Archive for the ‘Specialty Retailers’ Category
Steele Fitness & Under Armour Launching Co-Branded Stores
May 17th, 2013 by Cale LokenIn a smooth branding move, Steele Fitness and Under Armour are projected to launch co-branded stores in May. Steele Fitness, an up-and-coming chain of six fitness centers and Under Armour, high-end sports apparel manufacturer developed an idea, so simple, yet so brilliant, it’s pre-ordained to win.
With the core concept that retail and fitness marry well, Steele Fitness will become a test market for an Under Armour store with cutting edge athletic apparel. According to Steele Smiley, founder Steel Fitness, a one-one-one relationship will free them from juggling 15 sports-related apparel vendors in their current store.
Steele plans a total renovation of the existing 2,500 square-foot space in Edina, MN. Currently they stock 500 units of product purchased from 15 vendors.
The new launch will be named Under Armour for Steele. The store will carry co-branded workout gear, men and women’s sports apparel, footwear and accessories. Steele will up their inventory to 3,500 units of Under Armour product. In addition, Under Armour announced plans to design collections solely for the new venture.
Looking at the big picture, Smiley hopes to open an Under Armour store adjacent to his existing health clubs plus projected expansions.
Jeff Green, retail consultant agreed that fitness centers seem a “natural place to sell workout apparel”.
At first glance, the partnership may appear lopsided, in favor of Steele Fitness. But, Under Armour is painting their own big picture by scouting prominent local products from Baltimore to Shanghai that meld with their specialty store concept.
Their first adventure into the fitness world will aim at attracting the younger set who will pay big bucks for extravagant extras to glam-up their workout attire.
Advertisements are splashed over the internet for full-time and part-time sales associates “to create the ultimate shopping experience for our guests”.
Looks like a great fit and partnership, we will have to see how it plays out.
Recent Sporting Goods Store Openings
May 15th, 2013 by Cale LokenModell’s Sporting Goods opened the company’s 154 store in Arlington, VA last Thursday, May 9th. The Modell’s store will be located in The Pentagon Centre at 1201 S. Hayes Street in Arlington, VA. The phone number for the location is 703-413-3056.
Golfsmith opened 2 new stores this past weekend in Gainesville, VA as well as one in Beavercreek, OH. The Gainsville store is Golfsmith’s fifth Northern Virginia location and builds on the company’s success in Fairfax, Sterling, Woodbridge, and Tysons Corner.
The Beavercreek store is located at 2720 Towne Drive and is Golfsmith’s fourth location in Ohio with other stores including Cleveland, Columbus-Easton and Columbus-Sawmill. The Texas-based golf retailer will continue its expansion in 2013 with 10 planned stores throughout the US.
Independent Stores Stronger Than Larger
May 13th, 2013 by Cale LokenRegardless of your reasoning for buying sporting goods, the store that you choose to purchase your gear can make all the difference in your game. Whether that game is being played by your children, by yourself, in an official setting, according to a rulebook, or just you out enjoying some exercise, the gear that you have matters. According to Consumer Reports, recent surveys shows what people think about big box stores verses the specialty sports stores that are popping up all over America.
With the data from more than 26,000 participants averaged in, Americans sounded off to say that the most vital part of the sporting goods shopping experience are the value of the items, the selection available in the store, and the services that are offered while they are shopping. When compared to the big names in the industry, such as Dick’s Sporting Goods, Target and Sports Authority, it was the independent sports stores that had the edge.
Surprisingly, according to participants in the survey, when it came to the three big concerns of the shopping experience, the big name, nationally recognized stores scored marginally at best. When it comes to selection of items, common department stores scored lower than places like Dick’s Sporting Goods and Sport’s Authority, and lower still for the availability of services within the store itself. Even the big names like Dick’s Sporting Goods scored as mediocre in these departments.
While some of the nationally known stores, such as L.L. Bean and REI, did score well on the grounds of merchandise quality, value offered, and services provided, all of the nationally recognized names fell below local specialty sports stores, regardless of the area of the country being surveyed. The study found, by and large, that independent sports stores scored so well on the survey that many were regionally mentioned more often than the nationally known stores.
The same survey found that 88% of survey participants ranked their independent sports stores higher on quality of merchandise, selection of merchandise, knowledge and service of personnel, and in overall quality, than they ranked any of the big name stores. The national stores always do very well with providing shoppers what they want, however, this survey shows that smaller mom and pop shops are still strong in our local neighborhoods.
Modell’s Sporting Goods Grand Opening in Arlington VA
May 8th, 2013 by sourcedModell’s Sporting Goods will launch its first location in Arlington County with a grand opening at 9 a.m. Thursday, and players from the Nationals and Redskins will be on hand for opening weekend.
The sporting goods shop will be located at 1201 S. Hayes St., at the Pentagon Centre. The New York City-based retailer will offer special giveaways Thursday through Sunday as part of the grand opening, said company spokesman Jamal Jones.
The new store will be located at 1201 S Hayes Street in Arlington, VA. The phone number is 703-413-3056.
Read the rest of the story at Patch.com.
Sporting Goods Retailer Cabela’s Plans New Store
April 29th, 2013 by sourcedSporting goods retailer Cabela’s announced today that it will open its first Portland-area store off Interstate 5 in Tualatin.
This will be the second Oregon store for the Nebraska-based chain. It’s slated to open in the new Nyberg Rivers shopping center in fall 2014.
Read the rest of the story at OregonLive.com.