Outdoor apparel, accessories and equipment retailer Blacks, which was acquired by the JD Group in 2012, is relaunching its retail and digital experience to reposition itself as the destination “where outdoor heritage meets modern, everyday style”. With technical outdoor clothing increasingly shaping how people dress, move and live every day - “from city streets to green spaces and beyond” - the aim is to reflect the growing cultural shift that has seen outdoor-inspired fashion “no longer confined to trails, expeditions or weekends away”. Described as a “bold new chapter”, five of Blacks’ ‘pinnacle’ stores, located in Aintree, Brighton, Glasgow, Harrogate and Meadowhall shopping centre in Sheffield, have been comprehensively refreshed to bring the new brand vision to life.
Each location has been reimagined as a space where technical innovation and modern design coexist, offering a more elevated and intuitive in-store experience, with cleaner layouts, improved navigation and better storytelling. Across all five stores, customers can shop a refined mix of premium and heritage brands across outdoor clothing, footwear and equipment, including Rab, Columbia, The North Face, Berghaus, Merrell, Salomon, Fjällräven and Yeti, alongside regular seasonal product drops designed to keep the experience fresh and relevant. The store refits coincide with the relaunch of the Blacks website, which goes live at 10am on 22 April, introducing a more modern, editorial-led digital experience for the retailer, which was founded in 1861.
Together, the refreshed stores and updated online platform will deliver a more seamless omnichannel journey, reflecting how today’s consumers browse, shop and engage with outdoor brands. Steve Knights, CEO of Blacks, said: “Blacks is evolving to reflect how outdoor lifestyles look today. Time spent in the city and outdoors increasingly overlaps, and our customers want gear that works across both.
“This relaunch brings together considered retail spaces, curated product ranges and a modern digital platform - all designed to deliver a more relevant, inspiring experience while staying true to our outdoor heritage.” Expert store teams will be on hand across all five revamped locations, providing tailored advice across footwear, apparel and equipment, alongside insights into local routes and outdoor spaces. Each store reopening will also be supported by a programme of local activations throughout May, including in-store events and community hikes, designed to bring people together, strengthen local outdoor communities and encourage participation beyond the shop floor.