Retail destination goes ‘beyond sport’ to offer elevated customer experience
SPORTS Direct has unveiled its latest concept for the future of retailing at a multi-million pound new flagship store in Thurrock.
The 100,000-plus sq. ft. site promises to elevate the customer experience to new levels of excellence by showcasing an array of iconic sports and fashion brands.
The retailer says the concept for the store goes beyond sport to include dedicated lifestyle areas with latest video technology, an enhanced USC fashion store, and an adjacent luxury Flannels store.
Michael Murray, Head of Elevation at Sports Direct, said: “We are working to create the ultimate shopping destination for the lifestyle consumer, spanning football boots all the way to luxury fashion. The premium space we have developed at Thurrock enables us to give customers a compelling and diverse opportunity to shop.”
The store includes experiential attractions such as state-of-the-art Everlast fitness gym, recharge areas for men and women, an urban-inspired kids zone with selfie mirror, plus plans for an e-sports arena.
The One Off design consultancy, in collaboration with Nike, developed the new elevated Sports Direct. Sally Smith, Client Services Director at The One Off, said: “The new Sports Direct store focuses on an elevated customer experience and an enhanced premium value offer.
The design concept combines easy to shop product displays, improved in-store communication and navigation with functional aspects such as large-scale changing rooms, and a universal fixture system allowing leading brands prominence in store.”
The USC streetwear and fashion concept has been recreated by the Brinkworth design agency, and positioned as ‘US Collective’, to include a new brand-edit featuring leading fashion labels such as Champion, Tommy Hilfiger and Diesel.
A spokesperson for Brinkworth said: “Brinkworth worked closely with the USC team to look at the aesthetic and cultural identity of the brand. Recently rebranded ‘US Collective’ the new concept for street wear retailer USC, appeals to the 9-25 age group by offering a retail destination with a social and creative focus. A home for you and your tribe, where you can shop together but still leave as an individual.”
The Thurrock store will have a staff of approximately 150, and has been purpose-designed at a prime retail location in West Thurrock Way, adjacent to Lakeside. It forms part of the Sports Direct group’s multi-channel elevation strategy, which spans in-store, product, marketing, digital and social channels.
The company announced in 2017 that it intends to develop a new generation of stores by investing approx. £1billion (i.e. approx. £300m p.a. over the first two to four years of a five to ten year strategy).
This enables Sports Direct to develop premium retail space for third party brand partners to present good, better and best product in their preferred formats. The full address of the new flagship store is Unit 12, The Junction, West Thurrock Way, Thurrock, RM20 3LP.
