Stripey at the unofficial opening
Wigan Athletic’s new shop in Wigan town centre, Latics WN1, opened its doors for the first time this afternoon, and our man was there to check it out. Though the official opening ceremony is slated for Monday, when Roberto Martinez will be on hand to cut the ribbon, fans could get their Latics merchandising fix from 4PM today to coincide with the Wigan Christmas lights switch on.
Stripey the Laticat and an official club photographer were on hand to greet the first visitors and snap a few pics for the official website and match programme.
Things are currently looking a bit sparse, with relatively few products in there as yet but we expect the place to fill out on Monday when the place will no doubt be heaving. Perhaps.
As you can see from the pic on the right, there’s a changing room area and some jazzy lighting as well as a couple of plush seats for visitors to take a rest, presumably from perusing the wide range of Latics merchandise. I think that’s supposed to be a Latics Christmas hat on Stripey’s head, but it looks a bit like a rubbish eyepatch or something. Maybe he’s angling for a part in the next Pirates of the Caribbean film?
We decided to help Christen the place and splashed out ten quid for an official Latics cushion (pictured left), which currently resides on one of the ‘office’ swivel chairs.
Should have waited until Monday, though, when every tenth customer at the shop will receive a free pair of tickets for the Sunderland game, which is a rather pleasing offer. The Black Cats have already sold out their away allocation, and if the same number of Latics fans turn up as last Sunday, we’ll be well on target for a 20,000+ attendance a week on Sunday.
From Monday, you’ll be able to pop into WN1 for official Wigan Athletic shirts, clothing and other novelty items such as Latics teddies as well. It’s next to Ryman’s in the Galleries, not far from Marks and Spencer, and is open for an inital ten week trial period. If things work out well, it could well become a permanent fixture to complement the shop already at the DW Stadium.
