Adidas goes Midtown to compete with Nike in NYC
Barely a month after Nike opened its Nike Soho store in lower Manhattan, Adidas has upped the competition by opening a Midtown feature store at 46th Street and Fifth Avenue, according to reports in Footwear News and Business Insider.
With its massive 45,000-square-foot store just blocks from Times Square, the German sports retailer has shown a willingness not just to keep up with its Swoosh rival, but also to make a big statement in a sports shoe and apparel market that is swarming to Manhattan to grab attention.
The store is the largest Adidas shop in the world and it has a stadium retail vibe, inspired by high school stadiums. Shoppers enter through a football-style tunnel and the stands let people view the space stadium style. Plus, dressing rooms are locker rooms and there is an in-store track and turf area to let consumers wear test products.
The Adidas mega-store comes as other sportswear competitors are also trying to make a stamp on the Big Apple. The North Face recently opened a two-level, 20,000-square-foot store on Fifth Avenue, and Under Armour announced recently that it will take over the iconic FAO Schwartz building on Fifth Avenue, which will fill 53,000 square feet. It’s clear that all these brands want to use America’s biggest retail market as its competitive playground.
“It’s our No. 1 global flagship; it’s the best articulation of our brand. When you think about everything that we’ve been doing to create what’s fresh and new about our brand, this is the first physical manifestation of everything that we’re about. In terms of size and scale, it’s the biggest global store that we’ve ever had,” Simon Atkins, brand director for Adidas America, told Footwear News.
Other Adidas store features include juice and snacks stall, a personal fitness consultation area and a customization area for both shoes and clothing.
The customization at the opening comes through MiAdidas with customers able to personalize the popular Ultra Boost sneakers.
The Adidas store also opens as the company announced it is moving 150 jobs from its Boston-area offices to its North American headquarters in Portland, just miles from the Nike world headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon.