// Inside Gymshark’s 18,000 sq ft store at 165 Regent Street, set to open Saturday, 29 October
// The activewear giant’s first flagship features a sweat room, a Joe & the Juice and a hub to host podcasts, panels, Sunday brunch clubs and more
Gymshark will officially open the doors to its highly anticipated flagship store on London’s Regent Street this Saturday.
Retail Gazette went to take a sneak peek of the former J Crew flagship which is focused on three key pillars – community, retail and lifting.
The activewear retailer said that while the store will sell Gymshark merchandise and clothing, it will be “a place for our community to experience the essence of Gymshark”.
The flagship will feature ‘The Sweat Room’ – a fitness studio that offers a rotating programme of classes for Gymshark customers – while the space doubles up as a “stage” for bigger events.
The retailer said it will offer around 30 classes per week, five community sessions, four Open Gym sessions and a Sunday Brunch event with a guest professional each week.
The store will also house ‘The Pro Bench’ – a bar where its experts will be able to impart their fitness advice.
Anyone will be able to book 25-minute appointments with an in-store professional on disciplines ranging from personal training to advice to mindset.
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Gymshark has said that the ‘The Hub’ section of the store will be a space that its community can host podcasts, panels, workshops, screenings, live streaming, Sunday Brunch Clubs and more.
Retail Gazette met with Gymshark founder Ben Francis ahead of the opening who shut down any talks of a potential IPO or sale.
Francis, who sold a 21% stake in the business to private equity group General Atlantic in 2020 that valued Gymshark at more than £1 billion, told Retail Gazette: “I’m not going to sell this business.”
“In terms of an IPO, we’re not looking at that anytime soon. We’ve got plenty on our plate, we need to get this store launched, we need to smash the US market, and quite frankly, we just need to manage through the next 12 to 18 months. An IPO just isn’t currently on our agenda.”
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