Under Armour Becomes Latest To Open Up Branded Stores

Baltimore-based Under Armour will open its first “full-priced retail store at Westfield Annapolis Mall as a new front in expanding its marketing and branding prowess,” according to Andrea Walker of the Baltimore SUN. The 4,500-square-foot store is slated to open November 1 and will sell a “full range of Under Armour gear.” Under Armour President & CEO Kevin Plank: “Walking into an Under Armour store will be like walking into an Under Armour commercial.” The company would not say how much it will invest to open the store or advertise it. Execs said that they “don’t expect company stores to take sales away from its main retailers,” but “hope the two will complement each other.” Plank said that Under Armour plans other stores “in areas where its products are not widely available at retail” but that the company “hasn’t decided yet how many more stores it will open.” Under Armour chose Annapolis “because it is close to home and because there are not many competitors selling its products in the area” (Baltimore SUN, 5/24).