LSN : News : Dubai Mallathon re-imagines shopping centres as climate-controlled fitness spaces

Sporty & Rich re-imagines wellness hospitality with first residency

Sporty & Rich, US

US – Popular lifestyle brand Sporty & Rich is launching its first hotel residency, in partnership with The Pridwin Hotel & Cottages on New York’s Shelter Island, to create a branded wellness and retail experience. The exclusive residency, which runs from until 1 September, is a strategic move that establishes the brand’s physical presence and blurs the lines between fashion, wellness and hospitality.

The collaboration boasts a range of wellness events including tennis clinics and Forma Pilates sessions. The courts at The Pridwin will undergo a visual transformation with branded umbrellas, custom signage and logo-wrapped nets.

This partnership solidifies Sporty & Rich’s role in the health-as-luxury movement and also shows how brands can tap into the Sports Tourism Market to create unique, in-person experiences that enhance customer engagement and build a community around wellness and sport.

Our Remixing the Country Club microtrend report previously looked at how brands are reimagining country clubs as inclusive spaces, and are using nostalgia, sports fandom and wellness to meet Gen Z’s desire for connection and authenticity.

Strategic opportunity

Shift from selling products to selling branded experiences. Develop signature events, classes or programmes that bring your brand’s ethos to life and can be a premium, paid offering rather than solely a marketing tactic

Dubai Mallathon re-imagines shopping centres as climate-controlled fitness spaces

UAE – A new Dubai Mallathon initiative will see seven malls – including Dubai Mall and Mall of the Emirates – being used as indoor walking and running tracks throughout August 2025 under the patronage of the country’s crown prince, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum.

The tracks will be open from 7:00am–10:00am daily where residents and visitors will be able to participate in 2.5km, 5km or 10km circuits, with hydration points and in-store wellness incentives enhancing the experience.

The initiative is part of a strategy to embed movement into daily life, despite the high-temperature urban environment, by using climate-controlled public spaces as platforms for preventive health.

In our Gen Z’s Mall Revival report, we explored how these places are evolving into social playgrounds where retail, food and entertainment collide. By rethinking Third Space Retail as a blueprint for inclusive, multigenerational wellness venues, Dubai’s Mallathon takes this vision one step further and recodes malls as public health infrastructure.

Dubai Remote Working Hub by Airbnb, UAE

Strategic opportunity

Rethink retail spaces as catalysts for community wellbeing. Explore how movement, health and connection can drive footfall, brand loyalty and new partnerships, especially where traditional leisure spaces are limited

Stat: Shoplifting soars to record high in England and Wales amid retail crime surge

Muffato Go in collaboration with Sensei, Brazil

UK – Shoplifting offences in England and Wales have hit their highest level in more than two decades, with recorded incidents rising by 20% to 530,643, according to recent data from the Office for National Statistics. This is the highest figure since current police recording practices began in 2002.

Retail crime has surged since the pandemic, driven by inflation, rising poverty and organised gangs. Retailers also report high levels of violence and abuse against staff.

‘These record-breaking figures continue to demonstrate the need for retail crime to be taken seriously,’ said James Lowman, CEO of the Association of Convenience Stores. ‘There is still a huge gap between the recorded figures and the reality.’

Figures from the British Retail Consortium indicate that shop theft cost UK retailers £2.2bn ($2.8bn, €2.6bn) in 2023/2024, up from £1.8bn ($2.3bn, €2.1bn) the previous year.

Tom Ironside from the British Retail Consortium stressed that ‘theft is not a victimless crime. It pushes up the cost for honest shoppers and damages the customer experience’.

In our New Codes of Value report, we explored the rise of System D: The Alternative Economy where individuals challenge traditional value systems through streaming hacks and multi-income hustles – as well as shoplifting.

Strategic opportunity

As shoplifting rises, brands must innovate with tech-driven, dignity-first loss prevention and balance protection with empathy to preserve frontline staff wellbeing, customer experience and long-term brand trust