Product feature: Run247 columnist Kirsty Reade reports from The North Face's flagship store launch at 290 Regent Street, London
You don’t tend to see many people dressed in ‘full-on mountain climbing in sub-zero conditions’ attire on a fairly muggy October day in central London:
The North Face were marking the opening of their new store on Regent Street by sending these no doubt very hot adventurers out onto the street and if you snapped them and posted photos with ‘#SpotTheExplorer’ you could win some lovely prizes.
And it was quite fitting that just as these adventurers stood out from the crowds, so the beautiful new The North Face store stands out from the sea of clothing stores, mobile phone shops and coffee shops in Regent Street. Hooray for a place to lose yourself in central London, if you like a bit of adventure in your life.
And there’s a lot of stuff for runners in this new store. Firstly there is the beautiful range of running clothing to look at. TNF are a company who walks the walk and you know that their running clothes and shoes have been rigorously tested by their awesome athletes.
Secondly, the store are putting on a series of events such as organised runs, screenings of adventure films and even weekly Mountain Athletics training sessions. So you can get inspiration and get fitter by visiting the new store. They even have lockers where you can leave your stuff while you go for a run. This is a massive bonus for commuters like me who want to go for a run in a nice London park after work but don’t want to spend £8 per hour for a locker at the train station.
Lastly, the new store makes fantastic use of digital screens all around, showing footage of TNF athletes on their adventures. Watch athletes like Lizzy Hawker and Jez Bragg running in awe inspiring places, then go back to your place of work and plot your next adventure.
If you’re in Central London get yourself down to the new store, take your kit and get involved in some of the events. Or, better still, forget your kit so you’ll have to buy some lovely new North Face running stuff.
