In 2023, Alicante, Spain-based sports retailer Sprinter opened its largest store to date, spanning 43,000 square feet, in a former Ikea store in Alcorcon, part of Spain’s Community of Madrid.
Sprinter is part of the British sports retail giant JD Sports (or JD Group) and specializes in sporting goods and sportswear, including footwear and accessories — with a focus on running, training and football/soccer.
Sprinter spent 12 months designing the megastore concept in partnership with London-based innovation and creative studio Dalziel & Pow (D&P).
The massive store allows Sprinter to introduce an expanded range of products, as well as immersive and interactive experiences designed to educate and inspire customers. The new concept offers enhanced product trials, performance advice, hands-on test-and-learn activations, product customization, footprint analysis and three dedicated places to practice track, soccer and tennis/paddle tennis and test equipment.
The store has two distinct retail spaces. Sprinter occupies the ground level, and Deporvillage — a digital-native cycling brand within the JD group — takes 50% of the upstairs on a central mezzanine with double-height space. The store is Deporvillage’s first physical retail space.
The 32,200-square-foot space for Sprinter boasts bright colors and a fresh feel, while the 10,700-square-foot Deporvillage area is darker, more dramatic and theatrical. The latter exclusively merchandises bikes and biking equipment, and offers personalized bike fittings. D&P said the spaces are “literally the reverse palate of each other,” in a media release shared with P2PI.
Specifically, the unique store features include:
• A nearly 32-yard straight running track behind a merchandising wall to test shoes and record your time against other runners.
• A “Runners Bar” where customers can pick up their sports shoes after selecting their size, brand and model on interactive screens.
• A spiral slide that links the kids bike section in the Deporvillage level with the Sprinter kids offerings on the floor below.
• A multi-purpose, timber-lined studio offering monthly programs, such as free yoga, Pilates, training and barre classes, as well as workshops on nutrition and mental health and exclusive activities for Sprinter Club members.
• A “Sports Lab” offering high-tech footprint analysis, in collaboration with Spanish podiatrist company Podoactiva, to recommend the most suitable shoe for athletes.
• A “Custom Shop” where customers can design and personalize sports T-shirts with a live screen-printing machine service.
• Additional services such as tennis racket stringing and sports equipment rental.
The space features a slew of materials contributing to its overall look and feel, including concrete, timber, white and black enameled steel, ribbed felt and translucent acrylic. Store navigation is aided with green and red (depending on the section of the store) suspended lamps over walkways that are not demarcated on the floor, but purely overhead.
Merchandising is flexible and features mid-floor walls throughout, aiming for a sustainable and “future-proof” architecture that can accommodate change in the coming years, according to D&P.
