Sarah Belle Lin/Insider
- I visited the flagship stores of two of the world's largest athletic brands, Nike and Adidas, to see which shopping experience was better.
- Adidas' flagship store was soccer heaven and paid homage to the FIFA World Cup.
You don't need to be a sneakerhead to own at least one pair of Adidas or Nike shoes — or maybe one of each — as well as a cache of athletic apparel from both brands. The two multibillion-dollar, multinational corporations have continuously blazed trails and faced challenges as they continue building their respective empires.
Nike remains the industry powerhouse, with $46.7 billion in sales in its most recent fiscal year. Adidas reported $21.2 billion in 2021 sales.
The companies' Manhattan stores are at the leading edges of their bricks-and-mortar retail strategies and often preview technologies and features that will roll out to other locations.
With that in mind I felt it was worth visiting both flagship locations to compare the shopping experience. Follow my trek through these retail palaces.