Footasylum opens 10,000 square foot store amid retail expansion

Sportswear retailer Footasylum has unveiled a refreshed store concept in a new 10,000 square foot retail space at Lakeside in West Thurrock, Essex.

Among the footwear and men’s apparel offerings housed in the store, the interior also features a renewed take on the retailer’s digital capabilities that looks to create a “seamless” mobile-first customer experience.

An increased womenswear apparel offering has further been made available at the location in response to a notable rise in demand for the category, resulting in its prominent place within the store.

The new concept comes after Footasylum initiated a trial of the idea in smaller stores earlier this year, which had included the debut of click-and-collect lockers, one of the features it said had made the test run successful.

The retailer has been on a store opening spree over the past year, announcing a string of new and upsized locations, including at its spaces in Westfield Stratford City, Birmingham and Bullring.

The strategy was launched shortly after the company was acquired by Aurelius Group in August 2022, which initiated a “hyper-local” approach to Footasylum openings across the UK.

In a release, Barry Bown, executive chairman and CEO of Footasylum, said: “We are on a mission to develop bigger and better stores in order to bring an even more immersive shopping experience to our loyal and growing customer base.

“Our new Lakeside store certainly delivers on that and, as our most technologically advanced store yet, it will seamlessly connect our online and in-store offerings.”