Trinity, the Landsec retail and leisure destination in the heart of Leeds, has announced the signing of a new flagship store for sports and lifestyle retailer, Decathlon UK.
Decathlon has taken the former BHS store on Boar Lane, for an ‘experiential flagship’ that will span 35,000 sq ft over two floors. Designed by an in-house team, the store will include large showrooms featuring Decathlon’s full array of sportswear and equipment, allowing customers to touch and interact with all products.
The store will open later this month initially focus on click & collect and essential items only, ahead of the full launch in April, adhering to government guidelines. This includes a new Covid-secure initiative ‘Click & Drive’, where customers’ products are brought out to their cars, much like a drive-thru.
The brand will also operate a workshop service from launch, which is a key part of Decathlon’s sustainability project, helping to keep customers active by repairing items such as bikes, kayaks, and tents.
Commenting on the signing, James Hutchinson, portfolio manager at Landsec, said: “We’ve already seen an incredible response on our social media channels to this exciting new anchor store. Our shoppers are counting down the days until the Decathlon launch, tangible evidence of Landsec’s work at Trinity, bringing the heart of Leeds back to life.”
David Baker, Decathlon Leeds store manager, who is returning to his home city to head up the new store, commented: “Since my first day at Decathlon, it has been a dream of mine to open a store in my home city of Leeds. I am very excited that we can help make sport more accessible to people in the city. We’ve already built strong relationships with a number of partners, including Leeds Dock Running and Cycling Club, and Active Leeds. We can’t wait to connect with all the sports enthusiasts in and around Leeds.
“It’s also no coincidence that Leeds is twinned with Decathlon’s home city, Lille – it has long been a target location of ours. We have spent a lot of time during the pandemic making sure our offer at Trinity is perfectly tailored to the local customer needs, and we’re in no doubt that this young and vibrant city will embrace Decathlon Leeds as the go-to store for all sports-related products and services.”
JLL and Time Retail Partners acted for Landsec at Trinity Leeds. Decathlon dealt direct.
