Footwear giant Adidas plans to open a first-of-its-kind flagship store this month in downtown Vancouver that includes a running lab and other interactive features.
At 35,000 square feet, the so-called Home of Sport store at 969 Robson St. is one of the biggest stores for the Herzogenaurach, Germany-based retailer, according to a company statement.
The Adidas lab, slated to open in mid-November, will use biometric technology to analyze customers' running styles. The concept is part of a move by retailers to offer immersive experiences sought by landlords who are looking for ways to attract more visitors to shopping districts at a time when consumers are buying many goods online.
The store will also feature digital tools such as interactive LED tickers that "enhance navigation and storytelling for consumers," inviting visitors to engage with Adidas's products that range from performance gear to lifestyle apparel, according to a company statement.
"Our goal is to create a community hub that honours both sport and culture," Lesley Hawkins, vice president of retail at Adidas Canada, said in the statement.
The new store will span the first floor and basement at Robson Central, first built in 1957 as the central branch of the Vancouver Public Library and converted to retail use in the 1990s.
Other international athletic apparel companies have looked to expand in North America, including British firm JD Sports Fashion, which announced a deal in April to buy Hibbett, a company based in Birmingham, Alabama, with nearly 1,200 American stores.
Adidas has signed retail leases over the past year in such cities as Las Vegas, where the footwear company is joining the lineup of the recently opened BLVD, a three-story, 500,000-square-foot retail development with 700 feet of frontage on Las Vegas Boulevard.