Iconic department store Selfridges has opened what it purports to be the world’s first boxing gym within a department store.
The Boxing Gym is a fully-functioning in-store boxing gym located inside the luxury retailer’s Oxford Street flagship in London, and will open until the end of the month.
The gym is a collaboration with and run by BXR London, the first boutique boxing club launched in January last year by boxing superstar Anthony Joshua and a group of investment partners.
The 3500sq ft gym space is located on the lower ground floor of Selfridges’ flagship, and offers 20 heavy water-loaded rubber punch bags and a bespoke boxing ring where customers can book in 55-minute group boxing classes.
The gym’s residency is part of Lamyland, the opening act in a series of projects under a new umbrella campaign called Radical Luxury through which Selfridges is inviting customers to discuss the meaning of luxury.
Selfridges, which operates a total of four stores in the UK, is not the first department store to diversify its customer experience offering.
John Lewis recently launched a new concierge service at its brand new Oxford store as well as an in-store sleepover experience at its London flagship.
Meanwhile, both House of Fraser and Debenhams have included customer experience-centric initiatives in their respective five-year strategies, such as plans to open yoga studios or a champagne bar.
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