Sports Direct re-opens flagship on Oxford Street with a tech makeover

Sports Direct have opened their doors to their 10 million revamped Flagship store in the heart of London’s Oxford Street.

The impressive store spans 50,000 sq.f.t and includes 140 brands across all four floors including innovations such as the world’s first independently reviewed bra finder tool, a FIFA gaming area and product personalisation.

Designed by The One Off, the space was reimagined to include augmented reality installations and fixtures and fittings made of recycled mannequins.

Brinkworth designed the concept for USC, with bright primary colours such as yellow and red to grab the customers attention, including an industrial feel throughout the section.

As you enter the store you are greeted with a 3D motion hologram which is the first-of-its-kind in UK retail. Using cutting edge technology, this inventive visual merchandising display allows different brands to create 3D visuals of their products in motion, but as holograms appearing as if they are floating in mid-air.

The innovation from Frasers Group is a fantastic addition to the retail landscape, allowing customers to interact with the brand on a different level. By allocating a space for buyers to visit and use tools such as the bra finder to help them purchase products in a personalised way that wouldn’t be possible when shopping online, it shows there is still a purpose for bricks and mortar, which of course is great to see.

Other multi-functional and state of the art areas and features include the heroes area, ID customisation and the Infinity Mirror Cube. With these new additions, it keeps customers engaged, providing a diverse shopping experience. For instance, the ID customisation is an area where customers can have their purchased products customised with limited edition designs from illustrators such as Daniel Nyari. The infinity Mirror Cube is a feature that is an immersive experience and is the ‘ultimate selfie booth’ which invites customers to take pictures in ‘mini-universes’ of sport and connect this to their social channels. In addition, the heroes area is a multi-brand space created in the centre of the store which will focus on hero sporting and any cultural moments that occur throughout the year.

Michael Murray, Head of Elevation at Frasers Group said,

“This is a pivotal moment in an era of massive change, bringing to life our elevation strategy in a physical space, not least, in a globally recognised retail destination. The store hasn’t just been upgraded, we’re ripping up the rule book and looking at our retail spaces with a completely new vision – this store is a prime example of that. We are the leading destination for sportswear and are committed to bringing the very best brands, environment, product innovations, and experience to the high street.”

We are very proud to have worked on this project in collaboration with The One Off, Brinkworth, Cube Architects, SmithBrewer and Whitebox contractors. It’s a pivotal moment for Frasers Group and Sports Direct as they continue to reimagine the retail landscape and elevate their brands, using innovations to develop store environments and keep customers interested in the shopping experience.