Reebok's new FitHub store in the Boston suburb of Braintree, which "blends shopping and fitness," is among the first 10 of the stores "slated to open on the East Coast over the next six months," according to Taryn Luna of the BOSTON GLOBE. The "unconventional" new store concept -- which "mixes retail with regularly scheduled exercise classes -- is the latest step in Reebok’s effort to return to its personal fitness roots after a less successful foray into team sports shoes and apparel." Reebok CMO Matt O'Toole said, "The stores are the perfect place to sharpen the focus of our brand and develop a deeper relationship with the consumer, as opposed to being this kind of broad sporting goods company." Reebok and its FitHub stores "hope to attract a broad range of customers interested in personal fitness," but the company "had already forged particularly close ties to the CrossFit phenomena and the business behind it." Reebok in '10 signed a 10-year deal with CrossFit Inc. Reebok said that its training business has "experienced double-digit growth each year since the partnership began." There will be around 200 FitHub stores "by the end of the year" (BOSTON GLOBE, 10/6).
