MAAP brings its LaB concept to Soho with its first UK store

Melbourne cycling and lifestyle apparel brand MAAP has opened MAAP LaB London at 29 Great Pulteney Street in Soho. It is the brand's 11th Life around Bikes (LaB) concept store and its first in the UK. The store soft-launched in early September, with the official launch on 10 October marked by events, ride-outs and in-store activations.

As BikeBiz reports, the space was designed with Clare Cousins Architects and follows the LaB blueprint first seen in Melbourne in 2022, then refined through Berlin, Sydney, LA and beyond. Congratulations to co-founder Jarrad Smith, the MAAP team and Oliver Duff and colleagues at Clare Cousins Architects on a thoughtful opening.

A store built as a meeting place

The most interesting thing about the LaB concept, from a marketing point of view, is that it is not framed as a shop first. MAAP describes the stores as places for local riders to come together, with talks, activations and community rides doing as much work as the product on the rails. The stated aim is to go beyond the typical retail offering.

That matters because MAAP's audience is not only buying kit. They are buying into a culture that sits between riding, design and city life. A space that hosts rides and conversations gives those people a reason to visit repeatedly, bring friends and talk about it, which no amount of window display can do on its own.

Location as positioning

Choosing Soho is a positioning statement. MAAP places the store at the intersection of contemporary creative culture and cycling, and Soho's long association with art and creativity reinforces that message before anyone walks through the door. The brand has been consistent about this, opening in culturally significant cities rather than simply chasing footfall.

Design that tells the story

The creative detail is where the store really earns its keep. A cobbled stone floor nods to Soho's streets and to cycling's one-day Classics. Stainless steel and aluminium reference the engineering of the bicycle. A curved steel wall throws back blurred reflections meant to recall a peloton in motion, set against flashes of vivid green.

Each of these choices gives visitors, photographers and the press something specific to talk about. It also balances global consistency with local character: Oliver Duff describes each LaB as shaped by its context while remaining in conversation with the others. That is a useful model for any brand trying to stay recognisable across markets without feeling generic.

A launch with momentum

The soft launch in September followed by an official launch weekend is a sensible sequence. It allows the team to settle in, then gives the community and the cycling press a clear moment to gather around, built on rides and activations rather than a ribbon cutting.

What other brands can take from it

Few brands will open a flagship in Soho, but the thinking scales.

• Lead with community, not stock. Group rides, talks and events give people a reason to return and give you a steady stream of authentic content for social and email.
• Let place do some positioning. Whether it is a pop-up, a café takeover or a store, where you show up says as much about the brand as your ad copy.
• Design for the camera and the conversation. Distinctive, story-led details travel on Instagram and in trade press far further than a tidy product wall.
• Be consistent, but local. A clear brand blueprint with room for local character works for physical spaces, regional campaigns and localised search content alike.
• Plan launches in stages. A soft open followed by a programmed launch moment gives paid social and PR something concrete to amplify.
• Use partners well. Working with a respected design studio added credibility and a second voice to the story.

At Objective 1 we often see community activity like this become the strongest source of creative for cycling brands' paid and organic channels. MAAP has shown again how well it can work when the physical space is built around it.