Nike opens first European House of Innovation in Paris

Sportswear giant Nike opens its third House of Innovation store in Paris today, July 30, with the aim of showcasing its “best innovations, athlete storytelling and experiences” with an immersive and digitally-powered end-to-end consumer journey.

Located at 79 Avenue des Champs-Élysées, this mark’s Nike’s first House of Innovation store in Europe, adding to its predecessors in New York and Shanghai.

Called House of Innovation 002, the flagship spans four floors and nearly 26,000 square foot and has been inspired by the 1928 design of the building, as well as its legacy of being used as a multi-use space, as it has housed a car showroom, movie production studio and even a nightclub.

The flagship has dedicated areas for men, women and children, as well as one of the largest assortments of Nike footwear in Europe, and features a modular store layout that the brand explained will be “consistently updated” and there will be exclusive member opportunities, such as booking a Nike by You or expert sessions by connecting via Swoosh Text.

The design has been built to “learn and evolve from the findings of its previous stores” explains Nike and the Paris House of Innovation and will focus on four areas - uniting shopping, serving women, creating more opportunities for kids to get active, as well as offering a more seamless end-to-end consumer experience.

"When consumers step into Nike Paris, they will experience our largest, most digitally connected and immersive retail concept in the world," said Heidi O'Neill, president of consumer and marketplace in a statement. "The strength of our digital portfolio combined with product innovation and amazing physical spaces, will connect members to the community of sport and to one-of-a-kind experiences, serving them in an incredibly personal way. We are so excited to bring Nike Paris to the city and to the world.”

Nike launches its third House of Innovation concept in Paris, following opens in New York and Shanghai

Key features include a ‘mission control’ wall-to-wall installation on entry, which the brand adds serves as the “heartbeat of Nike Paris”, as it connects shoppers to the global and local community of sport, as well as showcase exclusive member benefits and the latest activations at Nike House of Innovation in New York and Shanghai.

There is also a Bra Fit by Nike Fit personalisation area that uses fit as the foundation to create a better shopping experience for its female consumers. Nike explains that by using Nike Fit proprietary machine learning and advanced algorithms, shoppers will have the in-store capability to input their perceived bra size, or walk-through a self-guided assessment into the Bra Fit by Nike Fit tool to receive a fit recommendation for any Nike bra.

The women’s section featured on the second floor also has the “biggest, most innovative and diverse product range” for women and girls to date, explained Nike, with plus-sized mannequins and apparel collections such as the Nike Victory Swim and Nike Pro Hijab.

To offer an experience for children, the Paris store has a Kids Pod, an interactive gaming and trial station aimed at keeping kids moving. This will be featured alongside France’s largest assortment of kids products, as well as experiences such as the one-handed zipper challenge and 360 virtual running inspired by Parkour.

Nike’s App also plays a big role in the store as part of the brand’s digital acceleration and there is a comprehensive suite of Nike App Services in-store, such as Buy Online, Reserve in Store, Nike Scan to Learn, Nike Scan to Try, Nike Shop the Look as well as an enhanced digital infrastructure with boosted Wi-Fi technology.

Sustainability is also a focus, as part of Nike’s ‘Move to Zero’ initiatives, and features more than 85,000 kilos of sustainable material woven into the fabric of the store design and display fixtures, and through a partnership with the world’s leading wind power company, Iberdrola, Nike Paris is fueled by a clean energy wind complex in Spain.

Nike Paris, House of Innovation 002, opens July 30 at 79 Avenue des Champs-Élysées.

Images: courtesy of Nike