Vans set to open its largest store in Europe on Oxford Street

Action sports and lifestyle brand Vans has revealed it will open its hotly anticipated new 4,700 sq ft flagship at 214 Oxford Street on 21 November – it will be its largest store in Europe to date.

Occupying the former Miss Selfridge site, the Vans Oxford Street store launch is part of a wider UK retail transformation, which has seen Vans refit existing stores, including the brand’s store on Carnaby Street. Vans also opened a boutique store at 42 Neal Street in Covent Garden last month.

The new Oxford Street location will “expand beyond a traditional retail space” and will play host to a "Customs Lab", where consumers will be able to creatively express themselves by customising their purchases.

Vans’ in-store artists will be on hand to assist in the process, offering a wide range of artistic tools that can be used to customise any of the store’s products. Alongside men’s, women’s and children’s apparel and footwear, the space will also be the go-to destination for Vans pro-skate and surf ranges.

The store’s official opening on 21 November falls on "Vans Checkerboard Day". This annual event champions and inspires creative expression globally and provides fans the opportunity to participate in creative activations and give back to organisations that support creative expression. A $1 million donation to Imagination.org through global sales will kick off this inaugural celebration.

The new addition to Oxford Street at such a prime location by Oxford Circus – near the Nike flagship store – is a further sign of the growing importance of sports brands to the fashion market, and the dominant position trainers now hold in the footwear sector.