A new concept store that is at the core of Sport Chalet’s plans to expand into new states was recognized last week by the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) for groundbreaking design.
The retailer’s next-generation FIGat7th Downtown store in Los Angeles received the ICSC’s 2013 Silver Design and Development Award for its contribution to the success of the overall retail industry.
ICSC’s award panel called out two features of the store that are being adopted by other chain retailers, including fixtures and modules that can be moved to transform the sales floor in a matter of hours and a public meeting room in the center of the store. Cabela’s is using the first concept in its new Outpost stores, which target markets of less than 250,000 people, while REI introduced the central meeting room concept at its Boulder, CO store in 2006.
The concepts and overall design of the FIGat7th Downtown store is intended to establish Sport Chalet as the go-to urban resource for sporting gear, advice and support from Sport Chalet's expert staff.
“We wanted to create a store experience that matched the brand's aesthetic, and appealed to a particular audience of active city dwellers,” said Craig Levra, chairman and chief executive officer of Sport Chalet. “For us, the FIGat7th location defines the future of retail and how our stores must remain agile to meet the evolving needs of today's consumers.”
The store was designed by the Los Angeles office of the global design firm Gensler, which also designed the next-generation stores REI opened in Boulder in 2007 and Round Rock, TX in 2008.
