Lockwood is one of the most popular skate shops in Europe .
The story of this iconic shop begins with Sven Aerts , then 21 years old. Sven, one of the best Belgian skaters, was faced with a choice: either build a the bank of russia decide career as a professional skater or open a shop entirely dedicated to skateboarding… Today, Lockwood is world-renowned and has also been able to reach a wider audience thanks to his second concept store, Avenue , opened by his wife Lina , wherevery exclusive sneakers and collections are sold.
Spencer Samuels , Director of E-Commerce, tells us more about omnichannel management for online and physical stores. Retail Heroes:
Where do the names Lockwood and Avenue come from?
The name Lockwood comes from one of the old skate depots, Lockwood Elementary in Los Angeles, where many videos were filmed in the 90s. Avenue comes from the street Lockwood is located on, Lockwood Avenue. So there’s always been a connection between the two.
What makes Lockwood and Avenue so unique and what sets them apart? Retail Heroes:
Lockwood is truly a skate shop that stands out from the crowd with its unique collection of brands , from the basics to newer, lesser-known pro skater brands. There are only a few shops like ours in Europe.
Yoni, our store manager, is a skateboarde himself aero leads and is always on the lookout for new brands. If you follow all the good skaters, you can quickly stumble upon something. That’s how we built our reputation. When a new skateboard brand appears, they usually contact us.
Avenue is a sneaker store. Among all the products we sell, there is a portion that is exclusively sold in only about twenty stores worldwide.
How did you manage to get exclusivity on your products?
Ten years ago, not much was happening in Belgium, and then we saw a surge in sneaker stores opening in the Netherlands and Belgium. We had the advantage of being one of the first, but you also need a good network. You can lose your position at any time, so we always try to do our best.