Sportswear and footwear retailer Puma has officially opened a flagship store on Fifth Avenue in New York.
The retail space of more than 1,670 square meters spans two floors - the first in the city and the first in the US physical Puma store on such a scale. Previously, the brand focused on selling its own products in the North American market, mainly through multi-brand networks.
"This store is a testament to the brand's commitment to the American market," said Puma CEO Bjorn Gulden. According to him, the placement of the monostore in the most prestigious shopping corridor in the world is another opportunity for the brand to "talk directly to the consumer."
Opening on the corner of 5th Avenue and 49th Street, the flagship store with a transparent glass facade features Puma's full range of products, including basketball, golf, football, kidswear and lifestyle collections. The sale will also include items that are exclusively presented in the US only in this store.
The monostore is equipped with interactive elements, including Mercedes and Red Bull models, allowing you to interactively participate in Formula 1 races through the streets of Manhattan. The basketball area has stadium seating in front of the TV to relax and play NBA2K. The store also has "magic mirrors" with which you can "try on" clothes and shoes and take a full-size selfie. There is also a local Birch coffee shop on the top floor.
With the opening of the flagship store, Puma joins top sports brands - Nike, Adidas, Asics and Lululemon - that already have retail space on 5th Avenue. Next door to Puma, Under Armor's flagship is also under renovation. The launch of the flagship Puma reflects the growing competition in the sneaker market, where an increasing number of brands are entering the battle for the consumer with market leader Nike. As for Puma, the brand is trying to sell its own lifestyle to a younger audience. Recently, the brand has been noted for collaborations with Selena Gomez and rap artist Nick Mill. Sneaker sales in Puma's business today account for over 50% of revenue.
Puma is growing faster than the market on average, but is currently only the 11th largest athletic shoe manufacturer in the US. The company sells only 24% goods through its own stores. Puma plans to increase this figure to 30%. The company expects that the opening of the flagship on 5th Avenue will help the brand reach a new level of direct communication with the buyer.
