The North Face Reimagines Its Retail Strategy
At a time when many retailers are struggling to adjust to a marketplace increasingly dominated by online shopping, The North Face is refreshing its brick-and-mortar strategy by transforming its stores into “basecamps for exploration." The 53-year-old activewear and outdoor brand wants to facilitate stronger connections with consumers and create a retail environment that focuses on brand identity as much as it does on merchandise.
The new 8,000-square-foot flagship store in New York City, which replaces a smaller store that's now closed, is the first to feature the new concept and will serve as a model for the rest of the brand's locations. The over-arching design goal for the new space, says Evert Lee, the company's creative director of environmental design and brand experience who led the in-house creative team behind the design, “was to deliver a 'perfect store' experience to test in-market."
An earthy ambiance. The design of the new North Face retail store, located at 584 Broadway, is intended to align with the company's focus on sustainably-built products. Some of the design features include brick walls, wood paneling and floors, and exposed HVAC infrastructure.
"From an architectural perspective, we wanted to create a store that will age over time, rather than needing to be continuously updated and re-structured," says Lee.
Just the beginning. The new SoHo store is a harbinger of things to come for the company's global network of more than 5,000 stores in 50 countries. The company is rolling out its new retail strategy this fall in Seattle and Cherry Hill, N.J., as well as in locations in Europe. Within the next five years, most of the its retail stores are slated for refurbishment.
Purpose-built. The company says its new store environments are “purposefully designed for longevity, and to avoid the need for wasteful refurbishing throughout the years." Moreover, adds Lee, "using materials that are true to us—and are durable, like wood, steel, and granite—allow the store to maintain premium [quality] while pointing back to our history in Yosemite."
More than retail. Customers venturing into the new SoHo store will immediately feel immersed in The North Face brand. The store displays a museum-style archive of The North Face athlete expeditions and iconic examples of products in action. The space itself even has its own signature "Half Dome" scent designed to make customers feel like they're outdoors. What's more, sales associates here are recast as “guides" equipped "to offer gear and exploration recommendations tailored to local adventure," according to the company.
Connecting to the real world. “Our stores will continue to offer a convenient and seamless shopping experience, but it is no longer the sole mission of the store," says Mark Parker, vice president of direct to consumer at The North Face. “We're now focused on creating an environment that highlights our heritage and allows consumers to deeply connect with the brand as they prepare for their own exploration, wherever it may be."
All in the details. The design of The North Face's new space was in the works for almost two years, says Lee. “The base concept is set and here to last, and the kit of parts is meant to evolve and adapt alongside the ever-changing needs of our consumers," he says. “The North Face global team went super deep and obsessed [over] every detail of the design, from door handles to the bolts on the fixtures."
Quality control. “We set out to create a store that is as premium and long-lasting as its lifetime-guaranteed products," says Lee. “The same level of obsession and care that our designers put into zipper pulls and bonded seams was applied to this new store design."
