- Shopping & Retail
- •
- Monthly insights
Summer 2024: Retail Openings
3min read
Charlotte Dawson
14th Jun 2024
The summer season has arrived, bringing with it a host of exciting and innovative retail openings and experiences.
While new retail spaces have launched worldwide, currently nowhere is as dynamic or influential as Paris. In anticipation of the upcoming Olympics later this summer, the city has seen a significant influx of brands—both sports-related and otherwise—preparing new retail spaces and strategies to cater to the large number of spectators and tourists expected to visit.
Sports Stores lean into the hype
Big name and progressive sports brands are creating flagship spaces which provide fun, hands on experiences for sports communities.
Adidas, Paris
After several weeks of closure, Adidas have recently unveiled their new look flagship store..
The store pays homage to the brands heritage with a concrete floors, rough walls and exposed pipes giving a more industrial look.
At the heart of the concept, visitors can also discover Shoebase - an interactive bar equipped with screens in order to discover shoes presented in 3D..
The ground floor strives to be a 'sport temple' carrying all Adidas sports lines, whilst the upstairs is dedicated to the lifestyle led lines, Adidas Originals and the Y-3 collection.
Rebel, Melbourne
At Australian sports retailer Rebel's new store, visitors can enjoy a rooftop half-court built to US National Basketball Association (NBA) specifications, allowing them to play basketball while taking in views of Melbourne. This court was created in collaboration with US-based sports apparel brand Under Armour to promote American basketball star Stephen Curry and Under Armour's Curry brand. It also features a mural portrait by local artist Rory Lynch-Wells.
Designed by Australian creative agency The General Store, the 38,750 sq ft space includes several innovative features. These include digital games such as the Australian Football League (AFL)'s Take the Mark and soccer-based Top Bins, where players stand on a green field with a soccer ball in front of a screen projection. The store also offers a dedicated bra fitting zone, a yoga and Pilates area with spacious fitting rooms (though no classes are held), and a Fit Lab that uses 3D scanning and pressure plate technology to assess the ideal shoe size and fit.
An Industrial Feel
Several brands in the high-end outdoor apparel and sports fashion sectors have utilized expansive industrial settings, such as defunct factories in European and Asian cities, to enhance their high-performance DNA with a stylish twist.
蕉内 (Banana), Shanghai
Spanning 1,615 sq ft across two floors, the space is a blend of innovation and playfulness.
Opaque acrylic pillars, PVC laminate floors, and plexiglass shelves set the stage, with a touch of whimsy with the fitting rooms on sack trucks and a cash desk on wooden pallets, wrapped in protective fabric.
Designed by Shanghai's own Some Thoughts, the store's aesthetic embraces gentle citrus colors, giving it a romantic vibe.
Kolon Sport, Shanghai
At Kolon Sport's Shanghai store, the visual merchandising is dominated by the brand's own ropes (used as spatial dividers), buttons, and zippers (incorporated into the furniture as decorations), highlighting their performance and technical expertise. The store features a retail area and a café housed in a Kolon Sport camping tent. The vast, warehouse-like space, characterized by unusually large windows, creates an intriguing indoor/outdoor, festival-like atmosphere. The modular design, by local firm Roarc Renew, allows for easy rearrangement to accommodate social events, such as setting up a DJ booth.
Club 21 Lab, Bangkok
Singaporean brand Club21's multibrand fashion concept store in Bangkok, designed by local Studio Krubka, is located within the Emsphere luxury shopping center. The store uses a material palette of steel, metal studs, and concrete to evoke an industrial ambiance, despite not being in an actual industrial space.
Leaning in to JOY
Retailers continue to encourage us to find the joy in the ordinary with kitsch, nostalgic and colourful designs that are both playful and experiential.
Anya Hindmarch, The Ice Cream Project, London
This summer, The Ice Cream Project from Anya Hindmarch is back for its third, highly anticipated season in The Anya Village
Celebrate Anya's favourite cult food brands, usually found in the pantry rather than the freezer—think savoury sauces, condiments, biscuits, and even olives.
This year, enjoy some added extras like the all-new Blind Tasting Ice Cream Tea, exclusive to Anya Cafe, and limited edition ice cream-inspired caps and T-shirts.
Bobo Choses, Barcelona
Cult Spanish kidswear brand Bobo Choses' flagship store in Barcelona draws inspiration from the childhood memories of its founder and creative director, Adriana Esperalba. The whimsical 2,700 sq ft interior captures a playful spirit with features like an oversized sweater with 13-foot sleeves, symbolizing a child's view of the world, and dedicated play areas. The historical wooden façade transitions into an entrance draped with a colorful curtain, reminiscent of entering a children's theatre.
Retail insights powered by RetailSafari.com RetailSafari.com.
Would you like to understand more about the latest and greatest in retail innovation?
We have run retail safaris for clients all over the world. Get in touch to arrange something personalised to you and your business needs.
Charlotte has extensive experience in leading research and insight projects for major brands across disciplines and sectors.
Central to this is a strong understanding and passion for people, their ever- changing needs, and attitudes and how to shape, make and communicate brand experiences which connect with people authentically. Using mixed methodology and a variety of research tools, Charlotte works to create compelling narratives from brief to delivery, informed by experience and delivered with clarity. Her client roster includes Huawei, Sky and Nike.
Let's get started.
Get in touch with us today and let us help you make commercially successful decisions.
hello@unturnedstoneresearch.com
22A Arlington Way, London EC1R 1UY
