Sportsgirl's New Melbourne Central Store Invites Customers to Explore and Express
In keeping with The Sussan Group’s commitment to staying ahead of the curve with innovative, interactive and inviting store designs, Sportsgirl are excited to unveil the first of their new store concepts at Melbourne Central.
Customers are at the heart of the vibrant new design created through collaboration with respected UK design agency Cardy Papa.
Sportsgirl Managing Director Leah Summers says the top priority was to provide an inclusive, safe, judgement-free environment for all Gen SG to experiment and play with the diverse collections and products.
“The design reflects our fun, positive energy while celebrating the core of our brand. As the ultimate Aussie youth destination for fashion and beauty, we’ve crafted a space that merges bold, playful elements with moments of calm, offering the perfect blend of excitement and ease. Each category will stand out, showcasing the very best of our brand, all while supporting the needs of a fast-paced, volume-driven business,” she says.
Design duo Alison Cardy and Christian Papa’s design philosophy is centred on developing the optimum and most inspiring customer journey.
“From shopfront and windows to the various collections to service points and visual display, the customer journey needs to act almost like a pin-ball machine encouraging the customer to circulate the full space whilst seeing the breadth of the product collection.”
“Each category needs its space to breathe and project; customers need strong visual merchandising moments to be inspired to shop a full look, and finally, the environment needs to support the sales team in providing excellent service, particularly around fitting rooms and cash and wrap.”
In the new fitting rooms, the customer is encouraged to socialise in the adjacent lounge - a bold and uplifting instagrammable space with cool seating as well as ideas such as a messaging boards to encourage connections through the Gen SG community.
As part of our collective commitment to the circular economy, Cardy Papa has retained and integrated existing architectural features that complement the new store concept. Wherever practicable, we have sourced materials locally and migrated the SG material palette towards sustainable options with EDP* certification. These include laminates, solid surfaces and plastics made from recycled paper, bio-materials and certified recycled plastic stock.
All accent furniture has been sourced locally. The fitting room stools are crafted from 80% recycled post-industrial LDPE plastic, featuring a custom design that represents the iconic Sportsgirl stripes. Cutouts and leftover materials can be sent for recycling and reused. Even the new elements are ‘future-recyclable’
Leah says the team are excited to see the new store design come to life.
“We believe is truly one-of-a-kind in the Australian market. There is no other brand out there like Sportsgirl—fashion with a purpose, on a mission to create better futures for the next generation.”
Photography: Simon Shiff