Dick’s Sporting Goods is closing Chelsea Collective, its women’s concept that had opened two stores in Tysons Corner, VA and Pittsburgh, PA.

Dick’s said in a statement provided to SGB Exec: “We opened Chelsea Collective stores as a lab to more thoroughly understand the women’s specialty athletic business.  As the leases at both locations are expiring soon, we have concluded the very successful experiment.  We have learned a great deal from Chelsea Collective and the valuable insights will be transferred to Dick’s Sporting Goods to better serve our female customers.”

Chelsea Collective will close on August 6, according to a Facebook message.

In August 2015, Dick’s opened Chelsea Collective, named for the hip West Side New York neighborhood, as a women’s fitness and lifestyle boutique concept. The two locations included a 5,100-sq.-ft. location in Pittsburgh’s Ross Park Mall and a 6,444-sq.-ft. space in McClean, Va.’s Tysons Corner Center, an upscale shopping center just outside Washington, D.C.

The stores feature smaller, niche brands such as Lorna Jane, Spiritual Gangster and Alala as well as larger brands such as Nike and Dick’s exclusive Calia by Carrie Underwood line. A significant portion of the store’s assortment is comprised of footwear, accessory and beauty brands, including Brooks, Hunter Boots, Pure Vida, Le Sport Sac, Evian and Philosophy.

“As a leader in sporting goods and fitness apparel, we wanted to provide a destination for women who are on their own personal-fitness journeys —  a store where they can come in and feel part of a community that understands them and their needs,” said Lauren Hobart, SVP of Dick’s Sporting Goods and GM of Chelsea Collective, in a release at the time of the opening. “We feel Chelsea Collective will meet and exceed this active woman’s expectations.”

She added, “We want these stores to have their own voice, their own local flavor. We’re hiring experts – associates who live for the latest fitness and fashion trends, who buy and use the products this store offers and who will be a sought-after resource for the Chelsea Collective community.”

Hobart was recently promoted to president.

The test followed the successful launch earlier in 2015 of Calia by Carrie Underwood, which has grown to become Dick’s’ third largest women’s athletic brand in less than two years.

Photo courtesy Dick’s Sporting Goods