Retail giant adidas is rolling out its newest store concept The Pulse for value seeking consumers in Canada with four locations coming to the retail landscape this year.
“Like the heartbeat of the sporting community, welcome to Pulse,” said Lesley Hawkins, VP of retail for adidas Canada. “It’s going to offer an elevated experience with commercial products along with a focus on activation and promotion. It will be our premium factory outlet concept for the foreseeable future.”
Hawkins confirmed the following adidas stores in Canada are being launched in the new The Pulse concept:
- Montreal Premium Outlet, Mirabel QC – existing 6,000 SF Premium Factory outlet store will be expanded to 8,000 SF and moved to the new Pulse concept – June 30;
- Toronto Premium Outlet, Halton Hills ON – existing 5,100 SF Premium Factory outlet store will be expanded to over 9,000 SF and moved to the new Pulse concept – November 16;
- CrossIron Mills, Calgary AB – existing Brand store will be over doubling in size to just under 10,000 SF and moved to a Premium Factory outlet with Pulse concept – November 16; and
- Dartmouth Crossing, Nova Scotia – a completely new Premium Factory Outlet store opening October 1.
Hawkins said adidas is opening an over 10,000-square-foot Pulse in Dartmouth. The retailer currently doesn’t have any presence east of Montreal.
“We’re really excited to enter the Atlantic provinces and particularly into Nova Scotia,” said Hawkins.
The new Pulse concept will include both full-service and self-service areas.
“The value consumer has very different shopping styles. Not everybody wants self-service, so we’re really trying to make sure that we adjust our shopping experience to match the demands of the changing consumer,” said Hawkins.
“A lot of what you’ll see in the design elements are a little bit more premium finishes that we would have had . The addition of some modular fixtures that are really quite flexible, so as new collections drop, as we find products that are of higher demand, there’s high capacity fixtures to meet that demand. So it’s really that elevated experience with a commercial product offering.
“We haven’t yet rolled out our plans for 2024 and 2025. But as we continue to grow our Factory Outlet fleet or renovate existing doors, it will all be within The Pulse concept. It will continue to be for the foreseeable future for the value consumer.
In addition to the introduction of the Pulse concept, adidas is also introducing their next generation concept for the Originals brand – The Collection.
“The Collection is our next generation of concept for the Originals. With The Collection, that’s really the space that curates the moment, captures the culture, sort of talks about the past combined with our future vision,” said Hawkins.
She said the existing 3,000 SF Granville Street Originals store in Vancouver is expanding to 5,000 SF and moving to the new Collection concept as of July 21. In addition, a new 5,800 SF Originals store will open August 18 at The Well, a massive mixed use development in downtown Toronto.
“In our key city of Toronto and key city of Vancouver, both of them will have a larger Originals presence with the new Collection,” said Hawkins.
