The news out of athletic apparel company Under Armour’s latest report to investors isn’t great, but it has also taught its leaders something very important: not to depend too much on any one retailer, even if that retailer is a nationwide sporting goods chain. The company shared two important and related pieces of news today: they’re creating a line of athletic wear for department store Kohl’s, and taking over what used to be the FAO Schwarz store on New York’s Fifth Avenue.

Retail stores in traffic-heavy areas are often not so much about selling actual merchandise, and more about spreading a brand’s story and message to millions of tourists. If visitors buy some stuff, that’s cool too. The cereal café that Kellogg’s has started in Times Square, for example, is not about raking in money just by selling $6 bowls of Frosted Flakes with fresh thyme. It’s about spreading the word about the tastiness and versatility of breakfast cereal: telling the brand’s story.

At the same time, the brand’s executives say that the decision to design a line of clothing to sell at Kohl’s, a department store chain known for deep and allegedly misleading discounts, doesn’t mean that the brand is selling itself cheaply or going downmarket. Instead, the company’s goal is to get the brand in front of more shoppers, when fitness apparel is a popular category at Kohl’s.

Under Armour moving into former FAO Schwarz flagship [CNBC]
Kohl’s straps on Under Armour [Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel]

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