Outdoor activity stores that seek to make you part of the action while within the confines of a shop are something of a cliche.

But occasionally a retailer manages to shakes things up, revealing an interior that takes you to the place, in spirit at least, where the merchandise being sold is likely to be used.

German outdoorwear retailer Reischmann does just that with its store in Kempten in Germany. Designed by Stuttgart-based Blocher Blocher Partners, the modus operandi is to place the shopper in a series of themed zones that reflect the experience likely to be found in, say, an Alpine village.

Practically, this means a room, for example, that is a close approximation to a cosy mountain hut – clad with wood from floor to ceiling, with brown leather chairs and a rough stone fireplace. There’s even a ponyskin rug on the floor in front of the fire and the whole thing is lit with small spots, meaning areas of light and dark, rather than a high level of overall ambient light. Other areas include an Alpine bar and a boot department featuring more wood.

All of which might be sufficient to make you think that this is a Tyrolean theme park wannabe. But this is actually a modern store where dark ceiling voids, atria with impressive balconies and raw concrete all form part of the formula. Strip out the wood cladding and fixturing and this would be a highly contemporary piece of interior architecture.

Rather more importantly, it makes the business of buying equipment for that foray into the great outdoors a lot more interesting than would normally be the case. And as such, it puts the efforts of many British operators selling the category in the shade.