Signs go up for new Sports Direct store at Teesside Park

The sportswear chain will soon be launching its new store at Unit 9A, which was formerly made up of Laura Ashley, Argos, USC, and MenKind. 

Construction crews have been hard at work at the popular complex over the last few months, merging the four stores into a giant 40,000 square foot site and adding a new glass front. 

Now, new pictures have shown that Sports Direct has erected signs across the front of the store in the latest step forward towards the opening. 

How the store looks now (Image: CONTRIBUTOR)

This marks the first official confirmation that Sports Direct will be taking up the space.

As previously reported, the chain appeared on park plans for the unit, drawn up by owner British Land, earlier this year, saying it was “coming soon”. 

Last year, parent company Frasers Group announced that it would be expanding Sports Direct into a new larger unit, with designer chain Flannels taking over its current space. 

It will feature a USC, Game, and Evans Cycles (Image: CONTRIBUTOR)

GAME and Evans Cycles were previously confirmed to be a part of the new store - but the new signs also state that USC - also under the Frasers umbrella - will be “opening soon”.

Teesside Park shoppers will remember that USC closed the doors to its store at the complex in December last year, when closing down signs appeared.

At the time, it was unknown whether it would be a part of the new Sports Direct megastore.

An opening date was initially pinpointed for late 2024 - with The Northern Echo understanding that the store could be ready to launch later this year, or if not, in early 2025. 

Sports Direct's new Teesside Park store (Image: CONTRIBUTOR)

It is not known when the current Sports Direct will close to make way for Flannels, which will also see a major refurbishment carried out. 

This year has been huge for new stores at the park, with the likes of Primark, White Stuff, Rituals, and PureGym all recently opening the doors. 

Catherine Furlong, centre director at Teesside Park, previously said: “There’s been a wealth of new openings confirmed over the past 12 months and this is another major announcement for us.

How the unit looked just weeks ago (Image: CONTRIBUTOR)

"Flannels has a fantastic luxury brand portfolio, while the expansion of Sports Direct means their store will be bigger and better than ever. We can’t wait for the doors to open on the new stores - it’s a very exciting period for Teesside Park and our visitors!”

Michael Murray, chief executive of Frasers Group, added: “We are big believers in physical retail and our significant investment demonstrates not only our commitment to the Elevation Strategy but also our innovative approach to rethinking large retail spaces to make them fit for the future.

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"With each new store opening, we seek to set the benchmark for outstanding regional retail as we continue to bring the world’s most aspirational brands, product innovations, and customer experiences to regional consumers across the UK.”

Darren Richards, head of real estate at British Land, also said at the time: “These new lettings across our regional retail portfolio clearly demonstrate the strength of the retail park format and Meadowhall’s appeal as a super-regional centre.

"These brands are successfully evolving to meet the ever-changing demands of the consumer, and we look forward to working closely with Frasers Group as it continues to roll out its Elevation Strategy.”