Retail Awards : Sport Chalet's 'Next Generation' store wins 2013 ICSC Design Award

LOS ANGELES, Dec. 18, 2013 -- Honored for groundbreaking retail design, Sport Chalet, a specialty sporting goods retailer, received the 2013 Silver Design and Development Award from the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC). The accolade recognizes Sport Chalet's FIGat7th Downtown Los Angeles location for its professional store design and contribution to the success of the overall retail industry.

On the heels of this summer's grand opening, Sport Chalet's FIGat7th next generation store reflects innovative design elements, including flexible fixtures and modules that allow the store's footprint to be transformed within hours. It also houses the brand's landmark Expert Center, which is located in the middle of the store and boasts an open arena for hosting classes and clinics that encourage consumers of all experience levels to discover something new and embrace an active lifestyle.

Designed by the Los Angeles office of Gensler, the leading global design firm, the concept provides a distinct visual identity that elevates the retailer's offerings as the go-to urban resource for sporting gear, advice and support from Sport Chalet's resident staff of Experts.

"We wanted to create a store experience that matched the brand's aesthetic, and appealed to a particular audience of active city dwellers," said Craig Levra, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Sport Chalet. "For us, the FIGat7th location defines the future of retail and how our stores must remain agile to meet the evolving needs of today's consumers. It's extremely rewarding to be recognized for this innovative achievement that reflects the passions and vision of our team at Sport Chalet."

Throughout its history, ICSC has recognized and honored the shopping center industry's most cutting-edge properties, innovative solutions and creative responses to market trends, as well as outstanding examples of design and development around the world through its Global Awards programs.

ICSC announced the winners of the 2013 U.S. Design and Development Awards during an awards ceremony at ICSC's annual CenterBuild Conference in Phoenix, Ariz. The competition was open to shopping center owners, developers, management companies, architects, designers, retailers, or other professionals responsible for any retail project or retail store design that demonstrated unusual development or redevelopment characteristics with a high degree of creativity and uniqueness within the continental U.S.

The competition focused on four general categories: Innovative Design and Construction of a New Project; Renovation or Expansion of an Existing Project; Sustainable Design; and Retail Store Design.

For more information about Sport Chalet, or to find a nearby location, visit www.sportchalet.com. For additional media inquiries, contact spilsbury@formulapr.com.
 
About ICSC

Founded in 1957, ICSC is the premier global trade association of the shopping center industry. Its more than 60,000 members in over 100 countries include shopping center owners, developers, managers, marketing specialists, investors, retailers and brokers, as well as academics and public officials. As the global industry trade association, ICSC links with more than 25 national and regional shopping center councils throughout the world. 

For more information, visit www.icsc.org.
 
About Sport Chalet

Sport Chalet (Nasdaq:SPCHA) (Nasdaq:SPCHB) is a premier, full service specialty sporting goods retailer featuring the industry's top sports brands in apparel, footwear, and sports equipment. Founded in 1959 by Norbert Olberz, the company has 52 stores in Arizona, California, Nevada and Utah; an online store at www.sportchalet.com; a Team Sales division; and offers more than 50 specialty services for the sports enthusiast, including online same day delivery, climbing, backcountry skiing, ski mountaineering, avalanche education, and mountain trekking instruction, car rack installation, snowboard and ski rental and repair, Scuba training and certification, Scuba boat charters, team sales, gait analysis, baseball/softball glove steaming and lacing, racquet stringing, and bicycle tune-up and repair at its store locations.

For more information, visit Sport Chalet at www.sportchalet.com.

By press release