WDC Spaces, the retail and interior design division of Manchester-based WDC Creative, has supported the development and rollout of HOKA’s new store at Cheshire Oaks, helping the global performance footwear brand translate its retail identity into a factory outlet environment.
The project required a different approach from HOKA’s full-price stores. Factory outlets typically accommodate a greater volume and density of stock, including previous-season and clearance lines, while operating at a lower level of investment.
WDC Spaces worked with HOKA to identify the elements of its retail experience that were most important to retain and where the concept could be adapted to suit the commercial demands of the outlet format.
This included cost engineering the scheme while protecting the visual cues, materials and customer-facing details that give the environment a recognisable HOKA feel. With more stock on display and customers arriving with a stronger product- and value-led mindset, navigation, merchandising and ease of shopping were also important considerations.
Debby Lovell, lead interior designer on the project, said: “A factory outlet has a different job to do, and the design needs to recognise that. There will naturally be more product, different stock requirements and a greater emphasis on value, so simply replicating a flagship environment doesn’t always make commercial sense. Our job is to understand what is essential to the brand experience, protect those elements and find the right way to deliver them for the format.”
The project reflects WDC Spaces’ wider work helping brands maintain consistency across varied retail portfolios, from flagships and full-price stores to concessions and factory outlets. Working across concept development, retail rollout and delivery, the team considers how a brand should be expressed across different locations, budgets and customer missions.
This distinction is particularly important within outlet retail. Over-simplifying a concept can create an environment that feels disconnected from the wider brand, while recreating a flagship in full may result in unnecessary investment and fail to reflect how customers use the store. The aim is to create a recognisable part of the same brand world, designed specifically around the commercial requirements and customer expectations of the outlet channel.
The new HOKA store at Cheshire Oaks Designer Outlet is now open.
