In a move that marks a shift in its strategy, American sportswear major Under Armour has decided to appoint Underdog Athletics as the exclusive distributor and licensee for the brand in India. The licensee company said it will focus on strengthening the brand’s presence and look at adding 10 stores per year. It also plans to launch Under Armour‘s exclusive webstore in India later this year.

Under Armour, known for athletic performance apparel, footwear, and accessories, forayed into India through a wholly-owned subsidiary in 2019. It will now have a presence in India through its exclusive licensee and distributor, a model that it follows in markets such as Japan and South Africa.

Tushar Goculdas, who was earlier leading Under Armour’s India operations and oversaw the brand’s launch in the country, launched Underdog Athletics.

Growth opportunity

Tushar Goculdas, MD, Underdog Athletics, told BusinessLine,” Earlier, Under Armour was operating as a subsidiary in India and the stores were being run by retail partners. Now Underdog Athletics is taking over the role of the exclusive distributor and licensee for the brand and we will continue to work with the same group of retail partners. India presents a large growth opportunity for the Under Armour brand.“ Currently, there are 28 Under Armour stores across 18 cities in the country.

“Given the retail landscape in India, we will focus on launching about 10 stores in India every year. We are launching new stores in Bengaluru and Mumbai this week and we hope to end the year with 35 stores,” he added. The stores will continue to be run by franchises.

The company said it will initially focus on strengthening the brand’s presence in the top 20-30 cities, including metros, tier-1 towns. “We will also focus on setting up the brand’s exclusive webstore later this year to fully leverage the potential of the online channel,” Goculdas explained.

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