Sneakerboy opens at luxe end of Chadstone

High-end shoe brand, Sneakerboy, has opened its latest store in the luxury precinct at Chadstone Shopping Centre.

Owned by Luxury Retail Group (LRG), the upmarket label has opened the doors to a  multi-million dollar fitout in “one of the best large floorplates in luxury row.”

“Chadstone Shopping Centre was thrilled to feature the Sneakerboy flagship store as part of our new luxury retail precinct,” said Fiona Mackenzie, general manager Chadstone. “In its DNA Sneakerboy is a disruptor, and disruption brings theatre and excitement for our customers.”

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Shoppers flock to Chadstone’s luxury precinct for Sneakerboy’s opening

The brand said over 15,000 customers have entered the store since opening in the Vicinity-owned centre, where it sits among international brands including Valentino, Dior, Celine and Balenciaga, selling sneakers from many of the same labels as well as limited edition sneakers from Nike and Adidas.

According to the company’s founder, the brand is going to ‘disrupt the conventional retail model further’ by allowing its customers to also sell sneakers to each other.

“In 2013 consumers no longer needed a retail store to shop yet we made our stores relevant to our consumers changing habits,” said Sneakerboy founder and creative director, Chris Kyvetos.

“In 2017 consumers no longer need the retailer to shop as they are trading amongst themselves, none more so than sneaker consumers. They trade on forums, social networks and at swap meets and this is growing at a rate of 25x retail growth.”

Re-commerce the next ‘seismic shift’ in retail

The move comes as part of ‘sensing seismic shifts in the market’, with the shoe chain looking to the secondary market for sneakers and dedicated a quarter of its new floorspace as a ‘sneaker exchange’ (DSX) where customers can display, buy and sell sneakers from each other, with Sneakerboy acting as a quality and integrity moderator.

“In 2013, we were saying that if people are going to shop online, we’d rather they do that in our stores than in their bedrooms,” continued Kyvetos. “Now we say that if they are going to buy sneakers off each other we’d rather they do that in our stores than in the carpark.”

The brand’s parent company said Sneakerboy’s “exceptional growth” in the past two years had been underpinned providing an immersive customer experience coupled with “the best sneaker edit” in the market.

“DSX was a logical extension of our model as ‘recommerce’ is growing at an incredible rate, and by providing a common space and passionate sneakerheads to act as moderators we further enhance the Sneakerboy’s leadership position,” said Nelson Mair, managing director of LRG.

Retail expert and consultant, Brian Walker said Sneakerboy demonstrated the best example of innovative retailing.

“Always a true customer centric, agile business, living, breathing and anticipating their customers lifestyles, and this is the secret of their success,” said Walker, CEO of Retail Doctor.

“Their mantra is not about how to win in competition, rather their driving DNA is to be an integral element of their customers lifestyles. They don’t push the edge of the envelope, they are the edge and the results take care of themselves.”

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