New Balance has opened the doors to its latest retail store, located at Westfield Stratford City in London.

The store features a retail concept built to put people, not products, at the centre of the consumer experience.

The concept includes an edited assortment of merchandise as well as visual storytelling to accompany select products, highlighting the makers and origins behind them.

The London Stratford store is reportedly the first of its kind globally with a second store of the same concept opening in Boston, Massachusetts in 2023.

New Balance senior director of global brand strategy and operations Ian Fitzpatrick commented: “This store in London represents a big step forward in the way we think about our retail environment, featuring a much tighter, more focused collection built specifically for the younger consumer.”

In targeting younger consumers, the company recently entered into a partnership with actress and producer, Storm Reid, to launch her signature sneaker, the CT302.

New Balance’s consumer-focused experiential retail strategy is part of a wider shift in the industry. The preference for an in-store experience remains for many consumers and retailers are working to keep them shopping in brick-and-mortar stores.

The company will be looking to repeat the success it has experienced online to its stores, as April 2023 saw interest in the brand reach an all-time high according to Google trends.