Arsenal FC striker Eddie Nketiah celebrated his new partnership with Under Armour by opening the athletic brand’s latest London store on Tuesday.
The rising goal scorer marked the central London opening by striking a soccer ball through the doors of the store. Afterwards, Nketiah was joined by TV presenter and Arsenal fan Nicole Holliday for an exclusive Q&A session with the football player. According to Under Armour, the duo covered topics such as what it takes to become a professional athlete in London and Nketiah’s advice to other aspiring athletes in their journey to compete.
“As a Londoner, who experienced first-hand what it takes to make it to the top of club football, I love what the brand is doing to help young athletes reach the peak of their performance through the UA Next London program and I look forward to playing my part,” the athlete said in a statement.
Eddie Nketiah kicks a soccer ball into Under Armour’s new Oxford Street store.
Located at 242-248 Oxford Street, the store will carry the brand’s men’s and women’s train, run, golf, and sportstyle apparel, including UA RUSHTM, UA Baselayer, UA Meridian, UA Smartform, and footwear collections showcasing Under Armour’s innovative technologies, UA HOVRTM, and UA Flow.
As for the design, Under Armour noted that it was is inspired by the City of London and its iconic Underground subway system. Existing structural elements in the space are cladded with hand-crafted local tiles in black and white with the brand logo. What’s more, local artist Jim Vision contributed hand-painted artwork to the store.
The exterior of Under Armour’s new Oxford Street store in London.
Under Armour’s newest store is the latest in a series of key UK launches following openings at Battersea Power Station and Westfield Stratford in London and at the Liverpool One mall in Liverpool.
Nketiah joins Under Armour’s growing roster of football athletes that includes Trent Alexander-Arnold and Antonio Rüdiger, amongst others. As part of the partnership, the rising Arsenal striker will wear Under Armour’s Shadow Pro boots on the pitch and the label’s latest performance and sport style products off it.
Inside Under Armour’s new Oxford Street store in London.
Kara Trent, managing director of the EMEA region at Under Armour, added in a statement that Nketiah plays a key role in the brand’s mission to “inspire” and “engage” with young team sports athletes in London. “He is the perfect addition to our growing roster of football athletes and will be a great role model for the UA Next program,” Trent said.
This opening comes just days after the sportswear brand posted its first quarter results. Last week, Under Armour reported that revenue in the period dropped 2 percent to $1.3 billion, taking a hit from North American sales and wholesale.
The brand’s international business fared much better in Q2 however, with revenue increasing 10.5 percent to $226.6 million in EMEA, 14.5 percent to $202.2 million in Asia-Pacific and 12.7 percent to $55.7 million in Latin America.
Inside Under Armour’s new Oxford Street store in London.
