As statement store expansions go, this is big. Retailer Go Outdoors has reopened its York flagship at the Vangarde Shopping Park, now measuring 125,000 sq ft. That makes it the biggest ever outdoor store in Europe, never mind the UK.

The record-breaking store hosts over 30 branded concession areas including the biggest Yeti store in Europe as well as a new Garmin store with the most extensive range on display in the UK. 

In all, over 380 brands combine to cover walking, camping & caravanning, watersports, running, fishing, horse riding and climbing.

Brands include Sweaty Betty, Under Armour, Regatta X Orla Kiely, Crewe Clothing, Hunter, Spotty Otter, Thule and Karcher. 

It also features the first Adidas Terrex in-store concession in the UK, Stanley’s largest store in Europe, a Whitestores Outdoor living store, Leisure Lakes latest cycling concept store and the UK’s first Jessops discovery store.

Creating 42 new jobs, with 28 employees joining from the old Go Outdoors York store, experts will also be on hand to assist members of the public with helmet, boot and backpack fittings as well as bike and kit repairs. There will be interactive concepts with OS reality maps and a dedicated mountaineering area. 

An official grand opening, scheduled across the weekend of 7/8 September, will see its brand ambassador and TV star Helen Skelton cutting the ribbon giving customers the opportunity to meet with brand experts from Garmin, Adidas Terrex, Hunter, Montane, The North Face and Thule, to name just a few.

Go Outdoors CEO Lee Bagnall called it a “game-changing flagship store”.  

Deb O’Donnell, Centre Manager at Vangarde Shopping Centre, added that as well as being “a dedicated space for our outdoor-loving customers, [it] also provides a community hub where customers can relax, meet and enjoy their shopping time.”