Active Chic

A relatively new sports apparel concept by Englewood Colorado based Sports Authority, SA Elite, is coming to The Mall. According to this story by Mike Harden in The Denver Business Journal, the new store features “high-end performance apparel, footwear, and accessories from premier brands…”

"S.A. Elite's brand and small store format was the brainchild of extensive consumer research and customer insight including advanced basket analysis, ethnography, and other innovative primary research techniques," Jeff Schumacher, Sports Authority's executive VP, CMO and CSO, said in the statement. "The S.A. Elite brand has tested well with consumers who believe it conveys the elevated product assortment and experience, while still representing the great value Sports Authority is known for."

SA Elite stores are about half the size of a typical Sports Authority store. The 14,000 square foot Columbia store will be on the lower level of the Nordstrom wing in a space that has held a variety of temporary stores in recent years. Their arrival will also necessitate the relocation of a couple of adjacent stores as well.

There are only seven SA Elite stores open so far and the new location at The Mall will be one of the first on the east coast. The new store is expected to open in June.