Kaiser Sport & Ortopædi Nominated for Retail Store of the Year 2026

Kaiser Sport & Ortopædi (KSO), located in Østerbro, Copenhagen, has been nominated by the Danish retail association MERK for the Retail Store of the Year 2026 award. A jury of nine specialists has selected KSO as a finalist alongside retail giant Bestseller’s flagship store and luxury brand Louis Vuitton’s flagship store.

Why is KSO competing with major international brands for the title of Retail Store of the Year 2026? The answer is simple: relationships.

Relationships. That is the answer - and we will return to that shortly. The running store at Østerbrogade 79 has been nominated for Retail Store of the Year by MERK, alongside Louis Vuitton’s Danish flagship store and Bestseller’s flagship store, both located in central Copenhagen. The winner will be announced at New Retail Day in Copenhagen on 21 October.

Advice is essential when the product range is relatively homogeneous

“We did not build a running store designed for quick transactions. We built a place where people can sit down, take off their jacket, enjoy a cup of coffee and spend the time they need. In our view, the best customer experience does not begin at some random point in the store with a simple hello,” says owner and CEO Jan Steinicke. At KSO, the customer experience often begins online, where everyone has the opportunity to book a free appointment in advance for personalised advice and a practical running shoe assessment.

“In this way, we give our specialists a head start. When they meet a customer—whom we refer to internally as a guest—they are not there to pursue a sale. They are there to act as hosts,” Jan explains. “This makes it much easier to start a conversation, build a relationship and ultimately generate a sale that creates value for both us and the guest,” he continues.

Advice as a core service

At KSO, a consultation often lasts up to 45 minutes and includes a manual examination of the feet, 3D foot scanning, pressure measurement and movement analysis, as well as a practical treadmill test with video analysis. Each customer has a designated seat and a dedicated advisor throughout the entire consultation.

The demand extends beyond product selection and customer service.

This is a development KSO has been observing for some time. In 2026, the company has made a major commitment to the concept of community. Creating a sense of community and facilitating experiences have become central drivers of the business—community is now a defining part of the KSO culture. Since opening in November 2025, KSO in Østerbro has hosted more than 100 free running events. Many of these have been held in collaboration with international running brands and have included running shoe trials, merchandise giveaways and refreshments ranging from non-alcoholic Mikkeller beer to open sandwiches and sushi.

“We never dreamed of simply becoming a ‘store’. We want to be a place that runners associate with community and experiences as well. If we succeed in that, we also believe we will become the running store people remember when they are ready to buy their next pair of running shoes,” says Jan. The ambition for KSO in Østerbro is to become runners’ preferred go-to destination. In addition to its shopping and advisory offering, the KSO concept also includes physiotherapy centred around handcrafted orthopaedic insoles. This means the store welcomes people who want to take part in social runs, are looking for an appealing shopping experience based on thorough advice, or want to return to running after an injury.

A major recognition for the employees

The nomination was made by a jury of nine specialists who assess stores that contribute to elevating and developing the retail experience in Denmark. This brings us back to relationships - and, not least, to the people who create them in the store environment at Østerbrogade 79: the employees. “What I am most proud of is the recognition we have received internally. We have succeeded in creating a culture in which our employees perform at their best by being present on the shop floor, applying their expertise and communication skills, and contributing to relationship-building with our guests through our events - beyond the sales situation. “To me, this shows that the retail of the future is ultimately about people and relationships,” Jan concludes.