Upbeat music was pumping inside Briarwood Mall’s JD Sports store as employees busily stocked shoes and clothes in preparation for a late May opening. Romulus-based district manager Greg Gambrell agreed to step out for a quick chat in a quieter space, the mall’s main corridor across from the Apple store.
The fifteen-year veteran of the UK-based retailer and its 2018 U.S. acquisition, Finish Line, says their sales are about evenly split between sportswear and sneakers, “typical brands, Nike, Jordan, Adidas. We carry a lot of our own house brands—Sonneti, Supply & Demand, Hoodrich.”
He estimates the 8,500-square-foot store will employ fifteen to twenty and says Ann Arbor shoppers can expect to find “really good service.” It’s the ninth JD Sports location in Michigan.
What’s trending lately? “What we call retro tech,” Gambrell reports. “So, New Balance, Nike Vomero styles. We still do a really good job in Air Force Ones and Jordans and things like that.”
As if on cue, two mall shoppers headed toward the entrance, and he had to tell them they weren’t open quite yet.
JD Sports, Briarwood Mall center court. (734) 492–4136. Mon.–Sat. 10 a.m.–9 p.m., Sun. 11 a.m.–6 p.m. jdsports.com
Got a retail or restaurant change? Email [email protected]