Featured image credit: Steve Daniels/CC BY-SA 2.0/Edited for size
English Premier League club Newcastle United has opened a new retail store at St. James’ Park after a significant investment was carried out in partnership with kit provider Adidas.
The new-look store opened for the first time yesterday (Wednesday) ahead of Newcastle’s 2-0 win over Chelsea in the Carabao Cup. The store is located at the Gallowgate End of the stadium.
Newcastle’s in-house retail and operations teams have worked with Adidas to create a new “best-in-class” retail experience. The store will offer a wide range of kit and official product lines, and will include more till points, a new kit customisation area, and immersive imagery and video content.
The store also features a new experiential zone with an 8K LED screen, as well as a 10-metre steel replica of the Tyne Bridge.
Peter Silverstone, Newcastle’s chief commercial officer, said: “Alongside our partners, Adidas, we have invested significantly into the store, and we are delighted to present our supporters with, what we believe, will be a world-class retail experience.
“We would like to put on record our sincere appreciation for all the support provided to us by Adidas, alongside the many other contributors and contractors who supported the project. We have focused on enhancing every aspect of the store, from recognising our history and heritage in the design, through to creating an immersive digital experience, whilst striving to deliver exceptional service, even on busy matchdays.”
The new store has opened as Newcastle considers plans for the wider redevelopment of St. James’ Park.
Earlier this month, the club announced that it would enter a “decision stage” for its stadium development plans in early 2025. Newcastle has engaged CAA Icon to conduct a feasibility study of St. James’ Park, and it has been reported that the club could face a bill of between £800m (€948m/$1bn) and £1bn should it choose to remain at a redeveloped stadium.
Newcastle’s plans reportedly centre on the expansion and redevelopment of both the East Stand and Gallowgate End, which would increase the stadium’s capacity from around 52,000 to more than 60,000.
St. James’ Park is among the bigger stadiums in the Premier League, but expansion has been restricted by its proximity to residential areas. Since Newcastle was bought by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund in October 2021, expansion and improvement of the stadium has been viewed as a key priority.
The club has undertaken improvement works at St. James’ Park since the takeover, with a new fan zone opening next to the stadium ahead of the start of the 2024-25 season.
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