interactivity (with hand sanitisation stations in place of course), designed to allow customers to try before they buy. From the indoor football field and the basketball court to the smart watch station and e-gaming suite, the Rebel RCX concept is experiential retail at its finest.  “This is a fantastic store adaptation that ticks many boxes in terms of customer experience while enhancing rather than detracting from the product offer,” noted Retailer Awards judge, Dr Jason Pallant at Swinburne University. Rebel’s RCX concept has since rolled out to Parramatta and Miranda in Sydney and Chermside in Brisbane. By the end of the financial year, 40 stores will have undergone full refurbishments or had new RCX elements added to them. “The store is designed to inspire customers to pursue their sporting goals. It is our vision to inspire all Australians to chase their sporting dreams and passion, and the Rebel Parramatta store is a testament to that vision,” said Gary Williams, Rebel managing director.  “Rebel RCX Parramatta is the second rebel concept store of its kind. It is designed to inspire customers through a purpose-built sports store environment, including sporting experiences, exclusive products and Rebel experts to help every step of the way.” The basketball court at the new Rebel store in Chermside, Brisbane. While many may argue that 2020 was the year of e-commerce, the Rebel team swam against the tide and partnered with Nike to create a highly immersive, experiential store for customers, featuring elements such as: Immersive and customisable fitting rooms: Large rooms allowing customers to change the lighting for different environments, from the gym and studio to the outdoors; Click-and-collect service at storefront: Express lines and dedicated spaces for prompt and efficient experiences; Basketball court: Here, customers can try on basketball apparel, shoes and accessories in a real world setting; Football field: Featuring an Australian-first digital multi-ball experience across a 4-metre wide wall, with games designed exclusively for Rebel stores. Innovation room: Where partner brands bring to life interactive transitional experiences from month to month, such as the cusomisable Lebron James t-shirt activation at launch; Energy zone: Where key campaigns come to life with over-the-top merchandising and storytelling to engage customers in a more immersive way. Customisation counter: Where consumers can put their own spin on apparel, accessories and footwear; Fitness studio: Where customers can trial Rebel’s health and fitness equipment, from connected bikes to treadmills. The Home of Basketball at the Rebel RCX store in Parramatta in western Sydney. Image: Supplied When the RCX store was first unveiled in Doncaster, the results were positive, despite the challenging environment. “As much as traffic was significantly down, our conversion rates were significantly up over any other metrics we’ve ever experienced. They’ve converted at extremely high ratios, they’re company records for us because we’ve never seen conversion rates that high,” Rebel managing director Gary Williams told Inside Retail last year. Rebel has also experienced more than 60 per cent growth in sales and its Net Promoter Score has increased by more than 20 points. Meanwhile, the kids category has almost doubled in sales growth and new brands are now available at the store, with “phenomenal sell through”, such as Adidas Originals, selected Nike sportswear, Jaggad and exclusive styles across all categories. “We believe that we have developed a world’s best sporting retail store. There is no other sports retailer in the world that has brought together the best of experience and product and service in the way that our Parramatta store has,” said Lisa Doban, business manager at Rebel.  “It is a true representation of global learning and experience that has brought the very best of what’s possible into one incredible experience.”