Gymshark’s First Physical Store Is a 'Cathedral' to Its Brand

Gymshark is bringing the online, offline. The British brand's first brick-and-mortar space has just crashed into London's Regent Street, featuring racks, a "sweat room," green juices, VIP personal shopping and more. The 18,000-foot shop will open its doors Saturday. Of course, it will sell clothing, but the flagship space has been designed with brand experiences in mind. Spread over two floors, it boasts a gym, a personal training suite and an events space. It will host around 25 free fitness classes a week for customers, which can be booked using its app. Gymshark's flagship store sits alongside the likes of H&M, Nike and All Saints on London's Regent Street There are lots of areas to work out; all the merchandise on the lower floor can be wheeled away or from a specially-built gantry above hoisted above to create floor space. There’s a Joe and the Juice counter near the entrance too, stocking juices, shakes and protein-packed snacks. In the U.K., where retail footfall fell 12.4% last month versus 2019, it may seem like an unusual choice to dive into a 10-year retail lease. However, Francis believes it’s just what Gymshark needs to elevate it to “iconic brand” status. “I’m a massive fan of e-commerce, I’ve grown up on it. But all the great brands have multiple ways of connecting with their customers. We’re doing to do it through our app, our events and our retail stories.”His ambition is for the store to become a “cathedral to the brand” where people can come and immerse themselves in it. The brand is confident its foray into the physical space will pay off "The only reason to visit the store cannot be just to make a purchase," he explained, "we want to maintain and develop our community here. If someone stops by a studio class in the morning, they might not buy something that day, but it will pay dividends down the line." Taking retail by the jaws The digital sportswear retailer, which sells everything from leggings to hoodies and water bottles, has come a long way since Francis launched it from his bedroom in 2012 along with friend Lewis Morgan. He was 20 when he dropped out of university to build Gymshark, working shifts as a Pizza Hut delivery driver to support himself while it grew. 10 years on, the business has just been valued at $1.3 billion, having benefitted from a pandemic boom where YouTube fitness videos and an uptick in online shopping helped it reel in record profits. In 2021, it expanded into the U.S. with an office in Denver. However, rather than retreating deeper into the online space—where it’s found success through a robust social and influencer marketing strategy, as well as purpose-driven campaigns encouraging women, LGBTQ+ communities and other underrepresented groups into the gym—it’s now hedging its bets on a brick and mortar store in one of the most famous shopping districts streets in Europe. The 18,000ft store has a gym, plenty of workout spaces and will also host events and seminars The brand found success with a market stall-style pop-up in the capital's Covent Garden earlier this year. At that point, it had already signed the lease for its permanent store, swooping in post-pandemic after previous occupant J Crew vacated. For chief marketing officer (CMO) Noel Mack, Gymshark’s pursuit of physical space will now pay off in a world where pure e-commerce players are struggling to keep up momentum post-pandemic. “Take a look at Shopify,” he said, pointing to the platform's decision to lay off 10% of its global workforce earlier this year with CEO Tobi Lütke telling staff in a memo the business made the “wrong bet” on how long a pandemic-fueled surge in online shopping would continue. ‘Look Good, Lift Ugly’—Gymshark Aims to Counter Fitness Image Stereotype “The pendulum has swung the other way now,” Mack continued, “When everyone else was pulling budgets, we [secured] this place. We’re hungry for more market share." Indeed, e-commerce growth has been stalling globally. In the U.K., recent data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) found just over a quarter of U.K. retail sales (26%) took place online in March 2022, reflecting a steady decline from their February 2021 peak (37.1%). That’s the lowest proportion since pre-Covid in February 2020, when 22.7% of sales were online. Gymshark's app, where classes can be booked, is one thread connecting its digital and IRL strategies. QR codes directing visitors back to the e-commerce operation are also dotted throughout the space. Bringing online, offline The store will be tasked with bringing together the three pillars of “retail, community and lifting,” with Mack saying it’s simply a physical extension of the brand’s existing touchpoints. “We’ve seen time again that bringing a community together can unlock incredible things and we’ve built our brand around it,” he said, adding Gymshark’s mission was to make going to the gym accessible, for starters or an experienced athletes alike, regardless of physical ability, gender or any other differentiator. This ethos has been brought alive throughout via inclusive design. See: mannequins which are based on real people with different sizes, shapes, genders and ability and genderless changing rooms. Gymshark's app, where customers can book workout classes, will give it a single view of shoppers Now, having quashed rumors of an impending IPO, Francis is laser focused on attaining the same brand awareness as Nike, Under Armour and other more well-established rivals. "We want to cement ourselves as a truly iconic brand," said Francis, but there are no plans quite yet to open another store. "We're still a startup, we need to focus on making this store a success. It's a fundamental change to our business model going from being a purely digital player to having a store. Going from having no stores to having one is a much bigger step than going from one store to 10," he said. Do You Even Uplift Women, Bro? Gymshark Does