88Chapter Four / SPONSORSHIPHudson's Bay Company (Premier National Partner)Hudson's Bay Company was a Premier National Partner and the General Retail Merchant of theVancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games and Official Outfitter of the 2010 Canadian Olympic Team. In partnership with VANOC, Hudson's Bay Company designed and manufactured 12,000 OlympicTorchbearer and 30,000 Games-time workforce uniforms; it also outfitted both the Vancouver andWhistler athletes' villages. Before and during the Games, Hudson's Bay Company's flagship store in downtown Vancouver - the Bay - also operated the 2010 Olympic Superstore. Approximately 1,890 square metres of the main floor of the Bay's iconic downtown heritage buildingwas converted to provide a unique 2010 Winter Games shopping experience. This location marked the first time in Olympic history that an Olympic Superstore was housed within an existing retailestablishment, rather than a temporary structure.Opened on 1 October 2009, the Olympic Superstore was the one-stop shopping destination for all official licensed merchandise of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games.Hudson's Bay Company also retailed a collection of 2010 Canadian Olympic Team apparel to the public and sold the largest assortment of Vancouver 2010 licensed merchandise through its networkof more than 600 stores across the country.