Team GB and Paralympic Shop Officially Opened in Westfield Stratford City

The new London 2012 Team GB and Paralympics shop was unveiled yesterday in Westfield Stratford City by Triple Olympic gold medal winning cyclist Bradley Wiggins and London Paralympic hopeful and current T35 100 metre, 200m world number two Sophia Warner officially.

Called “Our Greatest Team”, the unique 2,000 sq ft store is located on the doorstep of the Olympic Park and will be home to over 1,500 products by Games time, allowing fans to pick up some GB merchandise, while showing support for their home nation.

The shop is expected to sell T-shirts, sweatshirts, cushions, bed sheets, children’s colouring books, collectable jewellery, luggage and even scooters and bicycles.

Warner said: “It is fantastic that fans will have such a huge range of items to choose from to get behind ParalympicsGB. We’re all aiming to do Britain proud and having visible home nation support during the Games will give us a unique advantage over our competitors.”

Meanwhile, Wiggins said: “As an Olympic athlete, it’s the ultimate dream to win gold in front of your home crowd. Visible home support makes a huge difference so it would be amazing to look into the velodrome crowds and see our supporters wearing the team colours.”

Team GB Chef de Mission Andy Hunt added: “During the sports test events this summer we saw the great positive impact that the passionate support of an enthusiastic home crowd can have on the performances of British athletes. It would be fantastic for them to enter their London 2012 venue to find a sea of red, white and blue Team GB support next year.

“There is no other sporting competition where Great Britain and Northern Ireland fields such a large, diverse and talented team to represent our nation. With the full support of the UK behind them at London 2012, Team GB and ParalympicsGB – Our Greatest Team – will be 900 athletes, 60 million strong.”

By Games time an estimated 10,000 merchandise items will be on sale in the UK, generating more than £1 billion ($1.6 billion) worth of sales and contributing more than £80 million ($125 million) to the cost of staging the Games, which currently stands at around £7.2 billion ($11.2 billion).

Paul Deighton, London 2012 chief executive added: “Merchandise is an important revenue stream when funding the Games but these products also give fans the chance to show their support for London 2012 and for Team GB and ParalympicsGB.”

Team GB, ParalympicsGB and London 2012 products can be purchased online, as well as from selected high street retailers and official London 2012 shops, including St Pancras International, Paddington station, Heathrow Terminal 5, Stansted Airport, Canary Wharf, John Lewis Oxford Street and John Lewis Stratford City.