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Sports Brands’ Joy-Centric Kids’ Wellness Store Concepts
As Sports Retail Meets Self-Care charts, brands are making joy a key part of the post-Covid sporting experience, which extends into kids’ concepts encouraging no-pressure real-life play. Nike’s PLAYlab London turns imagined games into actual sports, while its Dubai flagship and US retailer Foot Locker’s Miami location are activity-packed playscapes.
Nike Spins Imagination into Sport, London
Furthering the message of Nikeland – Nike’s metaverse-style collaboration with Roblox that rewards real-life activity with in-game superpowers (see The Brief) – the sports giant’s PLAYlab concept has landed at its London flagship. PLAYlab’s pop-up features brightly coloured posters, flags, apparel, and a station where children can submit ideas for new sports. Winners will be featured in the PLAYlab YouTube series, spearheaded by brand ambassadors French footballer Kylian Mbappé and British-Zulu drumming prodigy Nandi Bushell, with some suggestions created for real.
Providing inspiration for kids worldwide, all submissions are added to Nike’s PLAYlab Gallery.
Nike’s Playscape Pop-Up, Dubai
In November 2021, Nike extended its Play New campaign, which encourages participation without fear of failure (see also Summer of Sport) by transforming its Dubai Mall store into an interactive playground for children aged 8-12. The space housed a basketball court, a climbing wall and dance-inspired experience Can’t Be Beat. Every child received a reward and could win a day of sports with Nike.
Foot Locker’s Age-Tailored Fun, Miami
Courting the next generation of sneakerheads, Kids Foot Locker, the retailer’s child-focused arm, has opened an activity-packed store in Miami. The space is divided by age (toddler, baby, little kids and kids), with each section intended to include age-specific activities (TBC), stock and graphics.
Its central area, a modular wooden structure resembling a jungle gym, serves as an all-ages (of kids) communal zone and will host events and community-focused programming (details also TBC).
