Think the club are making a massive mistake here.
They don't care. End of the day its about money. Whoever is the new supplier would have stumped up big.
It's a myth that the club make bank with merch sales. The money from sales goes into a pool that is equally distributed to all 16 clubs. The NRL make their cut off all gear. Then the clubs. This is why NRL merch is expensive compared to other sports. The commission is paid by suppliers before they even hit the stores. From memory the cut is 30%.
So the single biggest cheque they get is from selling the rights.
The Warriors marketing manager who told me that also said CCC paid in the high 6 figures for the licence. I can only guess the new supplier must be close to the million mark. There is no other club in the comp that comes close to that figure. The Warriors are in a league of their own when it comes to merch sales accounting for 30% of all NRL sales. Bulldogs make up 20% leaving 14 clubs to make up the other half.
These figures might be outdated cause I was told this in 2016 but with how much better the majority of the merch has been since those designs I wouldn't be surprised if the numbers are better now.
I feel for my mates at CCC who have poured their hearts and souls into the designs. With the Warriors being a big part of the NZ arm of the company I'm hoping there's no/minimal job losses. I know last year was tough on them.
Will always be grateful for bringing back our OG colours. Especially this year with both the blue and white making an appearance with strong chevrons. Easy classics that'll be hold value in the future.
Low light for me will always be last years Wellington yellow tartan monstrosity and the ANZAC. Both easily in the bottom 5 jerseys of all time. The continous use of different colours was frustrating as well. Diluted the brand and CCC were never scared to do it.
Good luck to the crew at CCC and thank you for what you have added to the Warriors legacy. Pretty sure we will see you back soon enough...