Australia’s most popular destination for sporting goods, rebel, is opening the doors to its new flagship store at Emporium Melbourne on Thursday, 30 November. The store is the brand’s largest health and wellbeing destination to date.
The flagship store has been designed to be a hyper-immersive sporting and fitness experience, boasting a NBA-sized ‘Stephen Curry Rooftop Court’ half-court where shoppers can shoot some hoops while taking in the Melbourne CBD landscape, a dedicated Yoga and Wellness zone and the ‘rebel FIT LAB’; with 3D scanning and pressure plate technology to help customers find their perfect fit. The space also includes interactive digital games in a Football Zone, including AFL game ‘Take The Mark and soccer games ‘Top Bins’ and ‘Match the Footy.’
Rebel’s NBA-sized ‘Stephen Curry Rooftop Court’ half-court
The entire store is enveloped in custom Brolga artwork – a nod to the character and connection of Melbourne’s street art culture, and features a specially commissioned wall to ceiling mural by local Melbourne artist Rory Lynch-Wells – elevating the store far beyond the typical brick-and-mortar.
Gordon White, Emporium Melbourne’s Centre Manager, hailed the precinct’s new rebel flagship as a game-changer for the CBD. Emphasising Vicinity’s commitment to customer needs and wants, White stated, “This location isn’t just a store; it’s a dynamic and interactive experience. With this opening Emporium Melbourne continues to evolve into a destination where key retail moments redefine the shopping landscape, ensuring every visit leaves a lasting and premium impression.”
Situated on a 3,600m2 footprint, the store is located on Level 4 at Emporium Melbourne and stocks rebel’s largest range of products including its signature label Ell&Voo, amongst global sporting icons Nike, adidas, Under Armour and Asics. The store will provide an elevated experience for customers specifically across its Women’s Apparel, Footwear and Football Categories.
The flagship transforms the typical retail experience following the brand’s rcX (rebel Customer Experience) model, where shoppers can expect an ultra-immersive way to browse, shop and trial the latest sporting goods. It also features a dedicated ‘HER’ Zone; ‘THE FIT STUDIO’ designed in partnership with Nike, offering an elevated, private and highly curated space specifically designed for female shoppers to browse bras, tights and accessories, with customisable lighting in the change rooms to suit any usage scenario – be it a fitness studio, the gym or outdoor space.
rebel GM Portfolio Strategy, Ryan Pittaway said, “The rebel flagship at Emporium Melbourne represents a new era for rebel’s physical stores. It’s a hub where sporting enthusiasts can immerse themselves in the experience zones, play on the Stephen Curry Rooftop Court and browse the latest products from the world’s best sporting brands. It’s so much more than a retail destination, and we couldn’t be prouder to unveil it to the public and welcome eager fans in-store.”
Danny Lattouf, Chief Strategy Officer at The General Store added: “This is a really special one-of-a-kind sporting destination that took a talented village to create. It was such a great experience to work with an amazing team of partners from all over the world on this game-changing project.
“Rebel is leading the way in creating high-impact retail experiences and this hyper-immersive flagship store is a reflection of consumers’ increasing desire to be entertained and educated by brands.”
To celebrate the opening, rebel is offering the first 85 customers in store an $85 gift voucher, as well as a range of Spend & Save offers exclusive to the Emporium Melbourne store. Punters can also meet and greet AFL, AFLW, NRL, Soccer and Basketball sporting talent in-store from Thursday 30 November to Sunday 3 December.
Shoppers will also be invited to attend a free Under Armour activation at the Stephen Curry Rooftop Court hosted by NBL Champion and Sports Broadcaster Peter Hooley who will lead panel discussions with Under Armour and basketball athletes and personalities, as well as dunking displays, ‘Curry Shot Clock Challenge’ competition, DJ, basketball trivia, prize giveaways and more from 4pm on Thursday, 30 November.
