Fast growing U.K. gymwear brand Gymshark has confirmed that its first North American flagship store will be located at 11 Bond Street, New York.
The 13,000-square-foot store will be set across four floors and is due to open later this year the company said.
Online apparel and equipment brand Gymshark opened its first flagship store on Regent Street, London, in October 2022 and since then it has opened permanent and pop-up stores including Westfield Stratford, London, The Dubai Mall in the U.A.E.,and upscale designer outlet center Bicester Village.
Further stores are also planned for London, Manchester, and The Kalverstraat in Dutch capital Amsterdam this spring with a 10,000 sq. ft. store, while Bond Street in New York marks only Gymshark’s second flagship store and its first in the United States.
While the company is keeping exact details of what to expect from the flagship under wraps for the moment, it said that in addition to retail shopping, the space will offer events, community hangouts, workout studios, and more, plus 3D-printed mannequins of members of the Gymshark community.
Gymshark U.S. Growth Plans
Gymshark has made no secret of its ambitions for the U.S. and in June 2024 the brand opened its U.S. headquarters on Greene Street, New York, and, in September 2024, Gymshark hosted its biggest ever event, Lift:NY, which saw over 7,500 fitness fans descend upon Pier 36 for a weekend of lifting, flexing and meeting athletes.
“The very first event we did in real life was in a tiny 1,000-square-foot pop-up on Mercer Street in New York. It set the tone for so much that followed. The fact that, almost ten years later, we are preparing to open a flagship store in the city that is ten times the size of that first store absolutely blows my mind,” Ben Francis, billionaire Founder and CEO of Gymshark, said.
“New York has really become our North American home. Our headquarters are here, and to welcome so many members of the community to Lift:NY last year was incredible. But to have a permanent location that allows our community to train, shop and hang out, and for us to hang out with them, really takes it to another level. I can’t wait to tell you more about it and for the doors to open”.
Gymshark New York Pop-Up Store
Gymshark landed in SoHo, Manhattan last year with a three-month pop-up designed not just to create some brand excitement for the holiday season but to prepare the retailer for its first U.S. store.
The U.K. brand is adamant that it is on a mission to do for gymwear what LuluLemon did for yoga pants and its pop-up was located at 105 Wooster Street, remaining open until the end of January 2025.
Gymshark Chief Brand Officer Noel Mack said at the time of its launch that Gymshark also has some decisions to make about the exact make-up of its permanent store, noting that while running and run clubs have become very popular in the U.K. recently, in New York the city and running seem “intrinsically linked”.
So Gymshark must decide whether to lean into that or maintain its point of difference as the gym brand, he reflected.
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