National Geographic opens its first store today, on London’s Regent Street. The three-floor, 19,375 sq ft shop is intended to establish a retail presence for the travel brand, which is best known for its magazine and TV channel.

The ground floor features a café, gallery and what it describes as a “global marketplace”, where ethnic objects are displayed on wooden packing cases. The first floor includes a travel agency and bookshop, as well as areas for clothing and cameras. In the basement, a red metal shipping crate with an incorporated glass-sided room is refrigerated, enabling shoppers to test-drive outdoor garments in extreme cold.

The store is a joint enterprise with Barcelona-based Worldwide Retail Store.

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