Under Armour is making its brand known in Asia by introducing its style in the continent, while rivaling the giant brands of Nike and Adidas. The New York-based sportswear is about to open its first regional headquarters in Hong Kong later this year to present its unique style not just to Hongkongers but other Asian races.
In an interview with Under Armour's senior management, via The South China Morning Post, it said the brand has no plans to change its products to fit in with the "global athleisure" trend. It will compete with other global industry giants, but it will do so with its own terms.
President and chief operating officer Patrik Frisk admitted Under Armour was small compared to the giant brands like Nike and Adidas, but it would still compete with "more premium and performance-based products." They also plan to hire international, regional, and local celebrities to promote their line. So far, it already partnered with Chinese athlete and number one female volleyball player in the world Zhu Ting and American NBA star Stephen Curry.
Under Armour sees Asia as a major overseas market as it makes an effort to expand its business away from its American roots. It is also expanding its operations in different countries like Latin American and Europe.
"As part of the transformation into this new operating model, one of the things that we wanted to do was to really empower our regions," Frisk said. "So we decided to move into an APAC, Latin America, EMEA, and North America structure. We weren't able to scale our international business without giving the regions more horsepower to drive the business."
Under Armour has been successfully trailing behind Nike and Adidas, although it has yet to join the hot athleisure trend in the United States. But with the growing sports business in Asia, it is hoping that it will help boost the business.
Forbes reported that it already established a branch in Taiwan. At one of its two-story flagship stores in the country, it put a sign that encourages its customers to download its digital fitness app, called MapMyRun. It is said to be a part of the brand's effort to create a global fitness community and monitor users' behavior to help improve their products and pitches.
Under Armour still has a long way to match its rivals, but it is on its way to the top by breaking into the Asian market. "We believe actually that we have an advantage in that (Asia) region right now because we're smaller," Frisk said. Jason Archer, Under Armour's managing director for the region, added they are only getting started and a new market entrant, so they are really excited about what is about to happen.
