First Look: Wilson Sporting Goods celebrates sports, play at NYC flagship

Wilson Sporting Goods Co. wants customers to play and shop at its new flagship in New York City.

The 6,500-sq.-ft. store, in Manhattan’s SoHo neighborhood, is the sports equipment giant’s second permanent U.S. outpost. The first opened in July, in Wilson’s Chicago hometown. More locations are planned, with Wilson on the hunt for sites in Los Angeles and additional ones in Chicago and New York.

The new flagship is designed to reimagine the traditional sports store. It includes an atrium space, called the Thomas E. Wilson Park in honor of the company’s founder.  Built to inspire — and allow for — play, the 2,500-sq.-ft. space can be transformed to let visitors try out nearly any product in the store. They can hit tennis balls against a special wall, demo golf clubs, play catch, shoot hoops and participate in other activities.

In addition to testing equipment, customers also tap into the store’s value-added services, such as leather ball customization, glove personalization. A full-time racquet stringing specialist is also available. 

The expansive product assortment covers all sports categories across Wilson's portfolio, including the official basketballs of the NBA and WNBA and the official ball of the NFL, “The Duke.” It also is home to Wilson's athletic-lifestyle sportswear collection (for both men and women.)

“We are excited to introduce our premium brand direct retail model providing an immersive Wilson experience through innovative products, constant inspiration to play and sport-specific staff expertise," says Gordon Devin, president of Wilson Sportswear. "New York is a priority market for Wilson as we continue to expand our retail footprint globally." 

While Wilson is new to brick-and-mortar, the brand is not new to retail, having executed pop-up stores at sporting events such as the Super Bowl, College World Series and the US Open for decades.

Wilson Sporting Goods Co. is a subsidiary of Amer Sports Corporation, a leading manufacturer of high-performance sports equipment, apparel and accessories.