lululemon officially enters Turkish market as it opens first store in Istanbul, preps mobile app launch

lululemon has opened its first store in Istanbul, marking its official entry into the Turkish market in collaboration with franchise partners, Fiba Group.

The Canadian athletic apparel retailer's debut location at İstinye Park is now open, with a second store at Akasya launching next month.

"We celebrated this exciting milestone with the local community through movement and connection - it was an honour speaking on stage at a media event alongside global ambassador Akin Akman, who then hosted a 200-person HIIT session at the beautiful Swissotel, overlooking the Bosphorus," says Sarah Clark, Senior Vice President at lululemon EMEA.

"Over opening weekend, we also empowered a high energy ‘Cycle Party’ at Urban Active, a serene sunset yoga session with our ambassador Fırat Tosun at Clubhouse Gardens, and a run club for over 150 people in Bebek. These moments reflect the vibrant spirit of Istanbul and our commitment to building authentic local relationships."

She adds: "Turkey represents a key chapter in our global growth journey. In addition to our physical stores, guests in Turkey can now shop via lululemon.com.tr as well as the lululemon Türkiye mobile app later this year. This launch has been a long time in the making, and we’re beyond excited to finally open our doors. Here’s to the beginning of a meaningful, long-term connection with the incredible community in Istanbul.”

2025 RTIH INNOVATION AWARDS

Physical stores will be a key focus area at the 2025 RTIH Innovation Awards.

The awards, which are now open for entries, celebrate global tech innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.

Our 2024 hall of fame entrants were revealed during an event which took place at RIBA’s 66 Portland Place HQ in Central London on 21st November, and consisted of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by comedian Lucy Porter.

In his welcome speech, Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, said: “The event is now into its sixth year and what a journey it has been. The awards started life as an online only affair during the Covid outbreak, before launching as a small scale in real life event and growing year on year to the point where we’re now selling out this fine, historic venue.”

He added: “Congratulations to all of our finalists. Many submissions did not make it through to the final stage, and getting to this point is no mean feat. Checkout-free stores, automated supply chains, immersive experiences, on-demand delivery, next generation loyalty offerings, inclusive retail, green technology. We’ve got all the cool stuff covered this evening.”

“But just importantly we’ve got lots of great examples of companies taking innovative tech and making it usable in everyday operations - resulting in more efficiency and profitability in all areas.”

Congratulations to our 2024 winners, and a big thank you to our sponsors, judging panel, the legend that is Lucy Porter, and all those who attended November's gathering. 

For further information on the 2025 RTIH Innovation Awards, please fill in the below form and we will get back to you asap.