Under Armour Detroit Store Opens April 13

DETROIT, MI — The high-end athletic, sportswear and casual retailer Under Armour is opening a store in downtown Detroit on April 13. The store at 1201 Woodward Ave. will be the company’s third retail outlet in Michigan.

“The specialty retail store will be the ideal location for consumers in the area to shop the brand's latest product in a space that reflects Under Armour's roots in a revitalized Baltimore and pays homage to the incredible history and relentless aura of Detroit,” the company said in a statement.

Under Armour’s rival, Nike, is located just a few doors away at 1261 Woodward Ave.

Detroit businessman Dan Gilbert and Under Armor CEO Kevin Plank announced the new location at a charity event in November that a downtown Detroit store would open this spring, Crain’s Detroit Business reported.

Bedrock Detroit, the real-estate arm of Gilbert’s companies, said in a statement that Detroit is “an ideal location for Under Armour as an icon of Americana.”

“Detroit is currently experiencing an unprecedented wave of momentum and we can't wait to be part of their exciting success story,” the statement continued.

Under Armour has two outlet stores in Michigan, one at the Tanger Outlet mall in Howell and the other at Birch Run Premium Outlets in Birch Run. The store on Woodward Avenue will be what the company refers to as a Brand House, and will offer both apparel and footwear.

Plank was 23 when he started Under Armour in 1996 in his grandmother’s basement in Washington, D.C. He was a former University of Maryland special teams captain, and “hated having to change his sweat-soaked cotton T-shirts over and over again,” often going through two a day. His athletic wear is made from moisture-wicking performance fibers that keep athletes cool and dry, even in brutally hot conditions.

Among those who have endorsed the products is Tom Brady, a former University of Michigan quarterback who has led the New England Patriots to five Super Bowl championships. Others include Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors, Bryce Harper of the Washington Nationals, professional golfer Jordan Spieth and alpine ski racer Lindsey Vonn.

Photo of Kevin Plank by Brad Barket/Getty Images for Fast Company/Getty Images Entertainment