Blacks has revealed a bold new chapter for the brand, relaunching its retail and digital experience to reposition as the destination where outdoor heritage meets modern, everyday style.
The relaunch reflects a growing cultural shift: outdoor‑inspired fashion is no longer confined to trails, expeditions or weekends away. Instead, technical outdoor clothing and equipment are increasingly shaping how people dress, move, and live every day — from city streets to green spaces and beyond.
Trading for over 160 years, Blacks is transforming from a traditional outdoor retailer into a curated, design‑led destination that balances performance, quality, and contemporary styling.
Stores reimagined
Five Blacks Pinnacle stores — Glasgow, Harrogate, Aintree, Meadowhall, and Brighton — have been comprehensively refreshed to bring the new brand vision to life. Each location has been reimagined as a space where technical innovation and modern design coexist, offering a more elevated and intuitive in‑store experience.
Cleaner layouts, improved navigation, and thoughtful product storytelling allow customers to explore a carefully curated edit of outdoor clothing, footwear, and equipment that transitions seamlessly between urban living and outdoor environments.
Across all five stores, customers can shop a refined mix of premium and heritage brands, including Rab, Columbia, The North Face, Berghaus, Merrell, Salomon, Fjällräven, and Yeti, alongside regular seasonal product drops designed to keep the experience fresh and relevant.
Designed for the urban adventurer
At the heart of the relaunch is a clear focus on the urban adventurer: consumers who live and work in cities, value design and quality, and see time outdoors as an integral part of everyday life. For this audience, outdoor clothing is worn as part of a daily wardrobe — selected not only for performance, but for versatility, aesthetics and ease of wear.
Blacks’ refreshed Pinnacle stores are designed to meet these changing expectations, offering gear that performs in outdoor settings while remaining relevant in modern, urban wardrobes.
Expert store teams are on hand across all locations, providing tailored advice across footwear, apparel, and equipment, alongside insight into local routes and outdoor spaces — reinforcing Blacks’ position as an expert-led retailer for committed outdoor enthusiasts.
A seamless physical and digital Eexperience
The store refits coincide with the relaunch of the Blacks website, introducing a more modern, intuitive, and editorial‑led digital experience. Together, the refreshed stores and updated online platform deliver a more seamless omnichannel journey — reflecting how today’s consumers browse, shop, and engage with outdoor brands.
Each store reopening will be supported by a programme of local activations throughout May, including in‑store events and community hikes, designed to bring people together, strengthen local outdoor communities, and encourage participation beyond the shop floor.
Steve Knights, CEO of Blacks, said: “Blacks is evolving to reflect how outdoor lifestyles look today. Time spent in the city and outdoors increasingly overlaps, and our customers want gear that works across both.
“This relaunch brings together considered retail spaces, curated product ranges and a modern digital platform — all designed to deliver a more relevant, inspiring experience while staying true to our outdoor heritage.”
