Kohl’s is expected to introduce Under Armour to its stores in early March.
On a conference call with analysts, Kevin Mansell, Kohl’s CEO, said the company expects the Under Armour launch to be a “significant enough business in year one to add 75 basis points to 100 basis points to our overall company comp.”
He noted that the company’s overall active and wellness category grew double digits in 2016. That growth has been particularly supported by expansion by Nike, which increased sales in the mid teens at Kohl’s in 2016.
Mansell said he sees Under Armour “being fundamentally, really incremental” to its active space rather than taking space away from other brands, including Nike. Active areas have been expanded by 25 to 30 percent, depending upon the store, to accommodate the addition.
“We think there’s such massive opportunity with Under Armour in categories like women’s apparel, our children’s apparel and footwear that they really could impact the overall business,” said Mansell. “So we’re not really looking at other active brands being diminished by the introduction of Under Armour.”
Under Armour and Kohls first announced the partnership last July.
Photo courtesy Under Armour
