Retail in Asia

In Shops

Arc’teryx opens first global flagship in Shanghai

Arc'teryx

Arc’teryx Equipment, the global design company specializing in technical high-perfomance apparel, outerwear and equipment, celebrated the opening of its first global flagship store in Shanghai, China.

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The two-storey, 8,000 square-foot store is the brand’s largest store to date, and offers an immersive shopping experience to customers, from both a design and product perspective.

“Arc’teryx Alpha Center is our brand’s first global flagship store, and in designing this store, we wanted to create a shopping experience that was unique not only to our brand, but also to our customers as well,” said Megan Cheesbrough, VP of Global Retail Excellence, Arc’teryx.

“As a brand, we want to encourage everyone to enjoy the outdoors, and with this in mind, we’ve decided to bring the outdoors in by incorporating the concept of hut-to-hut touring into our store design,” continued Megan.

Located in Middle Huahai Road, the premier commercial street in Shanghai, Arc’teryx Alpha Center is anchored by the presence of four different experiential huts. The Hardshell Hut, located at the front of the store, is equipped with a trianglular kaleidoscope LED screen displaying views of the sweeping Canadian mountain landscape, accompanied by the soothing sounds of nature: birds chirping, water running, wind blowing, and leaves tumbling.

The GORE-TEX Hut features a “rain room,” allowing customers to try on and water-test the technical functions of GORE-TEX product. Meanwhile, the Hardgoods Hut is home to a wide collection of the brand’s hardgoods, as well as a Via Ferrata climbing wall leading up to the second floor. On the second floor is the Brand Hut, which houses a virtual reality module that changes seasonally, a community lounge, and an events board.

Arc’teryx Alpha Center represents many firsts for the brand. Apart from the experiential store design, Arc’teryx Alpha Center will be completely powered by renewable energy generated from a wind farm in China’s Guanxi province, and it will also be the first store to offer product from the brand’s entire range of performance, lifestyle, and Veilance collections.

“We want to create an unparalleled shopping experience at Arc’teryx Alpha Center, and one of the ways we could do this is to offer a selection of different products serving different purposes, all in one space,” said Cheesbrough.

“Whether you are looking for a pair of trail running shoes and a climbing harness, or an insulated hardshell and an urban-styled coat, we want Arc’teryx to be available to everyone,” continued Cheesbrough.

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The grand opening celebration was on 19th September that featured a live craftsmanship activation station.