SportsShoes.com has opened its 10,750 sq ft creative and tech hub adjacent to its Bradford head office and warehouse facilities.
The £2.5m investment is part of the online running shoes, running clothing and outdoor gear retailer’s ongoing strategic growth plan.
Established in 1982, SportsShoes.com offers customers more than 17,000 products from 150 global running and outdoor brands. From a running perspective these include Asics, Nike, Adidas, Hoka and New Balance whilst in terms of outdoor they include Haglöfs, Montane, Rab and Patagonia.
Called Unit 2, the hub is a refurbished manufacturing warehouse building which can accommodate 100 people over two floors. The site houses the company’s digital, marketing, commercial and management teams.
Designed by architects, building consultants and interior designers Bowman Riley, Unit 2’s interior and exterior embody the SportsShoes.com brand and provide an immersive, collaborative experience.
The interior concept is based on the run, gym and hike elements of the business. Running is represented by a racetrack and trainer tree for display, gym is recognised by climbing ladder references in reception and hiking by bleacher seating that leads to a social space called Park Life.
Unit 2 also incorporates quiet working pods, a showroom, meeting rooms, boardroom, photography studio, kitchen and café.
Externally, the building features stealth lighting and new windows that floods the internal mezzanine with natural light to help reduce energy demands.
SportsShoes.com managing director, Brett Bannister, says: “It was our vision to have a creative and tech hub that provides the very best environment for our people and brand partners to collaborate and enjoy.
“Unit 2 is just that and is a truly outstanding facility and reflects the innovative, creative streak we have here at SportsShoes.com. Its completion comes shortly after we celebrated our 40th anniversary, and we’re excited to see how it will help drive us forward over the coming years to enable our continued expansion.”
As a converted warehouse building, Unit 2 has a significantly reduced carbon footprint compared to a newly built site. In addition, the building features solar panels on its roof enabling the generation of its own power.
Both these initiatives form part of SportsShoes.com’s stated intention of becoming the world’s most sustainable running equipment retailer by 2025. The company recently announced that it has offset all the carbon emissions it has directly generated since it was founded.
Bradford-based Peter Howell Facilities undertook the fit out whilst Cartner Property Solutions, also based in the city provided project management services.
