Rolling out five stores to exacting standards, in five different European countries and for one of the globe’s biggest retailers is no mean feat.

Aside from the obvious language and cultural differences, the project for global sportswear giant Nike involved numerous logistical and sourcing challenges that Triplar had to tackle within a tight timeframe.

Triplar, which originally fitted out the stores, revisited sites in Parndorf, Austria; Roermond, The Netherlands; Troyes, France; Rome, Italy; and Madrid, Spain for the project.

The store concept and interior designs were completed in-house by Nike, while Triplar advised on floor plans for the outlets and manufactured fittings, metalwork, furniture and graphics, as well as completing installation at the outlets. Installation by two teams of ten men involved new flooring, lighting, walls, decorations, fixturing and signage across all five stores.

In total the stores involved 100 tonnes of metalwork, which was delivered on site by 25 articulated trucks that had covered some 21,518 miles.

Despite the scale of the project in-store installation was completed in just 10 days at each outlet, ensuring they were only closed for one trading weekend.

Tim Rodwell, Managing Director of Triplar, said: “It’s not often that you actually re-fit stores you previously fitted out and in many ways that is what has made this project so important for us.

“The challenge is to not only meet, but also surpass the standard we previously delivered at these stores.

There was little margin for error with this project; the delay of just one delivery on site would have meant an overrun.”

He added that working in different countries while still delivering consistently presented Triplar with several challenges.

“Getting flooring and other materials to site has been the biggest challenges. Flooring works can be made more difficult by different climates, and sourcing the correct specification flooring is always a challenge,” Tim said.

“When working across several different countries the logistics of getting people and materials to site can also be complicated. Then, when you are working in-store, you have to take note of local health and safety rules and fire policies, as well as restrictions placed by landlords.”

All five stores opened on schedule, and in some cases Triplar was able to hand the store back earlier to Nike, providing more time for merchandising ahead of re-opening.