American brand New Balance has chosen Qianmen Avenue in Beijing for its new type of concept store, the New Balance Experience Store.

The atmosphere of the boutique has been designed to celebrate the hundred year history of the brand, with inspiration clearly taken from the 50’s and 60’s. The ground floor is completely dedicated to the brand’s history, presenting many vintage products and old logos with some of the items going back to 1910.

This floor aims to take visitors on a temporal journey through the generations that the brand has seen, from the past, through the present and on into the future. Further to the auditory and visual components of the level, which have been extensively thought out, an olfactory element has also been added: the designers have included diffusers which reproduce the smell of shoe shops as they were in the 1950’s.

“We are very excited by this new type of store which pays homage to our heritage, highlighting our innovations and setting new standards for our retailing in the international market,” stated Rob DeMartini, CEO of the brand. “The New Balance Experience Store in Beijing allows consumers to establish an individual link with our brand which is rich with 103 years of experience.”

By Jonathan Fulwell (Source: Matthieu Guinebault)