18 October 2022

CASTELLI CELEBRATES OPENING OF NEW FLAGSHIP STORE IN GIRONA

Castelli celebrated the flagship store’s opening with a public all-day event on Saturday, October 15, that included a social gravel ride and an evening opening party. Several of the brand’s professional and ex-pro athletes participated, including Nathan Haas, Sandra Alonso, Rory Sutherland, and Fran Ventoso, among others. The event was also attended by Spanish and international cycling media.

THE FLAGSHIP STORE

The Italian brand has just opened its first flagship store in the heart of Girona, Spain, the cycling capital of Europe. Located at Carrer Nou 25, on one of the city’s main shopping streets, the 275-square-meter space has been designed to showcase a more comprehensive Castelli product range along with the brand’s cycling heritage and passion for innovation. The spacious store is designed to showcase the products with a full “complete the kit” experience and plenty of fitting rooms. Multiple LED displays around the store add further product and brand enhancement, highlighting the latest product stories. The store also features a small cycling heritage space celebrating some of the many teams and athletes Castelli has outfitted over the years.

A knowledgeable, passionate, and friendly staff team is on hand to answer any questions and assist customers in selecting the perfect kit. In addition, the store will become a meetup location for regular rides and other Castelli events and activities, including evening talks, technical “how to dress” tutorials, and Zwift events.

THE FUTURE, BLENDING THE ONLINE AND PHYSICAL STORE

The store will, in the future, blend the digital with the physical to create a unique and immersive consumer retail experience that includes providing complete product information immediately at customers’ fingertips via dedicated digital display screens. The flagship store is already selling Castelli’s new 2022 Fall/Winter collection, and by the end of 2022 it will introduce a designated custom clothing space with a configurator for customers to customize and design their personal jersey or team kit. The culture of and passion for cycling will be further enhanced by a dedicated mechanic workshop space so customers can have a complete bicycle tune-up while they browse the Castelli range.

WHY GIRONA?

The Catalan township of Girona might be little known to anyone outside the cycling world. Still, this small city north of Barcelona has become the European cycling capital in the last 20 years. Hundreds of pro riders live there, and tens of thousands of keen amateurs visit yearly for their holidays.

“There has never been any doubt about finding the perfect location for Castelli’s first flagship store; Girona is our ‘second home,’” said Steve Smith, Castelli brand manager. “Over the past few years Girona has become the Mecca for cyclists. At least once in your cycling life you need to make a pilgrimage to experience the roads, trails and culture of Girona.” The Girona area has played an essential role for Castelli over the years, as many of the brand’s professional and amateur athletes use Girona as their home base for much of the season, and many decide to stay there after retiring from the WorldTour. “And, while the news has been all about shops closing after the pandemic shakeout, we are excited and confident that the right kind of physical brand and product presence still has a powerful role to play in delighting customers and building long-lasting brand relationships,” Smith added.

CASTELLI HISTORY

Over the last 146 years, Castelli has been the tailor for the cycling champions and has always represented the finest Italian quality and most innovative clothing for cyclists seeking maximum performance. Castelli has welcomed some of the sport’s biggest stars, from early cycling heroes such as Fausto Coppi and Alfredo Binda to 2022 world champion Remco Evenepoel. Castelli has led the way in the road cycling and triathlon markets and introduced some of the most innovative products. Since its inception, Castelli has been at the forefront of cycling apparel technology, creating the first Lycra cycling shorts, the first anatomic seat pad, the first sublimated shorts and jerseys, the first windproof membranes, and garments such as the famous Gabba, which revolutionized foul-weather cycling apparel.