ASICS to open first performance store in Paris featuring brand-new retail design concept

On 31st July, leading sports performance brand ASICS will open an innovative, new performance store in Paris that will offer consumers the latest in premium shopping experiences thanks to a brand new retail design concept and the latest in high-tech shoe selection services.

The 590 square metre store will be first ASICS performance store in France [1] - the Japanese company’s main European market – and will feature the brand’s complete running collection alongside sports performance categories including rugby and tennis, and the new ‘Training’category. For the first time, the store will also sell merchandise from ASICS sponsored rugby team, Stade Français, in a rugby specific environment.

Located at 6 Rue d’Amsterdam in Paris, close to Saint-Lazare railway station, the store will be the first to pilot ASICS’ brand new visual merchandising concept, which uses completely new retail fittings specifically designed to display performance products from different sports in a more consumer friendly manner.

Specific colours and materials will be used to signpost product more clearly, in order to better highlight the relationship between the brand’s footwear, apparel, running and core performance sports, providing consumers with a premium and cohesive shopping experience.

Leading the way in innovation, the new Paris performance store will feature ASICS’ updated FOOT ID service – ‘MOTION ID’ – the first of its kind in shoe-selection services.

ASICS MOTION ID is the latest shoe-selection service which uses a series of high-tech motion sensors to capture consumer’s natural posture and style of movement when running. Based on this personalised data, MOTION ID then evaluates the consumer’s impact during running as well as their pronation movement and heel-shank coupling in different running shoes. By objectively comparing the efficiency of consumers running styles in certain shoes it allows ASICS staff to decide on the best running shoe for them based on the optimal level of medial support, flexibility and cushioning required.

Alistair Cameron, CEO of ASICS Europe B.V., commented, “We are delighted to announce the opening of our first performance store in Paris, featuring our latest innovations. France is a key strategic market for ASICS as we look to cement our position as the number one brand in performance running and tennis, and build on our core-performance sports offering in the French market.

As a leading sports performance brand, it’s important to offer the latest in retail experiences and offer our consumers premium services to help them select the best products for their individual needs.”

· [1] ASICS has an Onitsuka Tiger flagship store in Paris, located 22 rue des Halles, 75001 Paris