Although it may appear that traditional retail is going through a
volatile period with one reputable brand shutting its stores after another,
the casual sportswear market, on the other hand, is experiencing a
worldwide boom. According to a recent Future of Apparel analysis
conducted by market research firm NPD, ¨activewear currently represents 24
percent of total apparel industry sales and is forecast to grow through
2019.” In another report conducted by Zion Market
Research, the functional apparel market is expected to reach
280.12 billion dollars by 2026.
The increasing importance in healthy living coupled with more disposable
income has led to a rising global demand for casual sportswear and
athleisure brands. FashionUnited takes a look at which sportswear giants
and young athleisure labels are successfully expanding and hiring retail
talent.
Under Armour
Founded by Kevin A. Plank in 1996, Under Armour is headquartered in
Baltimore, Maryland and positions itself as the chosen brand of this
generation of athletes. Currently ranked on the Forbes Lists as one of
America’s Best Employers 2019, Under Armour has set its sights high. It
recently appointed Stephanie Pugliese as President of North America and
vows to take on Nike and Adidas in the Asian market. According to their
company website, the ambitious brand is encouraging applicants to “bring
their A-Game” to the team and develop in an environment where employees
share their skills, build up others to protect this house. On
FashionUnited’s job board, Under Armour is now actively seeking retail
positions from Team Stock Teammate to Senior Assistant Manager and much
more.
Nike Inc.
The MeToo movement has caused an undeniable impact and placed a
spotlight on the female empowerment narrative which has largely affected
consumer behavior. In addition, the popularity of this year’s women’s FIFA
World Cup and women’s basketball has led to a focus of interest by
retailers and shoppers alike in women’s sportswear. Nike was the brand
which benefited the most from the “Fifa effect.” Nike’s women’s soccer
items hada sellout rate of 38 percent between January and August
2019. On Glassdoor’s staff ratings, 78 percent of Nike employees would
recommend the company to a friend and many rave about company benefits such
as vacation days and competitive pay. On FashionUnited’s job board, Nike
lists vacancies for retail positions such as Full Time Athlete (Retail
Sales), Store Supervisor and Head Coach (Store Manager).
ASICS
The oldest sportswear company in this list, ASICS was established in
1949 by Kihachiro Onitsuka in Kobe, Japan. The name is the acronym of the
latin phrase, “Anima Sana In Corpore Sano,” which translates to “A Sound
Mind in a Sound Body.” This brand ethos combined with technical advancement
and athletic performance has always been at the forefront of ASICS’
initiatives resulting in the organization thriving to this day. Employee
reviews collected by indeed.com ranked factors such as work-life balance,
job security and advancement, company culture all as reasons to work at
ASICS. Sophie Akben, Area Manager at ASICS UK also praises the company’s
diversity and inclusivityin an interview with FashionUnited, “as an
organization ASICS has a very diverse team of individuals and cultures and
everyone brings something different to the table.”
Lululemon
The Canadian apparel brand reported a Q1 growth of 80
base points in comparison to last year, on top of its increase
in product categories like its new self care product and footwear lines. A
recent report from retail analysis firm Edited shows that Lululemon’s
secret weapon is actually rooted in strategic pricing.
With a 4.2 out of 5 rating on Glassdoor, employees enjoy working at
Lululemon and praise the inclusive company culture, great benefits and
training for personal and professional development. According to a recent
report by CNBC, “through 2023, the retailer says it plans to grow its
square footage annually by a low double-digit percentage rate,” not just
within North American but international markets like China as well.
Outdoor Voices
The new kid on the block is Tyler Haney, the 27 year old founder of the athleisure brand, Outdoor Voices. With a flagship store in New York’s SoHo neighborhood, this strategically chosen retail location sits alongside other hip e-commerce brands such as beauty disruptor Glossier and fitness lifestyle start-up, Mirror. Established in 2014 in Austin, Outdoor Voices has already raised 56.5 million US dollars to date and is quickly becoming a rival of Lululemon. Besides having the former CEO of J.Crew and Gap, Mickey Drexler, serve on its board to advise on Outdoor Voices’ offline growth, Haney states that she envisions 50 stores in the near future-one in every single state.
The article was created with opinions and rankings collected from Glassdoor, indeed.com and Forbes to promote working in fashion and retail.
Click here to apply for retail jobs on FashionUnited.
Photos: Courtesy of Lululemon, Business Wire
