Pro Direct, the world’s largest on-line retailer of football boots, has appeared in Carnaby Street, London with its first physical shop which makes buying football boots as stimulating and exciting an experience as buying the most expensive jewellery in Bond Street.
The new store, designed by Green Room, aims to ‘capture the dynamic feeling of walking into a physical realisation of their website.’ It incorporates the latest digital technology in inter-active podiums, changing coloured lighting and digital mannequins that display life-size video of players and models, with a basement area thats will be used for player appearances, launch events, live match screenings and displays of ‘football art’. There’s also an illuminated feature wall on the staircase displaying rare boots and signed editions which illustrate the wide range of artistry achieved in the design of football boots.
Paul Mynard, who joined Green Room as creative director a year ago, said, ‘With the biggest online boot room in the world, Green Room faced the unique challenge of creating a high-street presence for an established digital brand which reflected this wealth of information and product…By placing digital at the heart of the store – through digital window displays, product merchandising and immersive, interactive content – we have been able to present the beautiful game in a beautiful way.’
The ground floor has initially been given over to Adidas which is celebrating 20 years of its Predator Boot, one of the most popular football boots of all time, worn by the likes of David Beckham, Zinedine Zidaneith and Jonny Wilkinson who achieved World Cup success for England in 2003 wearing the rugby version of the boot. Adidas, who in July announced a £750million 10-year kit partnership with Manchester United from 2015-16, is planning to release a new set of Predators that will be worn by a host of stars for the start of this year’s Barclays Premier League season.
The Green Room states on their website that: “The Green Room ethos believes that retail should provide a memorable experience for consumers. Experiences that not only drive sales, but also help retailers forge long-lasting and meaningful relationships with their customers. This sits at the heart of our retail services………At Green Room, we understand that consumers crave tangible, engaging and entertaining experiences. Bricks-and-mortar retail is far from dead, and we work with brands to breathe new life into their physical space.”
They have achieved this with the gem of a store, which is as much an art gallery as a retail experience, celebrating the art of the football boot.
