Nike to open Ireland’s first Nike Unite concept store at Blanchardstown Centre

Nike has agreed a deal to open its first Nike Unite store in Ireland at the Blanchardstown Centre in Dublin.

The new 11,000 sq ft outlet, which will replace the US-headquartered sportswear giant’s existing factory store at the adjacent Westend Retail Park, is expected to open for business on the ground floor of the Blanchardstown Centre in mid-2023 according to sources familiar with the plan. The Nike Unite store will occupy a prime trading position next to the scheme’s existing JD Sports and Lifestyle outlets.

Nike Unite represents a relatively new sales strategy for the company. Introduced in the United States towards the end of 2020, the concept aims to “help locals connect more closely with sport”, using “new in-and-out-of-store experiences”. Apart from focusing on hiring local employees, Unite stores feature in-store design elements that reflect Nike’s partnership’s with local athletes and local landmarks.

The news of Nike’s decision to open its first Irish Unite store at the Blanchardstown Centre follows Zara’s recent move to increase its presence at the centre. The Spanish-owned fashion retailer has struck a deal for a new outlet on the second floor, bringing its footprint at Blanchardstown from 16,000 sq ft to 52,000sq ft. The premises, which had been occupied by Debenhams previously, will accommodate Zara’s womenswear, menswear, childrenswear and accessories collections

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Earlier this year, premium fashion group Flannels signed for the ground floor of Debenhams’ former premises in Blanchardstown. At 45,000 sq ft, the space is the larger of the two outlets committed to by the UK retailer in the Irish market to date. Last March, Flannels, which is part of Mike Ashley’s Frasers Group, agreed to occupy 30,000 sq ft, or half the retail space at the Clerys Quarter on O’Connell Street in Dublin city centre.