Asics opens first New Zealand store

By

Benjamin Fitzgerald

Published
Jul 20, 2017

Asics has opened its first standalone retail store in New Zealand.

Opting for Auckland for its debut, the Japanese sports brand has opened the flagship at number 3 Shortland Street. Split over two levels, the store covers 203 square metres and houses a 3D foot-mapping system, as well as several big screens displayed across its mezzanine.

The store is designed as one of just nine concept stores for the Japanese brand, with the others in Asia, Europe and North America.

“If you walk into the store in New York or New Zealand you have the same look and feel – it’s welcoming and comfortable. We are using a lot of wood, for example,” said Asics General Manager, Greig Bramwell.

“We are showcasing the full range of product, ‘head to toe’, with a focus on developing our apparel business.”

Before the New Zealand store debut, Asics products were available via several sporting goods and footwear chains including Shoe Clinic, Athlete's Foot, Platinum and Shoe Science.

The store is the second company-owned outlet in Australasia for Asics. Asics opened its first experience store in Shanghai in 2016, and more recently bowed its Asics Tiger store in Tokyo and Shanghai.

Asics was founded in Japan in 1949. It has its headquarters in Kobe.