As many large retailers have struggled to survive over recent years, there is one high-street name that continues to go from strength to strength – JD Sports.
As one of the leading sports and leisure wear retailers in the UK, with over 1,400 stores across the entire JD group, it is hard to believe that this well-established brand with a global presence was only conceived in the 80s.
In fact, the very first JD store opened in 1981 in Bury. It was established by John Wardle and David Makin, who took the initials of their first names to form the JD brand. A couple of years later, a store popped up in Manchester’s Arndale Centre, and not long after, the brand headed south, with its first London store opening in Oxford Street in 1989.
Over the years, JD Sports has grown exponentially. It has not been afraid to innovate, expand and acquire a lucrative proposition. It has bought out esteemed or well-known brands such as First Sport, Allsports, Chausport, Scotts, Bank Fashion, Canterbury of New Zealand, Blacks Leisure Group PLC and Go Outdoors.
As well as enjoying a healthy presence on high streets in both the UK and the Republic of Ireland, JD Sports operates throughout Europe, the Far East and other overseas locations.
Synonymous with providing the latest sports fashion gear, both from in-house brands and major international labels, JD Sports commits to staying at the forefront of the industry. It has invested in the latest digital technology, allowing customers to enjoy great experiences when shopping both in-store and online. With its roots in sports, it comes as no surprise to discover that this leading British brand has sponsored numerous football teams over the years.
As a company that recognises the importance of looking good and providing a quality offering, it stands to reason that JD Sports wants its customers to enjoy a great experience the moment they step through the shop door.
We were approached by JD Sports to provide new automatic doors for its Pinstone Street store in Sheffield.
The JD Sports store in Sheffield was installed with frameless glass telescopic bi-parting automatic doors. They came with side screens that have glazed architectural top light.
As much as we think frameless glass looks contemporary and stylish in retail doors, they can prove something of a challenge to install. In order to fit the glass without a frame to the doors, we needed to include special holes in the glass. To ensure the best possible results, we commissioned a specialist glass manufacturer for this tricky task.
The glass that we provided for this store was laminated by an impressive 12mm – to give this some perspective, this essentially means it is almost bulletproof!
Automatic Access was also commissioned to provide some specialist door rails in stainless steel. We made these to suit the door leaves, to hang on to the automatic door operator. This would ensure a smooth and efficient operation of the doors.
As a company that prides itself on quality and offering an excellent service to its customers, JD was more than pleased with the results that we provided for its Sheffield store.