Wilson Opens a Second Flagship Store
"We are excited to introduce our premium brand direct retail model providing an immersive Wilson experience through innovative products, constant inspiration to play and sport-specific staff expertise," said Gordon Devin, president of Wilson Sportswear, in a news release. "New York is a priority market for Wilson as we continue to expand our retail footprint globally."
Amer Sports’ Wilson Sporting Goods on Jan. 21 opened a flagship store in New York City, its second brick-and-mortar store to date. Located in Manhattan's SoHo neighborhood, the store opened with support from New York athletes and advisors, including professional basketball trainer Chris Brickley, WNBA guard Betnijah Laney, NFL quarterback Mike White, MLB infielder Andrew Velazquez and musician Kelley James.
The 6,400-square-foot retail space (view gallery below) offers a similar ambiance and feel as the Wilson Heritage Store in Chicago, which opened in July 2021 and spans 7,000 square feet. Like the Chicago location, the New York store is filled with vintage-inspired decor and posters paying homage to its 108-year history. The store merchandises an expansive product assortment across Wilson’s sports categories, including the official basketballs of the NBA and WNBA, the official ball of the NFL dubbed the Duke, A2000 baseball gloves, D9 golf irons and tennis rackets such as the Pro Staff and Clash.
The location will also house Wilson's athletic-lifestyle sportswear collection, available for both men and women exclusively in stores and on the manufacturer’s website. In-store services such as a full-time racket stringing, leather ball customization, a golf simulator and glove personalization are also available to shoppers.
Unlike the Chicago location, the New York store includes the Thomas E. Wilson Park, a unique indoor atrium space named after Wilson's founder. The gaming space can be transformed to hit tennis balls, demo clubs, play catch, shoot hoops and test out any product in the store. The atrium also features a graffiti mural by local New York artist Greg Lamarche to commemorate Wilson's history in sports and love for the city of New York, according to the company.
In addition to the Chicago flagship opened last year, Wilson also launched a pop-up store in New York in September 2021, and has opened pop-up shops at sporting events such as the Super Bowl, College World Series and the U.S. Open for decades. Wilson will continue its direct-to-consumer expansion with new stores slated to open in the coming year in Los Angeles and Shanghai.