Known as NIKEgoddess, the mall-based stores will be designed to provide an interactive shopping experience, according to Clare Hamill, Nike's vice president of women's business. The female shoppers will be encouraged to give their input on the style, design, performance and comfort of the Nike products. In turn, Nike will use the feedback to develop new products designed for women.

"Nike has been at the forefront of cultivating the relationship between women and sports," Hamill says. "Our new women's stores will take that relationship a step further, allowing us to make the retail experience more meaningful with a concentrated consumer input and feedback loop.

The first store will open in Newport Beach's Fashion Island, which stands at 401 Newport Center Drive. It will encompass 6,000 sf. The second store, which will also encompass 6,000 sf, will open several months later. It will be located in Los Angeles' The Grove at Farmer's Market, a 640,000-sf retail and entertainment complex that is rising at Third Street and Fairfax Avenue.