New Balance experience store Beijing

New Balance has a long history, at least by US standards, starting in Boston in 1906 when William J. Riley discovered that he could apply the balance system he saw in chickens to arch support in shoes. New Balance have always been proud of their somewhat quirky start & their history so its perhaps not surprising that they took an historic angle in their new experience store in China – a country which venerates history and ancestory.  The new store is based in Quinmen Avenue which is one of Beijing’s most historic commercial streets. The store itself is only around 200m2 spread across two floors, though this in itself is fairly large by Chinese standards.

The first floor is dedicated to the brand’s history, complete with framed archival logos, vintage New Balance ads and various brand paraphernalia dating back as far as 1910.  The decor on this floor was inspired by New Balance’s heritage with a nostalgic feel echoing back to the 50’s & 60’s. They have used materials which are worn & textured.  A DNA ribbon extends from the first floor entrance up to the second floor and takes the visitor through a chronological journey of the brand’s past, present & future.

The detail of the overall store design is further complimented by audio, visual and olfactory experiences throughout the store, including the smell of oak with a touch of leather, reminiscent of a shoe store’s scent from the mid-20th century.

The second floor has a similar environmental ambiance to the first floor, playing homage to the brand’s signature grey but also adds a more modern technology based touch and adds red to the colour scheme.

In addition to the signature scent of the store (oak with a touch of leather), they have also considered the sounds in the store – choosing a 1950’s style “be bop” music including Bill Haley and the Comets, Little Richard, Fats Domino, The Everly Brothers and Jerry Lee Lewis. This music is intermixed with preogrammed in-store messages which direct customers to check out the store’s second floor merchandise and repeatedly highlights New Balance’s Performance DNA concept. The combination of these features and the store’s decore create a time capsule style feel which gives a third dimension to customer’s experience of the store.