Sport Chek has launched a women-focused concept store in Calgary, a first for the brand.

The new location is in the city’s CF Chinook Centre. When the real estate opportunity arose, the brand decided to launch the new concept, says Kara Anastasiadis, associate VP, merchandise strategy at FGL Sports.

“The idea was that we wanted to connect with our core female consumer and give her a new experience that was really personalized and unique,” she says.

Ideas for the concept for the store were driven by a team of women throughout FGL Sports. Merchandised by category and activity, the store also includes a dedicated team sports area, bra destination and women’s only footwear wall.

Generally, Sport Chek’s customer base skews more male (about 60% to 40% female) but there is generally a higher percentage of female shoppers in shopping malls, which is why it wanted to focus on a premiere retail location, Anastasiadis says. Aside from women generally, the brand is focused on its “achiever” target – fitness-minded shoppers and millennials – she says.

Sport Chek’s website also includes a dedicated landing page for the store for women looking to shop online.

The retailer is working on incorporating women more into its images and content. About a month ago, for example, it launched a dedicated Sport Chek Women Instagram account.

During the Rio Olympics last summer, the retailer also tweaked its creative to speak more to women and the issue of female athletes not being given fair coverage compared to their male counterparts.