Foot Locker is rolling out the next step in its retail refresh initiative.
The sneaker retailer this week reopened its Manhattan Herald Square store on 34th Street after updating its interior design and layout in line with Foot Locker’s broader retail enhancement plan. Like the chain’s recently revamped store in Willowbrook Mall in Wayne, N.J., the reimagined, 13,000-square-foot store also features a communal shoe try-on area, digital enhancements for the shopping experience and a “sneaker hub” area to assist in personalization.
Unique to this location is the introduction of Foot Locker “Home Court,” a designated area developed in partnership with Nike and Jordan Brand that highlights Foot Locker’s assortment of basketball sneakers and basketball’s central roll in sneaker culture. It also features immersive experiences like a digital vertical jump challenge and enhanced 3D foot-scanning technologies to help customers find the right fit.
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While Nike Inc. helped develop “Home Court” — and the Swoosh is still Foot Locker’s top brand — the area highlights other partners like Adidas, Puma, New Balance and Under Armour as well.
“With the introduction of our new Foot Locker ‘Home Court’ in partnership with Nike and Jordan Brand, this location sets a new benchmark,” Foot Locker’s chief commercial officer Frank Bracken said in a statement. “We take immense pride in bringing this innovative experience to the heart of New York City, a space designed to serve families, inspire sneaker enthusiasts, and honor the spirit of basketball culture.”
The Herald Square store also debuts the chain’s new Kids Foot Locker experience, complete with an activity table in the center of the store, a kid-friendly custom shoe scan station and an elevated selection of basketball merchandise for kids.
Altogether, the reimagined store (previously called the “Store of the Future”) is part of Foot Locker’s broader plan to refresh its entire existing and future store fleet in line with its strategic Lace-Up plan, revealed in March 2023. This process included a decision to close more than 400 stores (including about 125 underperforming Champs locations) while growing the WSS brand to more than 300 locations.
In addition to the Willowbrook Mall and Herald Square locations, Foot Locker opened another reimagined location in Paris in time for the Summer Olympics and plans to open another in Melbourne, Australia, in October. Foot Locker is also partnering with its India operator Metro Brands to open its first Foot Locker store in Delhi.
Foot Locker plans to bring “Home Court” to select doors across the world as it scales its reimagined store process.
“Foot Locker ‘Home Court’ represents a pivotal advancement in how we connect with sneaker enthusiasts and elevate the basketball experience, in collaboration with our brand partners,” Foot Locker chief executive officer Mary Dillon said in a statement. “Our reimagined 34th Street store aims to set the standard for excellence in omnichannel retail, in line with our Lace Up Plan and deeply rooted in sneaker culture.”
In May, Foot Locker reaffirmed its outlook for the full year of 2024 after it reported results for the first quarter that included better-than-expected earnings per share. Foot Locker reports earnings for the second quarter next week.
