Nerd Street Gamers Partners with Five Below to Open Esports Facilities in Three Locations

Localhosts opening adjacent to Five Below stores in Philadelphia, Georgetown and St. Louis to increase gamers’ access to esports

PHILADELPHIA – October 13, 2020 – Nerd Street Gamers, the national network of esports facilities and events dedicated to powering competitive opportunities for gamers, and Philadelphia-based retailer Five Below (NASDAQ:FIVE) announced the opening of esports facilities connected to two Five Below stores in Georgetown, TX and Philadelphia, PA, with an additional location in St. Louis, MO opening later this month. Each of these Nerd Street Gamers Localhost locations operate for gamers of all skill levels to participate in esports competitions, bootcamps, training sessions, summer camps and hourly play in a wide variety of video games.

Together, Nerd Street Gamers and Five Below are bringing esports experiences to life that connect the gaming community in these respective cities through live in-person events played on professional-level equipment. Customers can enter the facilities from both outside the store and through a portal within Five Below that connects to the Localhost.

“Nerd Street Gamers’ mission is to increase access to the equipment and technology required to be successful in competitive gaming,” said John Fazio, founder and CEO of Nerd Street Gamers. “Our partnership with Five Below is a key example of how we’re working to solve this problem, by bringing opportunities to amateur gamers at a national scale. We’re looking forward to seeing the success of these new Localhosts and the future of our relationship together.”

This news follows Nerd Street Gamers’ Series A funding announcement led by Five Below in October 2019. As part of that deal, the companies agreed to build these initial stores as a pilot in 2020 and, based on learnings from the pilot, determine future rollout plans that could include as many as 70+ locations over the next few years.

“Our customers are always looking for exciting, new experiences like Localhosts and we saw the huge potential that Nerd Street Gamers adds to elevate the Five Below experience,” said Joel Anderson, CEO of Five Below. “Both of our companies are looking to drive innovation, and we align on so many values – a major one being affordability and accessibility to all consumers. We’re excited to partner together to bring esports to everyone regardless of income and to power the next generation of athletes.”

The Five Below Localhosts in Georgetown, TX and Philadelphia, PA are open and fully operating, while the location in St. Louis, MO will open later this month with additional Five Below Localhosts to follow. Location addresses are as follows:

• Localhost Austin in Wolf Ranch Town Center (1019 W. University Ave., Suite 800 Georgetown, TX 78628)
• Localhost Philly in Bakers Centre (2800 Fox St., Philadelphia, PA 19132)
• Localhost St. Louis in The Promenade at Brentwood (83 Brentwood Promenade Ct., St Louis, MO 63144)

To learn more about Nerd Street Gamers Localhosts, visit www.nerdstgamers.com. Additionally, visit https://www.localhost.gg/health-and-safety to learn more about Localhost safety protocols and guidelines, or https://www.fivebelow.com/store-update for Five Below store updates related to COVID.

About Nerd Street Gamers

Nerd Street Gamers is a national network of esports facilities and events dedicated to powering competitive opportunities for gamers. The company promotes greater access to the esports industry, laying a national framework for esports talent development and high-quality gaming tournaments. Nerd Street Gamers has received backing from Five Below, Comcast, SeventySix Capital, Elevate Ventures, and angel investor George Miller.

For more information, follow @nerdstgamers on Twitter or visit nerdstgamers.com.

About Five Below

Five Below is a leading high-growth value retailer for tweens, teens and beyond offering trend-right, high-quality products, with extreme $1-$5 value, plus some incredible finds that go beyond $5. We know life is way better when you’re free to “let go & have fun” in an amazing experience filled with unlimited possibilities., which makes it easy to say “YES!” to the newest, coolest stuff across 8 awesome Five Below worlds: Tech, Create, Play, Candy, Room, Style, Party, New & Now. Founded in 2002 and headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Five Below today has over 1,000 stores in 38 states. For more information, please visit www.fivebelow.com and a store!