nbsp; The British-based gym and fitness apparel brand was initially launched in 2012 as a direct-to-consumer (DTC) business, but by 2020 had already received a valuation of $1.45 billion.  Two years later, it opened its first permanent physical store on Regent Street in London and subsequently established five additional locations across London, Manchester, Amsterdam, and Dubai.  Fast forward to October 11, and Gymshark is preparing to open its first permanent physical store in the US at Roosevelt Field shopping mall in Long Island, New York. How Gymshark plans to establish a physical presence in the US retail scene Hannah Mercer, Gymshark’s general manager of wholesale and retail, told Inside Retail that 50 per cent of the brand’s e-commerce sales today already derive from US-based customers.  “New York is such a fabulous city, so it’s amazing to go from hosting a pop-up shop in a tiny store 10 years ago to seeing the magnified presence we’re going to have in this new marketplace,” she said.   “First, with the Roosevelt Field location opening this Saturday and then the Bond Street opening towards the end of this year, we’re super excited to land physically in New York and look at other cities, like Miami and Los Angeles, further on.” Mercer added that Gymshark had primed itself for success with its strong understanding of the US consumer base, built on e-commerce data and knowledge gained through trial-and-error that took place when building the first few permanent stores.  The Roosevelt Field location, meanwhile, will create a proper “blueprint” upon which to design future US-based stores. “We want to maintain price points, and we don’t want to have a pricing surge to be able to be profitable,” she said.   “We want to maintain access to our product, so it’s very important to make sure that accessibility is key. The timing [of the Roosevelt Field store] isn’t by chance, it’s deliberate. It’s defined in terms of our knowledge, our data points, knowing our consumer and ultimately designing stores that are fit for purpose and for scalability in the future.” Aside from two locations in New York, in Long Island and in Manhattan, Mercer explained that the brand doesn’t have concrete plans in place yet for new store openings.  “Potentially, we’re looking to expand from the East Coast to the West Coast, so we’re active in our search for where we’re going next. Again, we want to make sure that the locations are right and that we land in the blueprint of how we’re showing up as Gymshark in the first round.” For the time being, Gymshark plans to inform and win over its American fan base through interesting influencer partnerships, such as the brand’s latest collaboration collection with Bronx-native Analis Cruz, city-exclusive merchandise and in-person brand experiences. Similar to the brand’s flagship store on Regent Street in Central London, Gymshark plans to host free, in-store classes and outside-of-store events in New York to engage with local shoppers and showcase the brand’s products’ peak gym properties.  Why a slow and steady approach is going to help Gymshark win the US retail market In today’s hypercompetitive market, it’s somewhat rare to see a successful apparel brand wait more than a few years, let alone a decade, to launch its first physical store.  However, Mercer explained that it is the brand’s intentionally cautious approach to expansion that will ultimately lead to its goal of becoming a ‘forever’ brand.  “You see many brands expanding rapidly across the world or in certain markets and not necessarily taking their time to get it right. For us, Gymshark wants to be a 100-year-old brand. We don’t want to be here now and disappear tomorrow. We want to build a legacy and have sustainable growth.” Prior to joining the Gymshark team in May 2024, Mercer gained extensive experience in the world of activewear, leading global teams for established brands such as Adidas and Nike.  “If I think about the bigger players I’ve worked with, a lot of the retail channels were already established.  “Then it was about looking at the profitability of the stores that had already landed in certain markets and making decisions about where to open and where to pull back distribution. With Gymshark, we’re writing the future. I want to do it right.” She explained that few brands can offer executives like herself a blank-sheet-of-paper-style opportunity to curate where a brand builds its next physical presence, which is why she and the Gymshark team are especially strategic in how they show up in the US retail market.  Judging from the success of the brand’s previous pop-up held in New York at the beginning of the year, it appears that Gymshark stands a solid chance of standing out within the US retail scene.