New Balance opens curated store at Westfield London

New Balance has this week opened its latest UK store with a debut at Westfield White City in London. It’s the brand’s second UK store to feature what it says is “a fresh retail concept built to put people, not products, at the centre of the consumer experience”.

In that respect, it’s echoing a trend seen among many sports brands (and in the wider fashion retail community) as an obvious hard sell for products is relegated to a supporting role. The belief is that a more experiential approach will actually boost sales much more in the long run.

Not that products aren’t very visible (after all, that’s what it’s really all about). But the store is designed around central seating, and “aims to encourage customers to convene, draw inspiration from each other and find their authentic style”. 

The store features a full MADE product range, including premium apparel and footwear, catering to sneakerheads and consumers generally looking for UK- or US-made footwear that’s available in limited quantities.

There’s an “edited” merchandise assortment as well as “visual storytelling to accompany select products, highlighting the makers and origins behind them and illuminating New Balance at the intersection of sport and culture”. 

We’re told the selection of pieces inn the store have been “uniquely curated to cater to those looking for the latest styles and fashion, to elite athletes looking for products to help elevate performance”. 

Marco Alvez, the brand’s Retail General Manager for EMEA, said it has “ambitious growth plans across the UK and Europe” and that the new store is “an amazing opportunity to showcase the strength of our brand through a curated assortment of top-tier product in our new concept that we believe will resonate well with the White City customer”.

The concept has already proved successful at another Westfield — across town in Stratford — with that store having opened in September so the company has clearly seen it working well already.