Rebel Sport's New Zealand parent Briscoe Group is pushing ahead with an ambitious store format strategy to keep up sales momentum in a tough trading environment.
This includes the rollout of two unique store concepts, including a massive Rebel X format and a low-cost co-location model that adds new Rebel spaces inside existing Briscoes Homeware stores.
The twin-track approach was outlined at the company's annual shareholder meeting in Auckland this week, as the group reported record total sales of $798.8 million for the year ended January 2026 – up just under 1 per cent on the prior year – against a backdrop of weak consumer confidence, rising unemployment and inflation finishing the year at 3.1 per cent.
The first initiative is Rebel X, a new flagship store format described by GM of customer Isabel Campbell as a step change for the brand. The store introduces an expanded range, a more immersive customer environment, and a number of first-to-New Zealand in-store experiences.
"This creates a more immersive, modern and experience-led environment that better reflects how customers want to shop today," Campbell told shareholders.
While still early, managing director Rod Duke said the first Rebel X store that opened in Panmure was already generating valuable insights that would inform future store design decisions across the network. The company is now planning a homewares equivalent for the Briscoes brand, with planning underway for a more experiential format there too.
The second initiative is a co-location model enabled by the group's new Drury distribution centre, which opened this week in South Auckland. By allowing stores to operate with significantly lower on-site inventory – the company is targeting a 20 per cent reduction in in-store stock through AI-driven replenishment – surplus floor space can be converted into new Rebel Sport stores within existing Briscoes locations.
Chief operating officer Andrew Scott said five locations currently have a Briscoes store but no Rebel Sport presence. The first co-location conversion is planned for Briscoes Upper Hutt in Wellington, with a refurbishment starting later this year and the new Rebel store opening in early 2027. The company is also exploring subletting surplus stockroom space at some locations to third-party retailers, flagging Briscoes Panmure store as an early candidate.
The format push comes as online sales reached just over 20 per cent of total group sales, and the company reported record net promoter scores across both brands. Club Rebel members shop 40.9 per cent more frequently than non-members and spend 42.7 per cent more annually, with a new NZ$30 reward for every NZ$300 spent scheme set to launch.
Scott said the combined effect of the new distribution centre, smarter store formats and loyalty investment would compound as initiatives scaled across the network.
"We are better placed than ever," he told shareholders. "I am very confident that once the market stabilises, we will return to growth."
The format investment comes as Briscoe Group's board chair Dame Rosanne Meo warned the external environment was becoming increasingly difficult, with global events adding to volatility already weighing on New Zealand retailers.
"The external environment has become even more unpredictable," Meo said. "We are seeing early impacts from a number of factors largely outside the control of individual businesses, but they shape the conditions in which we operate."
Meo specifically flagged the conflict in the Middle East as adding a further layer of uncertainty, impacting freight markets, fuel pricing, currency volatility and broader global confidence — headwinds with direct implications for a retailer heavily reliant on imported product.
CFO Geoff Scowcroft added that the New Zealand dollar had remained relatively weak throughout the year, rarely rising above 60 cents, placing sustained pressure on the cost of imported goods.
Despite the conditions, Meo said the board was confident in the group's positioning, pointing to a strong balance sheet with cash and bank balances of $130.3 million and no drawn term debt at year end.
"Retail is cyclical," she said. "Periods of pressure are invariably followed by periods of opportunity. Our focus remains on ensuring that Briscoe Group emerges from this phase stronger, more capable and well positioned to create long-term value for shareholders."