RC Deportivo, which this year celebrates its 120th anniversary, is immersed in the development of a strategic project with which it aims to strengthen its positioning and relevance and the link with its community. As part of this, it is carrying out a series of expansions, renovations and updates, including the launch of new hospitality areas, the modernization of its sports city, the opening of the Dépor Museum & Tour, or the renovation of its store, which it has transformed by integrating design, technology, legacy and Galician culture.

The new DéporTienda returns to the place it has occupied for decades in the Abanca-Riazor stadium, after a period of works that has lasted for two months and has involved the opening of a temporary replacement space a few meters from the original, which began operating in August 2001, bringing the club closer to fans through official products.

Data-driven design

Unlike the one back then, the new store has put new technologies at the service of design and commercial strategy, and is presented as “an immersive experience aligned with the most advanced trends in European sports retailAccording to the club itself in a statement, the transformation has been based on data analysis through artificial intelligence and machine learning tools with the intention of converting the space into more than a point of sale.

Through the use of cameras in the previous store and for at least four months, the entity has collected information related to the behavior of users in the store and movement flows, both inside and at the entrance and around the space. It has been done with the help of Noumena Group, responsible for the strategy behind the project, and with the intention of learning and better understanding the purchasing processes.

This has allowed us to optimize the distribution of space and critical points, such as the entrance. “Thanks to all the research carried out, we have increased the usable square meters by 10% and enhanced product exposure by 15%, so the result is a better utilized space.”; explained Manuel Hallett, Director of Growth and Expansion at RC Deportivo, in conversation with reason.Why.

The technological system will also remain integrated into the new store. “It will allow us to collect demographic data, such as the estimated age or majority gender of visitors, and create heat maps“, Hallett tells us. “This means that we will make more informed decisions regarding spaces or the product mix in the store.”.

All of this has made it possible to create a more pleasant and comfortable experience for fans, as well as a more flexible shopping route both for day-to-day life and for match dates, in which the influx to the store can be multiplied by 20. Unlike the previous space, as explained to us by the club itself, the DéporTienda now has a cleaner and more efficient product display, thanks also to furniture, structures and modular installations created together with the commercial equipment company HMY Group.

Sports identity and environmental respect

In addition, the store now combines sustainable materials and an innovative design that responds to a visual narrative and connects with the sports identity. The objective of the club, which has worked together with the Barcelona studio External Reference, has been to evoke its Atlantic environment and the important role that the sea plays in A Coruña culture, and which inspires the colors and image of RC Deportivo.

This concept is materialized in a large wave-shaped structure executed by the printing company La Maquina. It is inspired by the fans and the blue and white tide, as well as the club’s historical link with the sea. This wave has been conceived as a symbol of sportsmanship and runs through and articulates the entire store. Recycled plastics (PETG) have been created through robotic 3D printing, seeking to reduce the environmental impact.

The entity’s commitment to sustainability and the circular economy is also expressed in the store through the use of Pure Tech paint, whose composition is capable of capturing and transforming elements such as carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxides, contributing to the purification of the air and the improvement of the environmental quality of the space.

The renovation of the store has been understood as a strategic project, aligned with the profound changes that the club is undertaking in other areas and that seek to build an innovative ecosystem that combines physical and digital infrastructures. RC Deportivo aspires to consolidate itself as a reference club in the sporting field, but also in innovation, sustainability and connection with its fans.

“The store now integrates data, design and technology in a way that no other football store has applied“, says Manuel Hallet in conversation with reason.Why. “Defines the Dépor of the future. A Dépor that relies on data to make decisions and that is elevating the power of design. That is what we want to convey to the fans and to society. That they relate the club to this level of innovation”.

The new DéporTienda was officially inaugurated last Friday, April 17, with the presence of players such as Yeremay Hernández, Luismi Cruz and Millene Cabral, who signed autographs for fans and visitors.