The North Face® to Open New Retail Store in Leeds, UK on April 26
Located within the Victoria Shopping Centre, the store will offer a complete selection of authentic outdoor apparel, footwear, equipment and accessories.
For immediate release, April 20 2007: The North Face®, the world’s premier supplier of technically innovative outdoor apparel and equipment, is proud to open its newest European retail store in the city of Leeds, in the United Kingdom. The new flagship store will open on Thursday, April 26, in the prestigious Victoria Shopping Centre on King Edward Street.
“With its incredible heritage of adventure and discovery, Leeds is a city that shares our passion for exploring both the natural and the built environment,” said Patrik Frisk – VP/General Manager The North Face EMEA (Europe, The Middle East, Africa). “We hope both the local Leeds community, as well as its visitors, will recognize the store as not only great spot to find gear for outdoor adventures, but also as a gathering place and a resource for exploration and environmental stewardship,” Frisk added.
The Leeds store features 260 square meters of retail space on four levels and highlights contemporary outdoor products, while remaining true to the architectural vernacular of historic Leeds. Designed for outdoor enthusiasts and shoppers alike, the store will offer customers a visually stunning, exclusive shopping experience as they explore the most complete selection of The North Face® authentic products in the United Kingdom.
The North Face® collections featured at the new Leeds store include the Adventure Travel™ Collection, which draws on decades of innovative, technical design experience to offer essentials for any adventure. From travel bags to t-shirts, all the products in this collection are lightweight, functional, packable, and suitable for adventures near and far. Also featured is the Flight Series™ Endurance Collection, which enables ultra-distance athletes to maximize performance. Designed to meet the needs of endurance athletes and perform in ever-changing conditions, the apparel, footwear and equipment in this collection expand the options for long-haul athletes.
For the store design, The North Face® turned again to the Vicenza, Italy-based design firm Brombini & Saccardo, which carefully redesigned the historic location to express The North Face® philosophy, Never Stop Exploring™. As the building has been declared an historic monument by the city of Leeds, Brombini & Saccardo were careful to preserve original details like the wooden staircase, exposed brick wall, outer façade, old-fashioned chimney and the cornices. “Our design team strived to preserve the historic elements of this beautiful building,” explained principal architect Carlo Saccardo. “We married the building’s classic past with the modern innovations characteristic of The North Face® brand.”
In Leeds, The North Face is honoured to partner with Cotswold Outdoor, the UK's leading retailer for outdoor clothing and equipment, ‘’We're delighted with this new development which not only reinforces our ties with The North Face but gives anyone aspiring to get involved in the outdoors, a unique opportunity to see the entire range under one roof. We're proud to be associated with the world's most exciting brand and to be supporting it with our renowned customer service’’ said Hans Falkenburg Managing Director Cotswold Outdoor Ltd.
