Gensler designed the latest NBA store in Berlin with Fanatics and Lids. As the largest NBA Store in Europe, the space provides interactive and vibrant experiences for NBA fans in Germany to come together. Situated within the newly renovated The Playce at Potsdamer Platz, a unique shopping mall in the centre of Berlin’s dynamic community, the store provides an engaging, multi-purpose retail experience, filled with digital features and experience zones for visitors to interact with.

The brief was to create a local, grounding retail destination whilst celebrating the richness and vibrancy of the NBA story. With this in mind, the store creates an opportunity for fans in Germany to connect and engage with the sport and each other.

The real differentiator for this project is its size; at nearly 1,000 square-meters, it is the NBA’s biggest retail space in Europe. The scale allows room to incorporate more features and activations that really bring the NBA to life.

The store integrates multi-channel activations to foster NBA Brand engagement: large format digital screens to show live games; interviews and events; interactive player measure-ups and jump simulators; a 2K Lounge for in-store gaming tournaments; illuminated basketball court hoops, bespoke artwork created by local artists; exclusive memorabilia; Customisation Lab; and environmental graphics.

To create a local grounding and celebrate the richness of the NBA story, there is a seamless blend between the diversity and colours of Berlin and those of the game. The space has a nostalgic feel, using surprising yet familiar detailing and iconic moments from NBA history. Using a stripped-back, minimal base palette allows the NBA colours to shine through in the products and accent materials.