Footasylum, the sports fashion footwear and clothing retailer, is charging forward with an ambitious expansion strategy. Following the successful launch of its flagship store on London’s iconic Oxford Street, Footasylum has wasted no time in adding two more locations to its growing portfolio: an expanded unit at the Bullring in Birmingham and a fresh store in the Atria shopping center, Watford.
In Birmingham, the new store represents a remarkable transformation, expanding from its original 4,000 square feet on one floor to an impressive 6,400 square feet across two floors. Additionally, a larger out-of-town store in Fosse Park Leicester is scheduled to open in November, just in time for the Black Friday shopping frenzy.
The newly opened Birmingham store, situated on the ground floor of the Bullring shopping center, has taken over the space previously occupied by New Look. It features Footasylum’s cutting-edge design concept, initially introduced in Lakeside, Essex earlier this year and subsequently at the Oxford Street flagship. This concept leverages advanced digital capabilities to create a mobile-first customer journey, seamlessly bridging the gap between Footasylum’s online and in-store offerings.
The expanded Birmingham store, spanning an impressive 11,000 square feet, offers an extensive selection of men’s and juniors’ apparel and footwear. Furthermore, it dedicates an entire basement floor exclusively to women’s apparel and footwear. With the addition of 40 new staff members, the total workforce now stands at nearly 80.
The Atria store in Watford covers more than 6,000 square feet and employs 35 individuals. Like the Oxford Street flagship, it adheres to the new store design concept, offering a similar shopping experience on a smaller scale.
These three store openings coincide with Footasylum’s continued success under the ownership of Aurelius, which acquired the brand in August 2022. Recent store openings also include locations in Westfield Stratford City and Lakeside Shopping Centre in Essex.
Barry Bown, Executive Chairman and CEO, commented, «2023 has been a transformational year for us, and these latest store openings reflect our team’s remarkable ability to deliver state-of-the-art shopping experiences for our customers nationwide.» He emphasized that these new stores are just part of Footasylum’s expansion strategy, with more planned for the coming year.
Bown added, «Our aim is to make our extensive branded streetwear offerings widely accessible across the country, and larger, better-equipped stores play a vital role in achieving that goal. With the rising demand for women’s apparel and trainers, our expanded stores are perfectly suited to meet these customer preferences. We look forward to a successful Black Friday and Christmas trading period and anticipate announcing more exciting Footasylum developments in 2024.»
