The biggest Swoosh store here is opening very soon. In four days’ time, to be precise

The biggest Nike store in town is ready to welcome shoppers in a matter of days. When we passed the purported flagship—simply called Nike Orchard Road (did STB influence the naming?🤔)—at the building known only as 268 early this afternoon, the façade-wide hoarding of the past months has been removed. The shape of the symmetrical shopfront can now be seen; it looked to truly occupy the width of the entire first floor. The glass frontage—no windows for displays, as we could make out—is presently plastered with a fit-to-each-corner sticker to obscure the interior. Above the main entrance is a Swoosh, lit in white, and underscored by a strip of a split screen that crowned the doorway, on which, we assume, scrollable messages will run. At the moment, the two-line static text read: “Nike like never before” and “a new store coming your way”. On the left of the frontage, the unambiguous announcement: “January 19”.

We took a peek through the gaps between the for-now-opaque glass doors (to the left, an image of a male runner and to the right, a female athlete in hijab-style headwear) and saw that the store is completed, fitted-out, fully lit. We could even sense the air-conditioning. In fact, some of the merchandise were already placed on the shelving, racks, and display islands. In the middle, after the entrance, half-a-dozen black mannequins, waited to be dressed. Three in the centre—female forms—struck what seemed to be yoga poses. One in a namaste position, presumably to welcome visitors. We looked up to the second level, but could not see much. Staffers were seen talking. It did not appear to be a site meeting. Laughter could be heard. There was a sense that Nike Orchard Road would be a cheerful store, if not a veritable retail theatre.

Look out for our post on our experience at the new Nike store. Photo: Chin Boh Kay