Athleta Expanding Headquarters as Sales Surge

With rapid growth projected in the next year, sports apparel retailer is planning to expand its Petaluma headquarters at South McDowell Landing, according to an article in Monday's North Bay Business Journal.

Athleta, a division of Gap, Inc., signed a 10-year lease with RNM Properties in July for 40,000 square foot of space at 2000 S. McDowell Boulevard, near Shollenberger Park, a move that nearly doubles it offices. The women’s sport apparel outfitter currently occupies 22,000 square feet at 1450 Technology Lane.

Women’s active apparel is a $31 billion-a-year market where sales are continuing to grow. The company plans to open nine or 10 Athleta stores this year, including two in New York City and one in Newport Beach, and have 50 open in North America by the end of 2013.

Athleta began as a catalog retailer in 1998 and was acquired by Gap in 2008. It opened its first store in Mill Valley last year and a flagship 5,000-square-foot store on Fillmore Street in San Francisco in January.

Scott Key, vice president and general manager of Athleta, told the Journal that the company was offered numerous locations around the Bay Area for relocation but was committed to starting the site search in Petaluma.

“Athleta has a long-standing connection and a deep tie to Petaluma, a place our headquarters office employees have called home since the beginning,” he said. “Along with our expansion in the retail category this year has come growth within our headquarters as well.”