GYMSHARK'S FIRST-EVER FLAGSHIP STORE!

I am still so INCREDIBLY proud to share that Gymshark's first-ever flagship will sit on Regent Street in London!

Having dreamed of this moment ever since I started this brand back in 2012 (10 Years ago!!!) to finally be able to visualise Gymshark sitting in bricks-and-mortar is mind-blowing.

How it started

So, let me take you back to where this exciting opportunity came from. In the midst of a global pandemic, our property team searched for a premises in London that would house our London-based employees, as they have previously only worked remotely. So, we thought it was time to offer them an office. In this search, we were informed that a building came up for rent on a very well-known street - although, not an office, we were still very much interested...

I recall Mitch Healey, our IRL Director phoning me to tell me that a store on Regent Street is currently available, "this is a once in a lifetime opportunity and we need to take it". Although retail was very much on our radar, this definitely sped up the process a little.

Gymshark's offline presence

Gymshark has always been an e-commerce business where everything we have done has been predominantly online, with the exception of a few events and pop-up stores. Online sales are what have lead us to where we are today. However, as we have grown and Covid got in the way - we felt like we sadly got further away from our community.

I don't think Gymshark would be where it is today without the world tour we held in 2016. It was our first IRL tour of meeting our community globally. The people that turned up to these events were then at the heart of everything we did. We wanted to create better products for them, we wanted to learn from them, we shared their progress and achievements and we built a brand with these people in mind.

So, of course it only felt right to bring Gymshark back to being a physical presence and allow our community to get together once again - permanently.

My thoughts on Retail

"I'm a firm believer that the best global brands in ten years' time will be purpose-led, community-first brands that clearly define their values and position in the world.

Previously, when the high street was at its peak, the growth model was very different. The model was around creating as much product as you possibly can, to fill as many retail stores as you possibly can (more often than not, these stores were third-party stores), to please as many customers as you possibly can. This has led to masses of huge, slow brands that ultimately rely on third-party retailers. It also means their product range is so wide that it can lack purpose.

The product becomes more of a utility that is purchased based on the proposition at the time (it's in front of me, in this store, looks nice, and is reasonably priced)." - May 2020

(Previous full article here: https://www.benfrancis.com/article/the-future-of-retail-my-bbc-live-interview/)

The next steps

Fast forward to March 2022 - So, now we have our premises, we have our plans and we have the base of our team...

We are now hiring for the people to be the face of Gymshark's first flagship store.

We are so excited to build out an incredible and diverse group of people who are passionate about creating amazing an customer journey. To find out more info on how you can apply watch this video and check the description for the relevant links ??

Once again thank you for your continued support - I cannot wait to share more of this retail journey with you all! ??