Under Armour is gearing up for a relaunch at Tysons Corner Center, which also recently bid farewell to a couple of prominent retail tenants.
Operating out of a temporary location near Bloomingdale’s since late 2024, Under Armour will unveil a new concept at the mall on Thursday (March 26) that’s intended to draw in a younger generation of athletes.
“This is not just a new store. It’s a SPORTS HOUSE,” the sportswear company said in a statement to FFXnow. “It’s a Gen Z-coded beacon that brings together athletes, sports, innovation, and passion. It’s a bold physical expression of our brand transformation, designed to win the attention, trust, and loyalty of the 16 to 24-year-old team athlete.”
Downsizing from approximately 8,300 square feet, Under Armour Sports House will occupy 4,953 square feet on the second floor of Tysons Corner Center’s east end, near Level 99 and just next door to the recently renovated Uniqlo.
This will be the first official location for the “Sports House” concept after Under Armour tested a more streamlined approach to in-person retail at the Westfield Annapolis Mall in Maryland in 2024, the Washington Business Journal reported.
When developing the concept, Under Armour says it “made a deliberate decision” to pare down the inventory on its shelves to 96 different styles of footwear, apparel and accessories as part of a revised strategy to “sell a lot more, of a lot less” by ensuring the right products reach “the right consumer.”
“Every item was chosen with intention to drive the core athlete forward, blending performance with style at every touchpoint,” the company said, noting that the store’s layout will mimic an athlete’s journey from the locker room to the field through their postgame activities.
Driving home the positioning of Tysons Sports House as a turning point for the brand, the number of styles offered is a nod to 1996 — the year Under Armour was founded — and the renovated store will open on the company’s 30th anniversary.
Launched in 2013, Under Armour’s original location at Tysons Corner Center was only its second retail store in the world, following an opening in Annapolis, Maryland, in 2007.
Property owner Macerich’s commitment to investing in the mall through both renovations and recruitments of unique tenants, including the upcoming Dick’s House of Sports, also made Tysons a logical place to introduce the new concept, Josh Denton, Under Armour’s head of global retail, told the WBJ.
“Tysons Corner is one of the highest-traffic malls in the country and a cultural crossroads for DMV athletes,” Under Armour said. “The store layout is designed to draw them in, convert interest into action, and deepen loyalty through storytelling and exclusivity.”
Once it opens, Under Armour Sports House will operate from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sundays.
Turkish restaurant, crepe cafe closed
While it continues to add new and renovated retailers, Tysons Corner Center has a couple of fresh vacancies with the recent departures of Gagawa and Charlotte Artisanal.
The first U.S. outpost for a popular Turkish restaurant chain, Gagawa opened in the mall’s first-floor food court in December 2024, serving plates of its signature marinated chicken with rice, noodles and salad.
It’s unclear exactly when the restaurant closed, but the roughly 3,800-square-foot space next to McDonald’s has been covered up for at least a week now, based on social media comments. Gagawa didn’t respond to a request for comment by press time.
Charlotte Artisanal, which sold crepes, waffles and coffee from a freestanding stall on the mall’s first floor near Claire’s, has also left the building. An email and phone number for the cafe are both now out of service, so again, it’s unclear when the final day of business was.
Boasting generally strong reviews on Yelp, Charlotte Artisanal had been operating at Tysons Corner Center since April 2017.
There’s no indication yet of what will replace either retailer.
“At this time, we’re not able to share details around the closures,” a spokesperson for Tysons Corner Center said.
The clothing store Francesca’s is also in its final days of business after filing for bankruptcy in early February. The Tysons store, located on the mall’s first floor near Wasabi, has been advertising closing sales for more than a month.
When FFXnow stopped by yesterday (Monday), the store was still open, and all merchandise was on sale for 50 to 80% off. An online notice says the sale will be underway to March 25, though the store’s phone number is no longer in service.
Started in Houston, Texas, in 1999, the women’s fashion brand had 457 retail locations across 45 states when it declared bankruptcy. In addition to Tysons Corner Center, Francesca’s could be found at Fair Oaks Mall.
