Bershka Inaugurates Its New Store Concept on Gran Vía

Madrid – Bershka, the prominent youth fashion chain and the second-largest in terms of business volume within the Inditex group, continues to advance in the implementation of its innovative store model, which has recently arrived in the vibrant city of Madrid. In this context, a renewed “flagship store” of the brand has opened in the iconic and always busy Gran Vía, a space where the brand has begun to offer its most up-to-date aesthetic, as well as an omnichannel shopping experience that combines the physical and digital realms.

Over the past few months, FashionUnited has provided details about this new store model, which Bershka first introduced in September 2023 with the reopening of its renovated “flagship store” on Corso Vittorio Emanuele II in Milan. Since then, the brand has worked to implement this model in its key points of sale worldwide. This process has been made possible through collaborations with various architecture and interior design firms, allowing the brand to “refresh” both the aesthetics and the shopping experience in its most iconic stores located in cities such as Paris, Valencia, La Coruña, Barcelona, and Mexico City.

One of the surprises has been the delay in introducing this new concept in Madrid, a key commercial center not only in Spain but internationally. However, this situation was rectified at the end of last week with the reopening of the Bershka store on Gran Vía. This establishment has completed a renovation process that has taken place over several months, with the goal of implementing the new store model in the heart of the capital, making it the primary “flagship store” of the chain in the entire city.

The new store features a retail space of 1,200 square meters spread over three floors. It is located on the lower floors of a 19th-century building at number 25 on Gran Vía, which is almost entirely occupied by the Hotel Madrid Gran Vía 25, part of the Affiliated by Meliá chain. This strategic location is just steps away from the iconic Puerta del Sol and in front of the historic Telefónica Building, making the store a focal point of Madrid’s commercial landscape.

The renovation of the space has once again been carried out by Castel Estudio, an interior design and architecture firm based in Barcelona, which regularly collaborates with Bershka’s internal architecture and interior design department for the implementation of this new store concept in its key points of sale. This model has been successfully implemented in stores such as the one in Mexico City, and in this case, it has been adapted for Gran Vía with a more contained aesthetic compared to previous stores. This choice responds to the visual saturation of the environment, prompting Castel, in collaboration with the Bershka team, to opt for a simplified visual approach for this renovated “flagship store.”

The interior design of the store has incorporated the brutalist architecture of the premises, where structural elements such as beams and industrial concrete pillars are prominently featured. This approach has allowed for the creation of an environment that utilizes few, neutral materials, ensuring that the clothing and its colors take center stage. The different levels of the store are connected by stairs treated as sculptural elements in wood and metal, as well as modern panoramic elevators.

In line with the guidelines of its new store model, the space presents itself as a large, empty, and neutral container, where Bershka’s collections emerge as the main protagonists of the space. Service elements such as cash registers, fitting rooms, and return points are strategically located in distinctive “islands,” while communication areas are visually appealing, facilitating their quick identification by consumers.

The three floors of the new store have been organized as follows: the main floor, at street level, will showcase Bershka’s various offerings for girls, while the stairs and panoramic elevators provide access to the basement, dedicated to the brand’s youth-oriented line, BSK. Lastly, the first floor will be reserved for men’s fashion proposals, accompanied by attractive visual elements such as screens and supporting furniture.

Regarding product display, notable features have been created, such as an imposing stone wall at the entrance that articulates product layout and generates a visual flow throughout the space. The checkout area is situated within a rectangle of columns topped with a luminous ceiling, creating an architectural effect that clearly identifies it. The store’s lighting has been designed with a square grid of light, an iconic element that provides warmth and visual comfort, contributing to making the customer shopping experience the top priority. The large installation of LED screens, for its part, invites customers to explore the space.

To celebrate the reopening of the Bershka store on Gran Vía, the youth fashion chain has conducted two special activations aimed at highlighting the increasingly “experiential” approach they seek to promote within the Bershka customer community. The first of these activations was a live broadcast from the British radio platform NTS, which curated the music selection played in Bershka stores. This broadcast took place from a temporary “radio station” set up inside the store for the reopening, featuring a live show curated by local singer Judeline, alongside emerging national music talents such as Amore, Dowopz, and Loyalty XIX. As part of this initiative, Judeline also appeared as the “guest artist” at the opening party organized by Bershka at the Fitz venue in Madrid, where DJ sessions were presented by artists like Nusar3000, Toccororo, and Bruni.

As a second activation, two mirrors featuring augmented reality technology have been temporarily installed inside Bershka Gran Vía, as part of the “AR Mirrors” experience that the chain is offering for this reopening. Through these mirrors, customers can try on different products from the new “Bershka Gen” collection using exclusive filters. By scanning the QR code located on the “AR Mirrors,” customers can access the Digital Fitting Room in the Bershka app, allowing them to use additional filters from their mobile devices and share content on their social media.

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