Sporting goods and apparel retailer Rebel has opened its second ‘experience concept’ store in Brisbane, which brings its national count up to seven.

Located on the south side of Brisbane, Steve Lacey, state retail manager, Queensland, NT, WA. Rebel, tells RetailBiz the goal was to complement the north-side equivalent in Westfield Chermside.

Updating the fit out in Garden City, the company bought out the space sitting next to the store to increase the floorspace from 1,400sqm to 2,100sqm.

Offering a basketball ring and court, along with astroturf to try out football boots, Lacey says it gives customers a product perspective that’s very different to shopping online.

“It’s an opportunity for kids and customers of all ages to interact and play sport in our stores,” he adds.

The key growth areas the store is targeting are basketball, women’s apparel, football, and running, and so far Rebel has been validated in building the higher-level experience stores.

Ranges from smaller Australian brands such as Nimble and L’urv sit alongside global favorites including Nike, Adidas and Under Armour. The changing rooms are designed with women in mind, with interchangeable light settings to enable customers to choose from dim to natural outdoor lighting.

Lacey says the ‘‘RCX Accelerate’ concept stores have given the retailer a strong sales uplift at the other locations, with growth in the focused categories coming in at 30-40% greater than standard stores.

The company says “the new layout is easy to navigate, with well thought-out sporting zones and clever placement of animated screens, captivating visuals and dynamic displays which compliment and showcase the in-store brands and products and bring the shopping experience to life”.

Noting the rise of e-sports, the store also includes gaming set ups where customers can play popular video games like football simulator series FIFA, or NFL equivalent Madden.

The new store is part of an ongoing evolution of Rebel, which has been testing its previous six concept stores to nail what works.

Photo credit: Chris Jack Photography.