Inside LSKD’s retail strategy with Chief Retail Officer Alex Shaughnessy

re partner, and why the future of stores lies beyond the transaction. Shopping Centre News (SCN): LSKD is expanding aggressively at a time when many retailers are reducing physical footprints. What gives you confidence to keep investing in bricks-and-mortar retail? Alex Shaughnessy (AS): Our retail strategy has always been driven by our community. While the broader industry is becoming more cautious, we’re continuing to see strong demand for physical spaces that offer more than just a transaction. Our stores are designed to be community hubs – places where people can connect, experience the brand in real life, and then carry that connection into how they engage with us online. That gives us the confidence to keep investing rather than pulling back. We see retail as a long-term brand experience platform, not just a sales channel. It all comes back to consistently showing up for our community and being 1 per cent better every day – listening more closely, refining the experience, and continually improving how we show up through our product, our people, and our spaces. SCN: You’re forecasting 40 Australian stores by the end of 2026. What are the key metrics or signals you look for when deciding a market is ready for an LSKD store? AS: We look at a combination of factors before opening in a new market. We’ve built strong communities across Australia that give us valuable insight into where there is demand and alignment for future stores. If we see people consistently showing up, engaging with the brand and asking us to open in their area, that’s a really strong signal. We also look at the local lifestyle. We want to be in places where health, fitness and community are already part of everyday life – surrounded by gyms, cafés and like-minded people that align with our culture. Ultimately, we want to open stores where our existing community is already, while also creating opportunities to welcome new people into the brand. SCN: How has the relationship between e-commerce and stores evolved for LSKD over the past few years? AS: LSKD was built as a digital-first, direct-to-consumer brand, so our relationship with our community was originally built online. Since opening our first store in 2022, we’ve seen retail and e-commerce move from being separate channels to becoming two parts of one connected brand experience. Our stores give people the opportunity to experience our product, our people and our culture in real life, while digital gives our community the flexibility to shop with us whenever and wherever they choose. Services like Click & Collect and Ship to Community have helped bridge that gap even further, making the journey between online and in-store feel seamless. For us, it’s not about e-commerce versus retail, it’s about creating one consistent LSKD experience, no matter how our community chooses to engage with us. SCN: You’ve described the new concept as “community-led” and “highly experiential”. What does that look like operationally on a day-to-day basis? AS: Being community-led isn’t something we activate just for launch events – it’s built into how our stores operate every day. It starts with our teams creating genuine connections and ensuring everyone who walks through the doors feels welcomed, understood and supported. Our stores are also designed as gathering points for the community, with run clubs, workouts, workshops and athlete events bringing people together beyond shopping. Just as importantly, our teams are constantly listening to our community and using those insights to continue improving the experience. For us, community-led means creating spaces where people feel connected to the brand and know their voice matters. SCN: What design decisions were specifically made to improve customer flow and shopping intuition in the new format? AS: The biggest shift was moving away from a traditional category-based layout and towards what we call “outfit destinations”. We know our community doesn’t always shop by individual product category, they’re often looking for a complete solution, whether that’s an outfit for training, running errands, or everyday movement. The new format makes it easier for a community to discover how pieces work together, while creating a more intuitive and inspiring journey through the store. We’ve also introduced stronger storytelling elements throughout the space to bring the brand, products and community moments to life. While the new concept builds on the community-focused elements that have always been part of our stores, it creates a more immersive experience that better reflects how our community lives, shops and engages with LSKD. SCN: What makes a landlord or shopping centre operator a strong long-term partner for LSKD? AS: The strongest partners are the ones who understand our vision and see the relationship as more than a traditional lease agreement. They’re willing to collaborate with us to create a precinct experience that delivers value for both the centre and the community. That includes supporting opportunities beyond the four walls of the store, such as community events, activations and experiences, as well as having a considered approach to the overall tenancy mix. The right location isn’t just about finding available space – it’s about finding a precinct where the brand, the community and the surrounding environment naturally align. Often, finding the right location is a long-term process, and the best partnerships are built through open conversations and shared vision well before a store opens. That alignment is what creates a successful partnership over time. SCN: Do you think premium retail environments are becoming more important as brands try to create deeper customer engagement? AS: Absolutely. At our stage of growth, physical retail has become an important expression of who we are as a brand, and the environment we create plays a huge role in that. For us, it’s not just about creating a visually appealing space, it’s about designing an experience that reflects how our community shops, what they value and how we want them to feel when they walk through the doors. The aesthetic of the store is important in bringing our brand DNA to life, but the deeper connection comes from the details: the layout; the way our teams interact with community; the ability to discover products and the sense of belonging people feel within the space. SCN: What retail trends are you most optimistic about over the next five years? AS: I’m most excited about the continued evolution of retail from transactional spaces into places where people genuinely want to spend time. We’ll continue to see the growth of experiential, community-led retail, where brands build deeper connections beyond the purchase. The relationship between physical and digital will also become increasingly seamless. Customers don’t think in channels – they simply expect an easy, connected experience wherever they engage with a brand. We’re also seeing wellness and active lifestyles become a bigger part of everyday life, with activewear continuing to move beyond fitness and into daily wardrobes. For LSKD, this creates an exciting opportunity to keep building spaces and experiences that reflect how our community lives. SCN: Five years from now, what do you want people to say about the LSKD retail experience? AS: I want people to say that walking into an LSKD store, anywhere in the world, felt like stepping into a community – not just entering a retail space. Of course, we want people to love our products, but the experience should be remembered just as much for the people they met, the connections they made, and the energy they felt inside the store. If we’ve done our job well, LSKD retail won’t be seen just as a place where people shop – it will be recognised as a space where people feel welcomed, inspired and like they truly belong. SCN: What’s one thing about your retail strategy that would surprise most landlords or shopping centre executives? AS: I think what surprises many of our partners is the strength and energy of the communities that form around our stores. Every opening feels unique because each location has its own local community, and our goal is to build a genuine connection with them from day one. The energy around our launches is something special, but what’s even more important is what happens after opening day, how those relationships continue to grow through events, activations and everyday interactions in-store. It may also surprise people that we look beyond traditional retail metrics. Sales are obviously important, but we also closely track community engagement and customer sentiment because a store’s long-term success is measured by the strength of the relationships it builds. This article is featured in the latest issue of SCN magazine