The London 2012 Organising Committee of the Olympic Games (LOCOG) today opened the doors to the UK’s latest official London 2012 Shop. The Hyde Park shop was officially opened by Sir Steve Redgrave, five times gold medal winning Olympian.
At 12,000 sq ft, the shop will be London’s largest ever ‘pop up’ shop. Located on Rotten Row in the south of Hyde Park, the single storey temporary structure shop is expected to attract thousands of visitors a day.
The shop is the only location outside the Olympic Park where fans can buy London 2012 Official Olympic Venue Collection merchandise; Coca-Cola Olympic merchandise including highly coveted Coca-Cola Olympic and Paralympic Games pin badges; one-of-a-kind signed memorabilia and a collection of giftware produced by The Royal Parks.
Later this month, customers will get the chance to have their photo taken with the Olympic Torch in the Coca-Cola Official Pin Trading Centre and create a personalised pin badge. There will also be special athlete visits throughout the course of the Games.
adidas, official sportswear partner of the London 2012 Games, will share their passion for sports by providing three sport specific challenges for visitors to prove their skills with rewards and prizes to be won.
LOCOG chief executive, Paul Deighton said: ‘With just over two weeks to go until the Games, now is the time to show your support for London 2012 and for Team GB and ParalympicsGB.
‘Our latest shop, London’s largest ever pop up shop, offers something for everybody at every price point - from one off excusive collectables to children’s toys.
‘As well as giving people the opportunity to show their support, merchandise is also an important revenue source for funding the Games.’
The Royal Parks’ Chief Executive, Linda Lennon CBE said: ‘In addition to hosting the Olympic Triathlon and Marathon Swim Events in Hyde Park, we are also proud to play host to the largest London 2012 Shop in the capital.’
‘The shop is a superb accompaniment to the array of events and activities happening this summer and we look forward to welcoming the world to Hyde Park.’
The store is open until 16 September and is fully equipped to accept Visa contactless and mobile payments.
Images of the opening can be downloaded here: http://mm.gettyimages.com/mm/nicePath/locog?nav=pr170676403
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Notes to Editors
For further information please contact the London 2012 Press Office on +44 (0)203 2012 100 or visit the website at www.london2012.com. Find out the latest from London 2012 HQ on our blog http://www.london2012.com/blog or follow us on Twitter http://www.twitter.com/london2012
London 2012 Games partners:
The Worldwide Olympic Partners who support the London 2012 Olympic Games and the National Olympic Committees around the world are Coca-Cola, Acer, Atos, Dow, GE, McDonald’s, Omega, Panasonic, Procter and Gamble, Samsung and Visa.
LOCOG has seven domestic Tier One Partners - adidas, BMW, BP, British Airways, BT, EDF and Lloyds TSB. There are seven domestic Tier Two Supporters - Adecco, ArcelorMittal, Cadbury, Cisco, Deloitte, Thomas Cook and UPS. There are now twenty-eight domestic Tier Three Suppliers and Providers - Aggreko, Airwave, Atkins, Boston Consulting Group, CBS Outdoor, Crystal CG, Eurostar, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP, G4S, GSK, Gymnova, Heathrow Airport, Heineken UK, Holiday Inn, John Lewis, McCann Worldgroup, Mondo, NATURE VALLEY, Next, Nielsen, Populous, Rapiscan Systems, Rio Tinto, Technogym, Thames Water, Ticketmaster, Trebor and Westfield.
There is one domestic Tier One Paralympic Games-only Partner, Sainsbury’s and one domestic Tier Three Paralympic Games-only Supplier, Otto Bock. The London 2012 Paralympic Games also acknowledges the support of the National Lottery.
Shop opening hours
Trading hours are:
- Monday - Friday: 10am - 8pm
- Saturday and Sunday: 10am - 6pm.
The Coca-Cola Pin Trading Centre
Coca-Cola, as the longest continuous sponsor of the Olympic movement, will be giving visitors the opportunity to purchase official Coca-Cola London 2012 merchandise.
The products have been designed with sustainability at their heart - like t-shirts made from fabric spun from the equivalent of three recycled plastic bottles. Coca-Cola profits from all merchandise sales will be given to their charity partner StreetGames, to help to bring sport to 110,000 young people in some of the most deprived communities in the UK.
Over the summer, this will be the hub for pin trading, and tens of thousands of people are expected to trade pins this summer, participating in the ‘unofficial spectator sport of the Games.
VISA
The store will be fully equipped to accept Visa contactless and mobile payments. Sir Steve Redgrave will make one of the first mobile payments of the London 2012 Games using the Visa payWave mobile payment application - the first mobile payment to be made in the store and one of the first to be made at an official London 2012 Games site.
About Hyde Park and The Royal Parks
For information, or images - please contact Melanie Etches, Communications Manager for the London 2012 Games, 0300 061 2055/0779 222 7485, metches@royalparks.org.ukFor further information, please visit: www.royalparks.org.uk , press@royalparks.gsi.gov.uk
Every year millions of Londoners and tourists visit Hyde Park, one of the capital’s eight Royal Parks. Hyde Park covers 350 acres and is home to a number of famous landmarks including the Serpentine Lake, Speakers’ Corner and the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain. The Park also offers various recreational activities including open water swimming, boating, cycling, tennis and horseriding.
The Royal Parks are: Bushy Park, The Green Park, Greenwich Park, Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens, The Regent's Park and Primrose Hill, Richmond Park and St James's Park. The Royal Parks also manages Victoria Tower Gardens, Brompton Cemetery, Grosvenor Square Gardens and the gardens of 10, 11 and 12 Downing Street. facebook.com/HydeParkUK
Hyde Park plays a significant role in London 2012 Games; hosting two Olympic events, the Triathlon and the 10km Marathon Swim. The Park will also feature BT London Live, where visitors can watch the action of the London 2012 Games live on giant screens, take part in sports, and enjoy music and cultural performances.
The London 2012 store will carry The Royal Parks award winning Crowns and Flags range of products.
About the Royal Parks Foundation
The Royal Parks Foundation is the charity for London's eight amazing Royal Parks. We reach out to make the Parks part of more people’s lives - raising funds for a wide variety of projects from wildlife conservation and landscape restoration, to community sport and art. Our charity registration number is 1097545, for more information, please visit www.SupportTheRoyalParks.org
