Lululemon
The Flatiron district is home to many other stores that specialize in athleisure - Sweaty Betty and Athleta, to name a few. But that makes sense: the Flatiron district is home to many of the most popular boutique fitness studios - Flywheel Sports, Exhale, SLT, Pure Barre, and two SoulCycle studios that are mere blocks apart.
And Lululemon is capitalizing on that. One of the new store's features, The Concierge, will dedicate floor space to helping shoppers beyond the sales floor.
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The Concierge will recommend nearby classes and locations, so that the exercised-obsessed shoppers can don their new pants in class. To top that off, shoppers can book classes while they're shopping.
The Concierge will be a hangout spot - there will be a "community board" to help shoppers discover new places to run, new classes, and even new places to eat.
Lululemon
Lululemon will make shopping a luxurious experience, with a coat check, water, a coffee bar, snacks, and a phone charging station. You can also have your purchases delivered to your home, office, or hotel, so need for lugging big Lululemon bags around during the day.
The company is focusing on expanding its already strong community with a new space called Hub Seventeen. Hub Seventeen will be above the store's
"Our stores are inspired by community, from the design aesthetic and in-store guest experiences and classes to our ambassador and studio partnerships," Carla Anderson, Lululemon's general manager of U.S. retail, said in emailed comments.
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The 5,000 square foot space will be utilized for fitness classes, monthly dinners, concerts, art shows, and more.
Lululemon's stores already have yoga classes, but Hub 17 will take it up a notch.
"While all of our stores offer in-store yoga and fitness class and events, Hub Seventeen is the first time we created a dedicated community space separate from the retail experience," Anderson said.
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Don't worry, Lululemon acolytes - there's a vast retail floor.
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There's a great chance that many other forthcoming Lululemon stores will follow suit.
"Our flagship stores in particular are designed to elevate the community in new and unique ways, often serving as a testing ground for new guest experiences and retail innovations," Anderson said.