• by Larry Dobrow , Featured Columnist, July 29, 2005

When adidas opened its nearly 30,000-square-foot Sport Performance Store on a high-profile corner in lower Manhattan on May 7, the footwear and apparel giant had bigger plans than merely selling a few extra sneakers. Indeed, the opening-day event  which featured sports luminaries ranging from Anna Kournikova to Leila Ali  gave onlookers a clue of what Adidas envisioned: A one-stop hub for the company's New York presence.

"It's definitely more than a store," acknowledges Todd Seidel, Adidas senior retail development manager. "We see it as a brand resource." Adidas isn't the first to explore and/or exploit the marketing and branding potential of a big-city flagship store, of course. Chief rival Nike years ago set up shop in midtown, while Hershey's hung a shingle in Times Square shortly thereafter.

The Sport Performance Store, however, arrives with a community-first mission that distinguishes it from the competition. Seidel views the store as a community center of sorts, one that will offer events and training clinics with Adidas partners. "Our biggest goal is to make sure that consumers are aware that this is a resource in their community," he explains. To that end, the company is making a partnership push with nearby gyms and fitness centers.

The store's location at the busy intersection of Broadway and Houston may prove to be the company's most effective media placement. Adidas won't rush to open another store unless a site promising a similar mix of visibility and spaciousness becomes available.