SPEEDO SA launches its first Concept Store in Cape Town

The first SPEEDO concept store to launch on the African continent has opened in Cape Town! The store is at Canal Walk, one of the city’s premier shopping centres. Swimming stars Natalie du Toit, Chad Ho and Herman Heerden were among the special guests at the opening on 18 November.

Canal Walk is home to 400 shops and restaurants, including a host of top ended branded stores, so it makes sense for the world’s swim lifestyle brand to make the centre its home too.

Manufacturers of the world’s best swimwear since the 1920’s, SPEEDO is synonymous with high-performance swim wear and supporting products for competitive swimmers, as well as everyday fashion-forward beach and poolside gear for non-competitive customers.

Not only is the local SPEEDO concept store be the first to launch in Africa, it will also be the prototype concept store across the globe. The store design is clean, fresh, eco-savvy and uncomplicated, with unique features like modular fitting-room ‘pods’ with strategically placed cut-out pockets in the doors to help facilitate a more convenient fitting experience. The store is divided into two main sections with a black colour scheme denoting performance gear and red colour denoting everyday swimwear and fashion items.

The store will be a one-stop swimming sports and leisure information hub. In-store assistants will be trained to advise customers on all aspects of serious swim training, from nutritional advice, to preparing for competitive swims.

The SPEEDO concept store will showcase the widest selection collection of SPEEDO swimwear and equipment available in Africa. Highlights of the range include key items like the iconic high-performance LZR Racer swimsuit, distinctive SPEEDO footwear, the range of SPEEDO swimwear that appears in the annual local Sports Illustrated swimwear edition, and the Aquabeat, the world’s first underwater MP3 player. To co-incide with the launch, world renowed 3D artist Manfred Stader is creating a unique artwork in Canal Walk's Centre Court which will be on display until 29 November 2010.