Dive Brief:
- Foot Locker opened its first reimagined, stand-alone Kids Foot Locker store on Saturday, in the Bronx borough of New York City, the company said in details emailed to Retail Dive. At 3,300 square feet, the location is 60% larger than the average Kids Foot Locker.
- The store, located in Bay Plaza Shopping Center, uses elements from Foot Locker’s 34th Street store, which opened over the summer. Last year saw the unveiling of Foot Locker’s first store of the future in Wayne, New Jersey.
- Products in the Kids Foot Locker Reimagined are organized by brand, size and age group to make discovery easy. The store includes a communal try-on area with an activity table and smaller fixtures for young shoppers, as well as the “Drop Zone” to showcase new and upcoming sneaker releases and a sneaker customization area.
Dive Insight:
The latest effort in Foot Locker’s store fleet overhaul is a reimagined Kids Foot Locker location.
"The opening of our first standalone Kids Foot Locker Reimagined store in the heart of the Bronx is an exciting step in our continued retail transformation. The Bay Plaza store provides a one-of-a-kind family-friendly shopping experience for sneakers and apparel,” Michelle Wang, vice president and general manager of Kids Foot Locker, said via email. “It reflects our commitment to creating an innovative space that aligns with our vision to deepen our connection with young customers and parents, while staying rooted at the center of sneaker culture.”
The store features a variety of elements intended to inspire “the young sneakerhead,” including a basketball wall and an active lifestyle wall. Both displays showcase the top brands in their respective categories, such as Nike, Jordan Brand, On and Hoka. A digital sizing area helmed by associates lets shoppers use a shoe scanner to find the right fit.
The opening of the first reimagined Kids Foot Locker store is just one step in a larger store fleet revamp that will see Foot Locker upgrade two-thirds of its global Foot Locker and Kids Foot Locker locations over the next few years. The retailer has leaned into concepts, developing a “Home Court” space with Nike and Jordan Brand at its New York City flagship and planning brand activations for the NBA All-Star Game in San Francisco this year.
At the same time, Foot Locker has had a tough couple of years financially, especially as Nike pulled back from wholesale a few years ago (the activewear giant has since backtracked on that initiative). Foot Locker announced in August it would exit several international markets and move its headquarters to Florida. It is also in the process of shuttering 400 mall-based stores by next year.
The retailer’s efforts to right itself also include a revamped loyalty program and mobile app, which executives say are showing signs of success. Foot Locker last month tapped two new board directors, including former Gap Inc. CEO Sonia Syngal.
