Inside Journeys’ 4.0 Store Concept: What Changed and Why It’s Driving Sales

The useful part

Behind the Making of the Redesign Skip to main content Journeys introduced the new 4.0 store concept in 2024. Those are some of the descriptors for the Journeys 4.0 store concept that began rolling out in 2024 and is rapidly making its way across the retailer's main stores, as well as its Kidz locations. "We started by asking, 'How has the customer changed?' And our customers shop very differently today," she explained.

How it works

• Caitlin McNaney/Footwear News Market watchers are bullish on the update.
• So they want that flexibility, and they want the store to be about discovery and to be inspiring." Related Stories.
• You May Also Like Mike Sypert, chief operating officer of the chain, pointed to 4.0's modularity as an important new element.
• That is something we didn't have in the other store concepts, as brands get hot and assortments get larger." Inside a Journeys 4.0 store.
• Sypert, who has been with the chain since 1989, recalled that Journeys was a novel concept in the 1980s and '90s.

What to take from it

"The best malls are getting stronger, and it's because they're building a lifestyle environment. like pay phones so teens could call their parents for a ride home or video games in the Journeys Kidz locations. further cemented the retailer's reputation as an authentic shopping outpost for young people, one that understood their needs and desires.

Example or evidence

• "We realized it was time to update and get a fresher look." In 2024, Journeys tested the 4.0 concept in 10 stores, and after seeing strong early results, it quickly accelerated.
• The company added it to more than 80 doors last year, with at least 90 more expected in 2026.
• Hardin said within the next three years, roughly 50 to 60 percent of its stores will have the 4.0 look.
• Journeys Kidz is also getting the new treatment, with eight store conversions planned this year.

Details worth keeping

"We were one of the first stores to have music videos playing," he said. "We tweaked that concept, but nothing major over the years. Becky Hardin heads up store strategy for Journeys Group.

Related coverage

• Wwd: Andy Gray, CEO of Journeys Global Retail Group, and Mimi Vaughn, CEO of parent company Genesco Inc., sat down with FN to talk about the retailer's history and bright future.
• Wwd: John Tighe, senior vice president of direct-to-consumer at Journeys Group, discusses the growth and evolution of the retailer's digital business.
• Wwd: Brand partners discuss their powerful partnerships with the retailer.
• Wwd: The retailer's strategy is notching sales gains despite a tough consumer environment.
• Wwd: Cushioned insoles, flats and low-heeled shoes, plus block and kitten heels were prevalent at the show.