Decathlon has taken the former BHS store on Boar Lane, for an experiential flagship that will span 35,000 sq ft over two floors. Designed by an in-house team, the store will include large showrooms featuring Decathlon’s full array of sportswear and equipment, allowing customers to touch and interact with all products.
The store will open later this month initially focus on click & collect and essential items only, ahead of the full launch in April, adhering to government guidelines. This includes a new Covid-secure initiative ‘Click & Drive’, where customers’ products are brought out to their cars, much like a drive-thru. The brand will also operate a workshop service from launch, which is a key part of Decathlon’s sustainability project, helping to keep customers active by repairing items such as bikes, kayaks, and tents.
Since its UK launch over 20 years ago, Decathlon has grown into one of the UK’s leading outdoor and sports retailers. The latest addition to the brand’s expanding portfolio at Trinity Leeds is their second in the region, bringing the UK total to 44 stores. Decathlon aims to help everyone in the UK lead more active lifestyles, by providing high-quality products and services at affordable prices to customers of all backgrounds.
Commenting on the signing, James Hutchinson, Portfolio Manager at Landsec, said: “We’ve already seen an incredible response on our social media channels to this exciting new anchor store. Our shoppers are counting down the days until the Decathlon launch, tangible evidence of Landsec’s work at Trinity, bringing the heart of Leeds back to life.”
David Baker, Decathlon Leeds Store Manager, who is returning to his home city to head up the new store, commented: “Since my first day at Decathlon, it has been a dream of mine to open a store in my home city of Leeds. I am very excited that we can help make sport more accessible to people in the city. We’ve already built strong relationships with a number of partners, including Leeds Dock Running and Cycling Club, and Active Leeds. We can’t wait to connect with all the sports enthusiasts in and around Leeds.
“It’s also no coincidence that Leeds is twinned with Decathlon’s home city, Lille – it has long been a target location of ours. We have spent a lot of time during the pandemic making sure our offer at Trinity is perfectly tailored to the local customer needs, and we’re in no doubt that this young and vibrant city will embrace Decathlon Leeds as the go-to store for all sports-related products and services.”
Decathlon follows in the footsteps of H&M, which also has a new flagship at Trinity Leeds. H&M upsized their existing store last year, adding over 13,500 sq ft to take the overall unit size to 39,000 sq ft, bringing menswear and H&M HOME departments to the destination for the first time.
Trinity Leeds brings together over 120 local, national, and international brands under one roof. Through its varied lineup of retail, dining, and leisure operators, Trinity truly brings the Heart of Leeds to Life, working as a focal point within the city. Its flexible workspace is complemented by Trinity Kitchen – the leading street food hub that helps incubate small businesses while rotating the F&B offer, to keep fresh options for the city’s residents and workers.
JLL and Time Retail Partners acted for Landsec at Trinity Leeds. Decathlon dealt direct.
