American sportswear company Nike has selected Barcelona to launch its new retail concept Nike Live in Europe in 2019, a move that will strengthen its presence in Spain as it prepares to open a flagship store in Madrid next year, sources close to the company told Europa Press.

Specifically, Barcelona has been chosen as one of 12 key cities worldwide by the American sports firm to develop its business with a Nike Live, an innovative store concept that will combine digital features with a unique physical environment.

Barcelona’s Nike Live will be the first to open in Europe and the third in the world after Los Angeles and Tokyo. It will be located within El Corte Ingles’ dedicated sports store on Portal del Angel, one of Spain’s most exclusive shopping districts.

The sports company is trying to engage consumers with a new strategy which harnesses the power of digital to boost growth, accelerate innovation and create products that adapt to customer needs.

In addition to Barcelona, cities including New York, London, Shanghai, Beijing, Los Angeles, Tokyo, Paris, Berlin, Mexico City, Seoul and Milan will also welcome the innovative store concept. The US company expects these cities and key countries to represent more than 80% of the brand’s growth by 2020.

The Nike Live concept was first debuted at the firm’s store in Los Angeles in July, while the next opening is scheduled in Tokyo in spring. It is understood the Barcelona outpost will be up and running by the second half of 2019, according to Europa Press.

Nike will be also opening a store in the heart of Madrid, within El Corte Ingles in Puerta del Sol in 2019. It will be one of Nike’s largest stores in Spain.

The American multinational company will occupy four floors of the branch, which has 1,600 square metres of space. The opening is planned for the summer of 2019, following refurbishment works in January. The building is protected by the Madrid City Council.

The announcement continues El Corte Ingles’ strategy to partner with large international companies, as revealed last year with the opening of Samsung’s largest location in Spain in its store in Callao, where it offers a space for experiences and showcases the latest product launches.

The new Nike store in Madrid will be one of the sports brand’s biggest in Spain, alongside a shop it opened in 2014 at Parque Oeste shopping centre in Alarcon, Madrid which spreads over 1,800 square metres.

The megastore will reinforce Nike’s presence in Madrid, where it also has a 500-square-metre flagship store on Serrano and another 500-square-metre shop on Gran Via.