New Balance will open its first U.S. Global Flagship Store at Boston Landing.
The 6,566-square-foot store located at 140 Guest St. in Boston’s Brighton neighborhood was designed to offer a unique consumer journey within an immersive and interactive brand experience, including the “Made.Boston” demonstration and shoe assembly area. The store employs 20 associates, including three Shoe Ambassadors to host the Made.Boston area and provide tours.
Marketing within the store will feature Team NB athletes such as Trayvon Bromell and Emma Coburn. Areas in the store also cater to women’s training and studio products, baseball, tennis, and soccer footwear and apparel, lifestyle footwear and apparel, and kids’ footwear.
“We are excited to open this store in Boston Landing that pays tribute to our heritage and spirit, celebrates our innovation and sets a new precedent for the high standard of retail excellence we have established with our New Balance Experience Stores in Boston, New York, and Beijing among others.” said Rob DeMartini, President and CEO of New Balance. “This store invites residents and visitors to our home city to engage with our brand’s story and the passion of our associates.”
Anchoring the store at its center is the Made.Boston demonstration and shoe assembly area, where limited edition 574’s are made. The area also showcases the company’s commitment to domestic manufacturing.
The store’s design features natural and industrial materials throughout such as wood, concrete and metal, which provide a neutral backdrop that allows the products to stand out. As a nod to New Balance’s history of manufacturing in New England, the wall behind the cash wrap is made of metal fire doors from the Skowhegan, Maine factory where some of the brand’s Made In USA footwear is produced. Each global flagship store, six of which are slated to open this year, features a unique cash wrap display designed to pay homage to that city’s culture. The brand’s first Global Flagship store opened this spring in Gangnam, South Korea, with San Francisco, London, Milan and Tokyo opening later this year.
The grand opening took place June 22, where Team NB athletes Brock Holt and Christian Vazquez visited the store for a private event with five children from the West End House Boys and Girls Club in Allston. The athletes helped the children pick out and try on new shoes, answered questions, and took photos. The New Balance Foundation supports the West End House through associate volunteerism and grants, including a $3 million grant given to the organization to commemorate the New Balance World Headquarters grand opening in September 2015.
Photos courtesy New Balance
