August Retail Highlights: Multi-purpose retail environments in the sports and lifestyle sector.

This month we’ve selected a handful of sports and lifestyle brands that have transformed their retail environments into multi-purpose spaces, allowing for a more experiential, interactive, and immersive customer journey. From a cold room concept to augmented video mapping…

#1 Rapha - COMMUNITY HUB

Community Hubs within the sports and lifestyle sector might present as a communal area that taps into the wider lifestyle of the customer, encouraging customers to gather and share their experiences. Cycling brand, Rapha, have done this extremely well by creating a healthy, well subscribed community and elevated image in the minds of professional athletes and leisure cyclists. The brand combines barista coffee shop culture as an elevated rest stop moment for riders to meet and dwell, sign up to events such as group rides as well as to watch live cycling events - creating a lively environment and cycle club culture which is accessible to all. Every café is unique to its location, offering locally sourced produce with menus reflecting the regional tastes.?

#2 Cow - PERSONALISATION STATION

Nottingham-based vintage retailer, Cow, offers customers a unique experience within their multifunctional store by combining traditional retail with an insightful experience. Items of clothing and accessories are sourced from around the world, from big brands to independent designers, which are then either sold as they arrive, or in a reinvented fashion! The store houses an intimate manufacturing room on the second floor where the customisations and alterations take place. Cow encourages shoppers to watch its artist hand craft apparel and accessories through a large glass window. This store concept aims to shine a light on how much work goes to into customising each product, combined with promoting reuse and recycling rather than the throw away culture to which many of us have been conditioned.

#3 Triumph - EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCE

Incorporating educational experiences into a retail setting can be invaluable for many brands, and the reasons are two-fold. Firstly, it can increase purchasing confidence, and secondly, it allows for customers to buy into a brand’s narrative. Triumph Motorcycles have created a premium visitor experience that engages petrol heads and newcomers alike. Equal parts history and interesting engineering, the experience captivates the viewer with exhibits displayed to their best. Based at their factory in Hinckley, Leicestershire, the experience has become a major attraction for bikers across the UK, to meet, discuss and engage in events all based around their favourite subject. With its café and culturally significant exhibits, the experience is also a fantastic visit for those just learning about the brand, and the lighting and fixturing throughout the tour is used expertly to both guide and intrigue.

#4 Nike - TRIALLING LAB

Trialling labs are another way to curate a successful multifunctional environment, seen in this example. Opening just last year, Nike launched its largest basketball-focussed store in Beijing and is home to the Nike Trial Zone. Spanning nearly a full half-court, the space features an adjustable hoop and digital screen, powered by a gaming engine to give real time feedback on performance during the nine-minute drills. Basketball enthusiasts now have the opportunity to test and compare trainers in a real-life court environment where they can then make an informed purchase. With Nike + app integration, customers can trial and save their favourite footwear styles, including store exclusives.?

#5 Vans - COMMUNITY HUB

Community Hub’s encourage customers to gather and share their experiences fostering a sense of belonging within the brand’s community. Skateboarding and lifestyle brand, Vans, opened a concept store designed to serve as a platform for emerging artists. On street level the store offers a retail space, displaying a wide range of products, with emphasis on limited editions, premium products, and brand collabs. The basement is home to a creative space which was built in collaboration with art gallery, KK Outlet, and hosts several 3-month exhibitions exhibiting up and coming artist’s work. In addition, the multifunctional space holds workshops, activities, and dinners.

#6 Timberland - EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCE

Similarly to Triumph, Timberland have chosen to educate their consumers on the brand’s values and ethos, but in this instance they have embedded it into a traditional retail environment. Timberland, who are strong advocates for sustainability, wanted to bring its purpose into store and the move of its London flagship presented as the perfect opportunity. Following its largest ever global campaign, spreading messages surrounding saving the planet, the brand highlighted its eco-friendly initiatives through displaying factual messaging, powerful imagery, and its sustainability credentials, instore. CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) pillars throughout the space educate customers on recycled materials and responsible technologies used in Timberland merchandise, building a movement towards a greener future.

#7 Canada Goose - TRIALLING LAB

Canada Goose is well known for its luxury jackets and outerwear, more specifically for their heat retaining properties. Knowing which products to buy can sometimes be a challenge, especially in the case of a winter coat! It needs to be suitable for your specific winter activities, and of course, the environment in which you intend to use it. This is where trialling labs can come in handy. Canada Goose’s trialling lab a.k.a. The Cold Room, simulates a cold climate so that customers can test the brand’s outerwear to see if it meets their expectations, and requirements.?

#8 Sports Chek - COMMUNITY HUB

Sports retailer, Sport Chek, partnered with sports channel, TSN, to curate a broadcast-ready studio inside their flagship store at Toronto’s Maple Leaf Square. The state-of-the-art studio was built overlooking the square from the store’s second floor and enables consumers to experience live segments and broadcast interviews with athletes, sports personnel, and industry experts…all whilst they shop. The studio is equipped with a nine-foot broadcasting desk, studio lighting, microphones, cameras, a sports ticker, and digital screen.

#9 Nike - PERSONALISATION STATION

Personalisation is not only about generating sales, but it is also about connecting with consumers on a deeper level by creating an exclusive experience for every customer. Nike do this very well. Thanks to augmented video mapping, the NikeiD Direct Studio in Niketown London allows for real time, live design directly on a shoe. The customer’s shoe of choice is placed directly on the workspace. From here, the shoe is connected to the configurator and as material and colour choices are made, they are projected onto the shoe. This allows each customer to see their own creations come to life right in front of their eyes. Once customised, the shoe is sent straight to the NikeiD factory.

#10 Adidas - COMMUNITY HUB

adidas Runbase, located in Milan, aims to give a new shape to the future of running. The space presents itself as a key community hub in the city that brings together runners of all abilities. Within the store, there are areas for relaxation and stretching, shower facilities, free lockers, and a help desk manned by experts aiming to fulfil every runner’s needs. Moreover, the space also contains treadmills and an area for ‘Foot Support Tests’ to ensure that adidas’ customers leave with the perfect trainer.

#11 Haibike - IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCE

As innovators of eMTBs, Haibike challenged D4R to create an immersive retail destination for expert riders by executing a high impact branded space inside RaceCo Cycles’ premium store. We created a space that offers more than a typical retail environment, it reflects Haibike’s ethos and high-end product range by delivering a superior brand experience that will increase purchase desirability and preference. We implemented tablet devices displayed on lecterns so shoppers can easily view and cross-reference product specifications, as well as digital screens displaying campaign messaging and dynamic lifestyle media, portraying the brand’s personality. The free-standing midfloor unit inspires customers to consider a selfie moment as they browse, working towards Haibike’s objective of building “front-on-mind” awareness.?