There are grand store opening events. And then there are JD Sports opening events. The spotlight fell on Manchester’s Trafford Centre Saturday (7 June) where over 1,000 shoppers turned up for the opening of JD’s biggest ever store (41,000 sq ft), led by eight-time gold medalist athletics superstar Usain Bolt supported by YouTube group Beta Squad.
Describing it as its “ultimate destination for fresh fits and exclusive flex” the store becomes a blueprint for JD’s international retail expansion.
The store follows a revamp and upsize of its previous Trafford Centre location, tripling its size. It also features the largest store front in the global JD Sports store estate spanning 302 feet.
The store also features over 270 digital screens; over 400 sq m of LED; a 104 metre-long digital screen spanning across the bulkhead. It also features special takeover areas from Nike, Adidas, Puma and On Running along with JD brand exclusives including Unlike Humans.
The opening day showcase featured the ‘Nike AM95: The Vault’, allowing shoppers to buy very-limited-edition pairs of AM95 OG Mandarin and AM95 OG Pink Foam sneakers.
JD Sports CEO Régis Schultz, said the opening was a “proud and landmark moment”, adding: “We see the world through the mindset of our customer, know what they want and set the trends for them. This opening showcases JD’s relentless drive to bring our global customers exceptional retail experiences and differentiated product, backed by our strong brand partnerships.
“At the same time, it’s a celebration of our roots – Manchester has been close to the heart of JD’s journey since we opened our first store in Bury in 1981. As we continue to expand our footprint across the world, the Trafford Centre store represents the future of JD: bold, forward-thinking, and deeply connected to the communities we serve.”
Marcus Briggs, managing director at Pradera Lateral, Trafford Centre’s asset management firm, also said ahead of the opening: “The anticipation and excitement has been building for this opening of JD’s Trafford Centre flagship store. The respective property, marketing and design teams have worked extremely hard to deliver a store of global significance for our Trafford Centre visitors and we are all delighted with the outcome. We really value our longstanding partnership with JD.”
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