Yoga and sports brand Lululemon is opening a new 1850 sqm mega concept store in Chicago. The flagship comes with its own restaurant, fitness rooms and yoga studios, all with the goal of offering more experience to customers.
The brand’s social centre
Lululemon was an American pioneer in the athleisure and yoga trends already, but its new flagship store is taking brand experience to a whole new level. With its 1850 sqm spread out over two storeys, the Chicago outlet is dedicated to becoming a social centre for fans of the brand.
The store can be found on the ground floor, where the brand offers unique and store-exclusive products alongside the ‘normal’ collections. There is also clothing for men and for the first time also a line of care products such as lotions and hair products, reports the Motley Fool blog.
The upstairs restaurant, called Fuel, is decorated like a lounge and comes with a full menu. Customers can even enjoy alcoholic beverages there, as Fuel is meant to become a true meeting place. That same storey also contains studios where yoga lessons are organised, a fully outfitted fitness room and even a meditation room. People can go there for single sessions or via a subscription model.
All for the experience
According to the brand, the outlet is only an experiment and is not yet ready to be further rolled out. Still, the concept could eventually find its way to other locations in case it turns out to be a success. After all, Lululemon intends to put itself on the map as a true experience brand.
For example, the brand organises and supports quite a few activities under the SweatLife label, such as yoga lessons, half marathons and social gatherings. Last year, the brand supported 4,000 local events in the US.
To further reinforce customer ties, Lululemon is also trying out a membership formula, where members get exclusive access to some products, receive free items, enjoy free deliveries and may participate in some activities for free.
