ical store where the customer can walk through all of the brand’s pillars and offerings. “I think what is working very well for us in Brighton is the larger footprint where we can give our customers a better experience and really immerse them in what we do from a brand point of view, and allow them to see our full and entire range,” Taunton told Inside Retail. “The key elements that we’re aiming for in these new places are of a much stronger digital type, where we can tell greater brand stories, really engage with our customer on how new trends and new footwear categories are coming to life,” he added. The Athlete’s Foot has plans to eventually roll out its new format across many of its pinnacle locations across Australia and New Zealand. The starting line is local “Typically, retailers launch new concept stores at CBD flagship locations or at high-traffic shopping centres, but The Athlete’s Foot took a new approach and went suburban,” Taunton explained. “I think it ticked a few boxes for us. It’s a fantastic community, the Brighton area, it meets all of our key demographics across a really strong running community, great school communities and the natural sporting environment,” he continued. “It allows us to be a bit more creative with our execution by giving us a larger footprint, which we can really tell all our brand stories in.” To spread the news about the store opening and engage the community, The Athlete’s Foot has deployed its ‘fit fleet’ van to Brighton Beach to give locals a fitting experience with its technology and trained staff. In addition to its mobile fitting service, The Athlete’s Foot is engaging the local community with brand activations, including run clubs and yoga sessions. While run clubs and marathons are experiencing a popular boom amongst consumers, and many brands are jumping on the bandwagon now, The Athlete’s Foot has been consistently showing up at these events for years.  “We’ve been partnering deeply with local run clubs, not only in the Brighton area, but what we found is in the Brighton area, there is a really active community participating in that outdoor lifestyle space,” Taunton shared. “We have an ongoing relationship with Parkrun. There are Parkruns at hundreds of locations across Australia, and we have partnered with those guys for over five years now,” he added. But with the addition of the Brighton store, The Athlete’s Foot’s first high street location, the retailer is excited for an opportunity to use it as a destination zone for a run club. This focus on tapping into Brighton’s running community has influenced the stock, categories and layout of the store. “We put a lot of category focus into what we’re calling our ‘faster running’ category,” Taunton said. “So in that, we’re seeing that runner who’s trying to reach a new personal best, or take on a longer distance like a marathon, a half marathon. They can get into a more responsive, faster shoe,” he added. The Athlete’s Foot’s in-store technology and customer service is designed to back up its vast range of running shoes, helping customers find their fit to reach their personal best.  “In terms of great experiences in retail, it’s very clear that you have to be doing much more than putting shoes on a shelf or shoes on a website to be able to build trust and loyalty from your customer,” Taunton stated. “What we do with our ‘Myfit’ technology is really understand the customer’s needs through their 3D scan, pressure and gait analysis – then give that feedback to the customer on how we can help them achieve whatever goals they’re after from improving their footwear experience,” he elaborated. The new Brighton concept store is a look into The Athlete’s Foot’s expansion plans and ongoing community engagement strategy. “The Athlete’s Foot has been at the forefront of fitting technology and footwear for years, and whilst the existing design was sufficient, we are prepared to challenge ourselves to provide our consumers with an in-store experience that matches their movement ambitions,” Taunton said.