A little over a year after Anta debuted its first product in the US through pop-ups, the Chinese sportswear giant is finally preparing to open its first permanent brick-and-mortar store in the country. The first Anta store in America will be located in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles County, California, a choice that speaks volumes about the brand’s strategy and positioning in the US market.
Anta posted on its overseas social media channels, such as Instagram, through Kyrie Irving’s account, who is the brand ambassador for its basketball line, showing him visiting the Beverly Hills flagship store, which is currently under construction and covered by hoarding boards. With luxury neighbours like Louis Vuitton and Chanel, Anta positions itself higher than it does in China, with pricing similar to Nike and On.
Currently, you can buy Anta products through retailers such as Dick’s Sporting Goods, Foot Locker, or the brand’s official US website. The Kai 1, Anta’s first signature trainer for Irving, started its journey in America. Pop-ups in New York and Los Angeles, along with Beijing and Shanghai, showed off the brand to basketball fans around the world. Each new drop quickly sold out, including the latest Playoff Energy colourway, which was released on 5 June. In 2024, Anta became the fastest-growing trainer brand on the resale marketplace StockX, growing 1,900% thanks to the Kai 1.
Anta is also expanding into Southeast Asia and other overseas markets, with stores in Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines, and plans to open more in FY2025. With the brand aiming to overtake Nike internationally in the next 3 years, and the Anta Group, owner of Anta, Arc’teryx and FILA (in China) already counted among Nike and Adidas as one of the top 3 sportswear groups globally, Anta is firmly on its way to becoming “Anta of the world”.