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Under Armour Selling More than Just Cleats

Friday 13th of April 2007 03:39:12 PM

When the Baltimore, Maryland, USA company, Under Armour began selling American football cleats last June, it was just a matter of time before they would begin selling cleats for other sports as well. The company, which also sells sportswear, workout wear, and T-Shirts, has some heavy competition in other companies such as sporting icons Nike, but the company is building its strategy and taking one step at a time in order to build name recognition.

"They obviously got into cleated footwear for that to be a springboard into the noncleated category. Just like everything else they've done they'll do it one step at a time. At some point, I expect them to launch a performance shoe geared to exercising, cross training or running and expand outside of that into the next category,” said analyst John Rouleau of Wachovia Securities.

As Under Armour becomes a well known brand, they will be able to release more merchandise that people will recognise. The company as already been named by the American Football League as their footwear supplier. This is quite an accomplishment for a company that is still growing. Developing synthetic fabrics that keep sweat from building up and irritating player’s bodies is one way the company separates itself from the competition. From compression T-Shirts to jackets, ski wear and women’s wear, the company is branching out in many directions.

Investors are wondering if Under Armour’s next move will be to tackle the athletic shoe arena. “Their brand transitioned very nicely from performance apparel to performance footwear," said analyst Jeffrey Klinefelter of Piper Jaffray, an investor with the company. But the big question is whether they can compete with Nike or Adidas in the footwear industry or if they should stick to T-Shirts, outerwear, and cleats.

(c)Magda Skale, www.sxc.hu