Sporting retailer Rebel has just opened its biggest store in the state of Tasmania, within Hobart’s CBD.
According to the retailer, the new store will create 40 jobs and will hold the widest range of sports equipment and apparel in the state.
The flagship store is located on Murray Street, and takes over the former H&M site. H&M closed that store earlier this year, leaving Tasmania with no physical presence of the global fashion business.
The new store will be the second rCX (Rebel Customer Experience) format store in Tasmania, which harnesses a more interactive shopping experience, including a football experience zone where customers can handball and kick a footy to test it out before they buy.
Rebel’s store opening comes amid the launch of Tasmania’s first-ever AFL team.
Spanning 3000 square metres across two floors, the large format store will stock Tasmanian Devils guernseys and teamwear and a huge range of sports equipment and apparel representing a broad range of sports Tasmanians regularly play, including AFL, cricket and basketball.
More than 40 full-time, part-time and casual jobs have been created at the CBD store, with employees recruited from across Hobart.
Rebel managing director Jenny Child said the flagship will be a go-to destination for locals who love sport.
“We know how passionate Tasmanians are about sport and with the state’s first AFL team on the horizon, there’s never been a more exciting time to open a store of this scale in Hobart,” Child said.
“We’re committed to being the home of sport in Australia, and we are thrilled to have revitalised this fantastic CBD space where we can offer a whole range of products and experiences for the first time in Tasmania.”
Rebel now has three stores in Tasmania, with existing stores located at Rosny Park and Launceston. The retailer operates over 160 stores nationwide.
Child said the rollout into key CBD locations as well as new regional stores was a key strategic growth engine for Rebel over the next five years.
“From local footy and netball clubs to parkrun, sport is a significant part of the community fabric in towns across Australia,’’ she said.
“The majority of our new store growth over the next five years is planned in regional Australia, making rebel the go-to destination for sport no matter where our customers live and play.’’
By June 2031, Rebel plans to have grown its regional network from 39 to 70 with a mix of rCX stores, foundation stores and smaller-format stores.
Rebel will also roll out its kids program ‘rebel rookies’ into Tasmania for the first time in October, at Domain Crossroads Oval during the school holidays. Budding athletes aged 6 to 12 will get the chance to run, kick and play across AFL, NRL and soccer.