true for Purple and Gold Sports Shop. The store sold a good bit of its basketball apparel, co-owner Sara Sanders says, and had to replenish its supply, which hasn’t happened in past years.
When football season ends there’s usually a lull in business until baseball season starts in late February, Wilkerson says.
“To be able to have another sport to add another season helps with the peaks and valleys of our business,” Wilkerson says.