Saucony has landed in London.

Located at 4 James Street in the heart of Covent Garden, the new 3,695-sq.-ft. store spans two floors and aims to serve as a hub for London’s running and sneaker communities.

The Wolverine Worldwide-owned brand added that the store “draws inspiration from the river that inspired the brand’s name, featuring natural, flowing architectural elements and textural finishes designed to evoke Saucony’s heritage while creating a calming and welcoming environment.”

Cameron Black, vice president of EMEA at Saucony, told FN in an interview ahead of the opening that this new store is a “key part” of the shoe label’s brand building strategy.

“For a brand that has been very focused on wholesale, physical stores provide us with the ability to talk to engage with consumers in a way that we would never otherwise, really do on a daily basis,” Black said. “As we learn from these in-person environments, it will help shape the brand to ultimately be more consumer oriented.”

The executive added that the other key factor was making an impact in such a global and influential city was important for the brand’s growth.

“In early 2024, we were looking into how we can accelerate growth in the brand and where we can invest,” Black noted. “While looking at Europe, we made the decision to focus our energy on London with our sponsorship on the London 10K race. We also showed up at the London marathon last year for the first time in a very big way. These all led up to this moment we have now. So, we are super excited.”

Black added that James Street, where the new store is located, is the busiest street in terms of football in all of Europe. He noted that 44 million people will be going past the new Saucony store annually, with an estimated 600,000 consumers walking in the door every year. “That’s going to have a very positive impact,” he said.

The “impact” of the company’s new London store was first teased in December in an exclusive interview with Chris Hufnagel, chief executive officer of Wolverine Worldwide.

“There’s just tons of foot traffic and good tenants next to us, so we’re excited,” Hufnagel told FN at the time – which was his first major interview since becoming CEO. “I love the fact of going up against the competition. I love sitting next to them and seeing how we’re doing versus how they’re doing. Saucony competes against some amazing brands, and I think if we want to be in the discussion with those brands, we have to show up. So, I think it’ll be good for our brands, good for our teams, good for our consumers, and certainly good for competition.”

As for what consumers can expect to see inside the store once it opens on Saturday, Black noted that there will be a dedicated areas for events like product launches and collaborations, as well as 100 community lockers available for runners to store their belongings during community activations. The location also features an in-store coffee station, dynamic lighting and DJ decks, the exec said.

Black also teased a new try-on experience that will be available at the store.

“We’ve built a treadmill into the floor and created a screen that wraps all the way around to your peripheral vision,” the exec explained. “Content will play on the screen so that you can actually feel like you are running the London 10K from within the store. We wanted to provide a dynamic and experiential moment for consumers to try on the shoes and really decide if this is the right fit for them. It’s also about creating moments where people want to be in the store for longer and enjoy the space.”

More moments are expected to cap off the store’s grand opening weekend. Visitors to the store can look forward to bespoke in-store customization experiences, live DJ sets and exclusive giveaways, as well as a first look at Saucony’s latest run and lifestyle collections.

The brand also said that the first 100 customers will receive a one-of-a-kind gift to commemorate the occasion, with “additional surprises” in the works.

Following its grand opening, the store will host a regular program of events, including community collaborations, training sessions, workshops and community runs. The first major activations will take place throughout the week leading up to the Saucony London 10K, which takes place on July 13, and the Saucony Shoreditch 10K on Sept. 21.

The opening comes one month after Saucony posted double-digit growth in the first quarter of 2025. At Saucony, net sales in Q1 were $129.8 million, a 29.6 percent increase from $100.1 million just a year ago.

As for the whole company, total revenue in the first quarter of 2025 for Wolverine Worldwide was $412.3 million, up 4.4 percent from $394.9 million the same time last year. Ongoing total revenue in Q1 – which excludes the results of the Sperry business, which was sold in January 2024 – was also $412.3 million, an increase of 5.5 percent from $390.8 million the prior year period.