DENVER — A spectrum of retail industry professionals gathered at the Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel for the second day of VMSD magazine’s International Retail Design Conference, which featured a conversation with Toni Roeller, SVP of In-Store Environment at Dick’s Sporting Goods (Coraopolis, PA).
In the sit-down with VMSD Editor-in-Chief Jennifer Acevedo, Roeller described how the retailer has turned to experiential design in order to forge stronger connections with its customers. “It’s a journey, it doesn’t happen overnight,” she said, foreshadowing the projects Dick’s has planned in the near future.
Roeller said Dick’s is planning a third location for its new House of Sport concept, which focuses on multi-sport experiences, better shopper engagement and elevated customer service.
The inspiration for the concept, she explained, came from a sense among the retailer’s braintrust that athletes needed a place to go. To that end, House of Sport was designed as a “community hub” that would offer product trials, in-store classes and other interactive experiences that shoppers would remember.
Roeller also shared how the sporting goods retailer is examining which stores are the best candidates for remodeling, cautioning that brands can atrophy if they don’t reinvest in their physical footprint.
She explained how Dick’s visual merchandising has evolved in recent years to create environments that help people “see themselves in the sport they’re passionate about.” As for the company’s Golf Galaxy subsidiary, Roeller is helping chart a new concept for the brand that delivers a “more intimate” experience for golfers.