Sports retailers have donned their running shoes and are in a race to find new sites across the country to take advantage of the healthy lifestyle of Australians.
It is big business and shopping centre landlords have earmarked the sector as a growth engine in the coming years.
A Roy Morgan survey found 734,000 Australians bought sporting equipment, not including sportswear or footwear, in an average four weeks in the 12 months to March 2016, spending a combined $1.33 billion over the year.
The retailers are also keen to get flagship stores in city locations where workers are donning running gear at lunch times to get away from the desk when possible.
UK-based multi-brand retailer JD Sports has opened its first store in GPT Group's Melbourne Central shopping centre.
The 540 sqm store will offer a range of leading global brands including Nike, adidas, Lacoste, Reebok, Ellesse, The North Face and Puma, servicing men, women and children through a wide range of footwear and apparel.
JD Sports – dubbed the "Undisputed King of Trainers" – will bring a cross-category product offering, from performance to lifestyle, presented in a highly immersive, multi-channel, retail environment, which has never been seen on the Australian "high street". This store will mean JD now has a presence in 11 countries outside of its native Britain.
JD Australia head Hilton Seskin said the plan was to open five stores this year – two in Melbourne, two in Sydney and one in Queensland.
"Our shoppers will get first pick of limited edition styles, global launches and JD exclusives from the heavy hitters including adidas and Nike," Mr Seskin said.
"Being a global retailer gives us access to the best product, higher tiered releases, more exclusives and the ability to build ranges that are specific to the JD consumer, making JD the place to go for sport fashion," he said.
"We are not here to cut out Australian brands as our offering is very different."
Vanessa Orth, head of retail at GPT Group, said the group was "incredibly excited to be partnering with international brand JD Sports to launch their first store in Australia".
"Melbourne Central is an iconic destination and the addition of JD Sport to the centre will see it house one of the country's largest sports athleisure collections," Ms Orth said. "JD Sport will bring a range of international brands and exclusive products from brands including Ivy Park, Ellesse and favourites like Nike and adidas."
Rebel Sports, the biggest in the country, is looking to expand its new "athleisure" brand, called Rebel Fit, this year. Rebel and stablemate Amart are part of the Super Retail Group.
Rebel has asked leasing agents to look for 300 square metre sites, initially in the Sydney CBD, for expansion of the new brand.
Colliers International head of retail Michael Bate declined to comment on specific stores but said in general, sport retail was a "crowded" market but consumers would be the winners.
"Landlords all agree that sports retailing is a growth sector and the entrants will come via single brands, and multi brands and will provide strong competition for the Australian brands," Mr Bate said.
French giant Decathlon, sometimes described as the Aldi of the sportswear world, is in Australia with an online presence but is said to be looking at a warehouse site in Tempe, near the Ikea store in Sydney, and at a bulky goods-style property in outer Melbourne.
Other groups in the market for flagship stores include Nike, said to be looking in George Street, Sydney near the planned Wynyard development; Puma, through its owner, LVMH; adidas, Reebok and New Balance. South Africa's Foschini Group, which has the G-star raw brand in Australia, also has large sports stores in its stable.
Foot Locker has introduced the House of Hoops concept to its Sydney CBD store and is looking at Melbourne sites, while the US-based Under Armour has two sites at Pacific Fair on the Gold Coast, Chadstone, Melbourne and is now looking at Sydney.