On Antwerp’s main shopping street the Meir, Canadian sports brand Lululemon opened its first Belgian store Thursday morning. This will soon be followed by a second one, on Avenue de la Toison d’Or in Brussels.
Health and mindfulness
More than 25 years ago, Lululemon started out as a specialist in clothing for yoga practitioners, but in the meantime the brand has grown into a leading player in what is called “athleisure”: fashionable clothing that takes its inspiration from sports outfits, but which is not necessarily meant for sports. The lifestyle brand cleverly responds to the trend towards health and mindfulness.
Besides being a hip fashion brand, Lululemon is also a forerunner in community building, knows RetailDetail founder Jorg Snoeck: “When we went on RetailHunt to Berlin ten years ago, we saw there how the retailer was already organising yoga classes in the shop two hours before the opening. That’s customer loyalty.”
Clothing and acessories
The store on the Meir, close to other reputable sports brands such as Nike, Courir, JD Sports and Footlocker, is 391 sq m, has a prominent façade in which a digital screen attracts attention, strikingly high ceilings and beautifully limestone-tiled floors
Customers will find the full range of clothing for yoga, running, training, tennis, golf and daily exercise. Women’s clothing hangs on the right, men’s on the left, and the nine fitting rooms are unisex. There are also accessories, such as bags or drink bottles that you can have engraved on site for a personal touch.
Lululemon calls the opening “an important milestone in its international expansion”. A second Belgian shop will follow this summer, on Avenue de la Toison d’Or in Brussels.
