The three stripes brand has for a long time put a lot of efforts in working on its brand image through an outstanding marketing, powerful advertisings, hundreds of partnerships and collaborations, and many other elements that seduced consumers and Adidas lovers around the world. Adidas built a real community around the brand, and became years after years a state of mind, in which every people could recognize itself. In 2019, the sportswear giant counts more than 2500 stores worldwide, and understood the importance of being memorable in the consumer mind. In that logic, Adidas is committed to offer the most unique and striking brand experience to anyone who enter in a store.
Despite the huge number of Adidas stores worldwide, Adidas decided to transform some of them in real paradise for sportswear lovers and created real Adidas’s temples. In 2006, Adidas inaugurated its 1750 square meter square flagship store located in Paris on the Champs-Elysées, one of the most famous and prestigious avenues in the world. The store known a large extension in 2008 to offer a 3300 square meter store, standing on 3 floors, offering a stadium and urban atmosphere, a concrete raw interior design with fences referring to US basketball courts and bleachers.
Adidas Paris flagship store in Champs-Élysées.
The willingness of Adidas was to create a memorable place with a lot of activities related to sport, and of course the brand. To design the store experience, Adidas focused on three pillars: service & personalization, gamification and environment. Activities in the store includes a “Creator Hub” where consumers can customize Adidas products; “Score & Share” areas where clients can play on basketball and football courts and share their scores; virtual reality experiences with the “How fast can you move” which consists in running on a treadmill with a virtual Paris tour; exclusivity areas where consumers can buy unique and limited models of sneakers; a service area dedicated to the click & collect and the deliveries around the city as well as the tax free shopping; a start-up area where 13 selected start-ups can expose and test their products or services; and of course a place where you can eat healthy food.
Different areas in Adidas Paris flagship store in Champs-Élysées.
Moreover, Adidas is positioning itself as a coach by offering its clients a complete analysis with the “Run Genie” activity where the client is equipped with Adidas sport shoes and sensors and runs on a mat under the supervision of a salesperson from the brand. At the end of the activity, the client receives a report on the way they run including time, distance, heart rate, inclination of the foot when touching the ground, with recommendations on the shoes adapted to their stride. Finally, Adidas created what they call the “For the Oceans” area, dedicated to environment and ocean protection. Since few years, Adidas created shoes using recycled plastic retrieved from the oceans and are committed to “use more than 50% recycled polyester in its products in 2020” (Adidas, January 2020). This environment dedicated area allows the brand to explain its commitment for the environment and actions they engage for it. For instance, in order to raise awareness on plastic pollution in oceans, the brand make available a water fountain without cups in order to encourage consumers fill their own bottle. In addition, the "Run for The Oceans" challenge invites customers to run to earn money for the Parley Ocean School, an environmental protection association.
"For the Oceans" area in Adidas Paris flagship store in Champs-Élysées.
“Il faut rendre les magasins les plus attractifs possibles [It is necessary to make the stores as attractive as possible]” - Alain Pourcelot, senior vice-president Direct to consumer of Adidas
Adidas flagship store in Berlin.
Digital changing rooms in Adidas flagship store in London.
Adidas elected a few cities that will welcome such kind of stores, including Berlin, London, Madrid, New York, Tokyo, and Shanghai, always located on the most famous avenues such as the prestigious Fifth Avenue in New York, the highly passerby Nanjing Road in Shanghai, and Oxford Street in London. Stores are highly digitalized with plenty of activities, and always involved products in the experiences. The brand is competing with Nike’s giant stores worldwide offering plenty of similar services as well. Those stores attract both locals and tourists because more than just a store, it is a real destination where consumers can spend the whole day having fun for free thanks to the brand, but very often, you don't leave empty-handed !
References
· Adidas uses more than 50 percent recycled polyester in its products in 2020 for the first time. (January 21, 2020). Adidas. Retrieved from https://www.adidas-group.com/en/media/news-archive/press-releases/2020/adidas-uses-more-than-50-percent-recycled-polyester-in-its-products-in-2020-for-the-first-time/
· Bouaziz, D. (July 16, 2020). LDN, le flagship spectaculaire d'Adidas. E-CommerceMag.fr. Retrieved from https://www.ecommercemag.fr/Thematique/retail-1220/Diaporamas/ldn-flagship-spectaculaire-adidas-351123/des-cabines-essayage-tres-instagrammables-immersives-351128.htm
· Huw, H. (October 30, 2020). Adidas opens doors of Berlin flagship. Fashion United. Retrieved from https://fashionunited.com/news/retail/adidas-opens-doors-of-berlin-flagship/2020103036216
· La plus grande boutique Adidas débarque sur les Champs-Élysées. (October 25, 2006). Fashion Network. Retrieved from https://fr.fashionnetwork.com/news/La-plus-grande-boutique-adidas-debarque-sur-les-champs-elysees,16701.html
· Le Flagship Store d’Adidas réinventé sur les Champs-Elysées. (February 2019). Volcan Design Zoom. Retrieved from https://www.volcandesign.com/le-flagship-store-dadidas-reinvente-sur-les-champs-elysees/
· Picard, M. (October 26, 2016). Adidas dévoile son concept pour les très grandes villes. LSA Conso. Retrieved from https://www.lsa-conso.fr/photos/adidas-devoile-son-concept-pour-les-tres-grandes-villes-en-images,239139
· Que penser du Flagship Adidas des Champs Élysées ? (October 18, 2019). Le Blog Diamart. Retrieved from http://leblogdiamart.blogspot.com/2019/10/que-penser-du-flagship-adidas-des.html
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