First look inside JD Sports flagship Churchill Square store

The huge new JD Sports store at Churchill Square shopping centre in Brighton opened earlier this month and has already proved popular with customers.

The chain previously had a site at the north west entrance of the shopping centre, but made the decision to move to a larger store as part of expansion plans.

Following the expansion, JD Sports in Brighton increased the size of its staffing team and says it could look to add a large number of seasonal roles in the future.

A spokeswoman for Churchill Square said: “The Churchill Square branch of JD Sports opened its doors to an all-new flagship store earlier this month, which is providing an elevated shopping experience for Brighton customers.

“It has also created ten new jobs, with potential recruitment for another 30 seasonal selling assistants.

“The move into the new unit has seen the sports and fashion retailer increase its trading space from 5,000 sq. ft. to an impressive 8,000 sq. ft.

“The shop is now also on one level, which has improved accessibility, created space for an additional eight till points and its Click and Collect service has been reintroduced.”

With the move to the larger store, the JD Sports shop in Brighton has been able to improve its product range giving customers more choice.

Its womenswear department has seen the greatest increase in size, with double the number of new brands available.

It now features Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger – including underwear ranges for both - alongside collections from Juicy Couture, Pink Soda and Under Armour.

Over in menswear, Nike has been allocated more space in the store with a greater variety of products now available.

There is a new, dedicated shop-in-shop to showcase the brand.

Clothes company Supply and Demand is also now back in store, while fellow fashion producers FILA and Duffer have been brought in for the first time.

Mark Buchanan-Smith, centre director at Churchill Square, said he is delighted with the upgrade of the store.

He said: “JD Sports has been an incredibly popular retailer among our customers for many years, and we are delighted by the results of the flagship store.

“This investment not only provides an exceptional customer experience, but also showcases the brand’s commitment to Churchill Square and Brighton, which is hugely encouraging.

“The new store has been well received and it’s wonderful to see customers enjoying all it has to offer.

“Congratulations to the JD Sports team for this wonderful and exciting progression.”

It is not yet known what will replace the former JD Sports store at Churchill Square’s north west entrance as staff settle in to the larger new shop.

The new site was previously occupied by high street fashion retailers Burton and Dorothy Perkins.

The stores, both part of the Arcadia Group which is controlled by Sir Philip Green, shut in September 2019.

Large numbers of customers were drawn to the sites as they had closing down sales, slashing prices dramatically to shift stock before shutting their doors for the final time.