Being a lover of the outdoors and walking in the countryside I was delighted to be invited to the Grand Opening Event of the newly refurbished GO Outdoors store in Chester on Saturday 20th May. We were up bright and early to ensure we would be there on time to watch the ribbon cutting ceremony by Brand Ambassador Helen Skelton of Countryfile fame. The Chester store is located on the outskirts of the city on the Saltney Retail Park and benefits from a large free car park. It was approaching 8.30 a.m. when we arrived but some people must have got there even earlier as there was quite a long but orderly queue of customers eagerly awaiting the opening.
An archway of balloons in the store’s colours of yellow, grey and white adorned the entrance door and the thoughtful team at GO Outdoors had even organised a coffee van so everyone could enjoy a complimentary barista made coffee. It was a lovely, sunny morning, the best of the year so far but I still needed my caffeine fix especially after such an early start.
Whilst the customers waited patiently outside for the 9.00 a.m. opening I was invited indoors early as all the staff had gathered around for Helen Skelton to be welcomed to the event and for the store manager Peter Burton to thank the team for all their hard work and efforts in getting the store ready in time for the opening.
Then the fun really began as the music started and the entire team led by Helen performed a conga around the store. I was invited to join in the festivities but opted to take some photos instead!
Promptly at 9.00 a.m. Helen cut the ribbon to loud applause and both the store manager and Helen greeted the first 200 customers through the doors with a £20 gift voucher and the following 100 with a free goodie bag worth £25. In true British style everyone was very orderly and there was no pushing, shoving or queue jumping to get in first.
What I liked most though was that whilst people were coming indoors, the music being played was Greatest Day by Take That which is one of my favourite tracks ever and the one which the company has chosen for it’s recent TV advertising campaign.
The celebrations continued throughout the day with family favourites including face painting, balloon modelling, a climbing wall and bouncy castle.
It was good to meet up with Helen again as we’d met a few years back whilst both attending the Great Yorkshire Show. Part way through the morning she hosted a question and answer session with the store manager and customers which lasted quite awhile. A large group of customers gathered round with both adults and children asking Helen lots of interesting questions ranging from the outdoors to Countryfile, and her time on Blue Peter and Strictly Come Dancing.
Following the Q & A session Helen was invited to draw raffle prize numbers with the first two winners receiving gift vouchers of £50 and £100 respectively with a Biolite fire pit going to the first prize winner. She then spent some time signing autographs before everyone started looking around the store.
In between all the entertainment and activities we spent time exploring the vast 45,000 sq. ft. store which has something for everyone even for those who aren’t particularly outdoorsy types. Since GO Outdoors was first established I’ve been a fan as unlike some of their competitors who rely on own brand merchandise, the company stock a range of top brands such as Berghaus and Rab.
The new store features specialist equestrian, angling, camping and cycling departments as well as outdoor clothing, footwear and equipment. Speaking to the manager, he explained that staff are chosen for their passion for the outdoors to ensure that customers receive good advice when considering making purchases.
This is obviously the reason why the company has grown to be one of the UK’s biggest and most popular outdoor chains.
I expect you are wondering if I was tempted to buy anything. Well, the answer was yes as the seams at the back of my trusty old Gore-Tex coat were starting to come apart and recently it hadn’t been quite as waterproof as it used to be so needed replacing. In the ladies outerwear section I found a Berghaus Glissade Gore-Tex jacket which was just what I had been looking for so I tried a Size 10 on and it fitted perfectly.
I also couldn’t resist picking up a dress from the Weird Fish department as I adore their designs and find with travelling such a lot, being pure cotton the dresses fold flat, don’t take up much space and are easy to pack.
When I got to the pay point I remembered to show my GO Outdoors Member’s Card as it unlocks lower prices across the store and costs only £5 for an annual membership. Savings can be substantial as my Berghaus jacket was on sale at £240 but with my member’s card the price was reduced to £216. To celebrate the store’s new look, the Chester store is also offering an extra 15% discount from 16th-29th May.
Details: GO Outdoors Chester’s address is: Saltney Retail Park, River Lane, CH4 8RF and more information can be found on the store’s webpage.
I was invited to the Grand Opening by GO Outdoors on a paid partnership basis and as always, all views and opinions are entirely my own.
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