New Balance Opens Its First New-Concept Store in India in Noida: Bollywood Actress Appears for Grey Days 2026

Sports brand New Balance opened its first new-concept store in India at DLF Mall of India in Noida, in northern India. It opened on May 19, 2026, timed to coincide with the brand's global event "Grey Days 2026." Bollywood actress Janhvi Kapoor and Australian cricketer Pat Cummins appeared as ambassadors, and the store was positioned as a space spanning sports, fashion, and culture.

A new-concept store born in Noida

This store serves as the flagship for the new retail concept New Balance is introducing in India for the first time. It is located at DLF Mall of India in Noida, in the Delhi National Capital Region (NCR). It integrates both performance (athletic) and lifestyle categories in a single space, structured to foreground product discovery, community-building, and brand storytelling. Rather than being simply a retail outlet, it is designed as a place for visitors to experience the brand's world.

The opening event adopted a "neighborhood"-style approach that engaged nearby residents, holding talk sessions around a bonfire and an interactive cricket program with ambassador participation. It aimed to build a connection with the local community, starting from cricket, the national sport.

Grey Days 2026 and the choice of ambassadors

Grey Days is a global New Balance initiative celebrating gray, the brand's signature color. Gray originated as a functional choice for runners and later became a color symbolizing the brand's tradition, craftsmanship, and design identity. The 2026 India edition played the role of translating this gray story for the local market.

As ambassadors, it brought in Bollywood actress Janhvi Kapoor and Australian cricketer Pat Cummins. By pairing a movie star with a top athlete, it bundled fashion, sports, and lifestyle into a single event, showcasing the brand's cultural influence.

Overview of the store and event

Market reaction

In India, experiential stores from overseas brands are appearing one after another in the sports and lifestyle space. An ambassador strategy that brings in an athlete and a movie star at the same time is seen as efficient, in that it can capture two major cultures — cricket and Bollywood — simultaneously. The Delhi National Capital Region concentrates high-purchasing-power consumers and is a location commonly chosen for flagship stores.

In the same sports and athleisure space, entries keep coming, with a Canadian-born brand also preparing its India debut. This trend also overlaps with the moves of Lululemon's India debut, intensifying competition in the performance apparel market further.

Implications for Japanese companies

For Japanese marketers considering entry into India, the New Balance case is a textbook example of "experience design" and "connecting with local culture." It defined the storefront not as a retail space but as a place of experience, drawing in the local community starting from cricket, the national sport. What matters is not just lining up products, but how to connect one's own brand to the local culture.

The choice of ambassadors also offers a useful reference point, in that it raised a banner from both film and sports. In the India market, pairing a Bollywood star with a cricketer works well for reaching a broad audience. When Japanese brands build awareness in India, a design that speaks through locally beloved cultural icons is also effective.

Ripple Effects on the Industry

The introduction of an experiential concept store also affects a mall's tenant mix. A flagship store with strong customer-drawing power raises the brand value of the entire mall and encourages other overseas brands' decisions to open stores. Large malls like DLF Mall of India are starting to function as a receptacle for such flagship stores.

The trend of overseas brands making their debut and opening new-concept stores one after another is also reflected in Brands making their first entry into India in 2026, and the industry has entered a stage where what sets brands apart is not simply opening a store, but "what kind of experience is offered."

Conclusion

New Balance's Noida store is a case that combines the vessel of India's first new-concept store with Grey Days 2026, its choice of ambassadors, and an experiential production that involves the local community. A design that spans sports, fashion, and local culture demonstrates a method for capturing awareness and loyalty at the same time in the India market. For Japanese companies too, experience and connection to local culture are the keys to cracking this market.

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References

• New Balance Launches Grey Days 2026 Campaign and New Retail Concept Store in India (Textile Value Chain)
• New Balance Opens First UCC Store In India At DLF Mall Of India, Noida (In Fashion Business)