UK, Ireland & Europe
200+
Stores
2,000+
Screens
300+
Daily Interactions
10+
Flagships
Overview
A retail media network. A shop floor that challenges you. One long-term partnership.
Sports Direct is one of Europe’s largest sports retailers, a 200+ store network spanning the UK, Ireland, and mainland Europe, ranging from compact mall units to major high-street flagships. IUF’s work with Sports Direct is not a single project. It is a comprehensive, multi-layered digital partnership operating across three connected workstreams.
The first is the estate-wide digital rollout: 2,000+ screens and 1,000+ media players across every location, driven by a centralised CMS, and including the launch of Sports Direct’s first in-store retail media network, turning screen inventory into a commercial channel for brand partners.
The second is the Interactive Shopping Concept: a suite of self-serve digital tools deployed across flagships, Product Finder tablets guiding customers to the right boot or sports bra, 75″ Digital Mannequins with Sound Shower audio bringing outdoor gear to life, and 4K Selfie Mirrors generating branded content from within the store.
The third is the Experiential Concept, delivered by IUF Experiential: four sports-led activations, Hang Tough, the Rugby Passing Challenge, the Jump Booth, and Total Footwork, generating over 300 daily interactions across 10 flagships, all running without a single member of staff required to operate them.
Together, these three workstreams have transformed Sports Direct from a standard sports retailer into a destination, one where the store environment informs, challenges, and engages at every touchpoint.
Journey & Experience
Three layers. Each one doing something different. All of them working together.
Estate-Wide Digital Infrastructure
- 2,000+ screens across 200+ locations, unified under a centralised CMS with 50+ content aspect ratios
- Large-format LEDs, high-brightness window displays, shoe finders, digital mannequins, and interactive displays across every store
- Retail media network activated across the full estate for brand partner campaign delivery
Interactive Shopping Concept
- Product Finder tablets – Boot Finder and Sports Bra Finder, guiding customers to the right product without staff involvement
- 75″ Digital Mannequins with Sound Shower directional audio – outdoor outfits brought to life across different climate scenarios
- 4K Selfie Mirrors – snap masks, boomerangs, and instant QR download
Experiential Activations
- Hang Tough – suspended bar challenge with live leaderboard, zero staff required
- Rugby Passing Challenge – LED target zones and countdown clock, installed in Cardiff for local sporting culture
- Jump Booth – Azure Kinect 3D sensing, DSLR slow-motion capture, 150+ plays per day
- Total Footwork – Europe’s first touch-sensitive LED floor, two agility game modes, CRM data capture built in
Technology Architecture
One CMS for the estate. Bespoke tech for the activations. Every layer built for its purpose.
Core Infrastructure
- Centralised CMS – content scheduling and screen-level targeting across 200+ stores, supporting 50+ content aspect ratios
- Retail media network – brand partner advertising inventory activated across the full estate
- Product recommendation engine – Boot Finder and Sports Bra Finder logic
- Microsoft Azure Kinect 3D sensing – Jump Booth motion tracking and jump capture
- Touch-sensitive LED floor – Total Footwork play surface, step-level responsive
- CRM integration – Under Armour data capture built into Total Footwork
Hardware Ecosystem
- 2,000+ screens and 1,000+ media players – across all store formats
- Large-format LEDs and high-brightness window displays – estate-wide
- Touchscreen Product Finder tablets, 75″ Digital Mannequin displays, Sound Shower audio, 4K Selfie Mirrors
- Hang Tough – suspended bar, touchscreen registration, leaderboard
- Rugby Passing Challenge – LED target zones, countdown screen, leaderboard
- Jump Booth – Azure Kinect sensor, DSLR camera, 1.9mm LED wall
- Total Footwork – touch-sensitive LED floor, 1.9mm wall-mounted LED, QR registration
Implementation
Estate first. Flagships elevated. Activations engineered to run themselves.
Phase 1 – Estate Rollout
- 200+ store rollout across UK, Ireland, and mainland Europe
- 2,000+ screens and 1,000+ media players deployed and connected to centralised CMS
- Retail media network activated across the full estate
Phase 2 – Interactive Shopping Concept
- Product Finders, Digital Mannequins, and Selfie Mirrors installed across flagship locations
- CMS configured for content management across all interactive formats
Phase 3 – Experiential Activations
- All four activations developed and engineered by IUF Experiential
- Deployed across 10 flagship locations
- 300+ daily interactions recorded across the estate from go-live
Outcomes
200+ stores, one digital standard
From Oxford Street to compact regional units, every Sports Direct store now operates within a consistent digital framework, campaign content, new arrivals, and brand partner messaging deliverable across the full estate simultaneously from a single CMS.
Sports Direct’s first retail media network
The estate rollout created an entirely new commercial channel for Sports Direct, screen inventory activated as an advertising network generating revenue from brand partners at the point of purchase.
300+ daily interactions with zero staff overhead
Four self-serve activations generating over 300 brand interactions per day without any staff involvement. High-volume engagement at a scale, and an operational efficiency, that passive displays cannot match.
