French sports firm Decathlon launched its third store in Hong Kong on June 15, its largest yet.

What sets the giant Decathlon Sheung Tak Plaza store apart is that half the space is outside, a 36,000sqft combination of practice spaces where customers can try out sports products and footwear for themselves. The practice area covers 70 sporting disciplines, including badminton, tennis, basketball, hiking, football, running, yoga and even a ski-testing area.

The largest sports store in Hong Kong, it will showcase 13,000 products, including mountaineering tools, and feature a campsite replicating Hong Kong hiking trails. It will host daily experience sharing sessions and sports classes with inspiring community athletes, and a permanent Hong Kong Sports Heroes photo gallery stands at the store’s main entrance.

“We hope we can inspire more Hongkongers to exercise for a happy and healthy lifestyle,” said Decathlon Hong Kong CEO Marc Zielinski. “Decathlon aims to make sport accessible to all, and we understand sports engagement can be a heavy financial burden to some. This is why we offer high-quality products at competitive prices across 70 sports so everyone can have that choice.

“With the outdoor playground, visitors who are curious about any sport can seek the advice of our specialist sports leaders and fully test our products before they buy.”

Customers browsing the Decathlon Sheung Tak Plaza store can use 50” LED screens installed at prominent areas to locate any specific product they cannot find by browsing the aisles. They can check out autonomously on the Decathlon mobile app or choose to pick up their online purchases in store within an hour through the brand’s Click & Collect one-hour service.