What: Falabella is extending its physical presence in southern Chile with a new Angol store focused on apparel, footwear and digital catalogue access.

Why it is important: Falabella’s Angol store highlights the value of smaller specialised formats for entering underserved cities while using digital channels to extend assortment.

Falabella has opened its first store in Angol, marking a new step in its expansion across southern Chile. Located in the city centre near Plaza de Armas, the 1,800-square-metre store focuses on women’s, men’s and children’s clothing, complemented by footwear and telephony. It is the first of three southern Chile openings planned for 2026, ahead of Linares and Coyhaique, and brings Falabella’s Chilean network to 46 stores. The format combines a specialised physical assortment with access to the full falabella.com catalogue through Click & Collect, allowing customers to use the store as a convenient pickup point for a broader digital offer. The opening will create more than 40 jobs, mostly for people from Angol and nearby communities, supporting local employment and commercial activity. Falabella also linked the launch to community engagement by incorporating María Sylvester Rasch School into its Haciendo Escuela programme, a 57-year initiative that supports student learning and development through collaboration between schools and company employees.

IADS Notes: Falabella’s Angol opening fits into a broader investment cycle focused on regional expansion, local relevance and more flexible store formats. In January 2026, Modaes reported that Falabella would invest $900 million and open 17 stores in Latin America during the year, with spending directed toward new stores, remodelled locations and technology upgrades across Chile, Peru and Mexico. Fashion Network’s November 2025 coverage of Falabella’s Viña del Mar opening showed how the retailer uses new stores to combine regional growth with local employment, community engagement and enhanced customer experiences. Modaes reported in August 2025 that Falabella’s 9.2% sales growth was supported by its multi-specialist model, which integrates physical stores, e-commerce, shopping centres and local market adaptation across Chile, Peru and Colombia. The group’s renewed capex cycle was also highlighted by Modaes in September 2025, when Falabella planned to recover pre-pandemic investment levels by 2026 with $800 million dedicated to physical and digital expansion. Perú Retail’s July 2026 coverage of the first standalone Beauty F store further shows how Falabella is developing specialised formats to reach customers in markets where a full department-store model may not be viable.

Falabella opens a small-format store in Angol, Chile

What: Breuninger is strengthening its Austrian presence through Kitzbühel activations that combine sport, fashion partnerships and omnichannel growth.

Why it is important: Breuninger’s Austrian push highlights the value of combining omnichannel services with culturally relevant events to build customer relationships in growth markets.

Breuninger is expanding its presence in Austria through a series of activations around the Generali Open in Kitzbühel, reinforcing the country’s role as an important growth market. The premium fashion and lifestyle retailer returned for the third time as a sponsoring partner of the ATP tournament and co-host of Champions Night, using the event to connect with customers, brand partners, media and business guests in a high-quality setting. The strategy also included a collaboration with Sportalm, presented at an event on the Seidlalm in Kitzbühel. The partners unveiled an exclusive capsule of a dirndl and blouse, combining Sportalm’s modern alpine design with Breuninger’s curated fashion expertise. The capsule is available through Breuninger’s online shop and selected stores. Austria has been a key international market since Breuninger launched its online shop there in 2018. Today, Austrian customers can access the online shop, international marketplace, exclusive services and curated assortments, supported by the Munich flagship as a nearby physical touchpoint.

IADS Notes: Breuninger’s Kitzbühel activations show how the retailer is building international presence through omnichannel infrastructure, local partnerships and experiential brand moments rather than relying only on physical store openings. In February 2026, Fashion United reported that Breuninger had launched its marketplace in Austria, using partner brands, localised assortments and digital scalability to strengthen a key growth market. Retail News noted in November 2025 that Breuninger was expanding its European presence through localised online shops, loyalty and tailored customer journeys in Switzerland and the Netherlands, confirming a broader digital-first internationalisation model. Monocle’s December 2025 profile of Breuninger described the retailer’s strength in curated premium assortments, service, gastronomy, culture and seamless online-offline integration. The Kitzbühel strategy also echoes Monocle’s September 2025 coverage of Breuninger’s Zürich event, where creative collaboration, hospitality and storytelling helped build brand presence beyond Germany. Similarly, the April 2026 Press Release on Breuninger’s Gant Tennis Club in Munich showed how sport, hospitality and brand partnerships can turn major events into immersive retail experiences.

Breuninger strenghtens presence in Austria

What: El Corte Inglés is preparing a more ambitious investment plan as Cristina Álvarez prioritises stores, digital growth, AI and operational transformation.

Why it is important: The strategy reinforces the role of physical stores as experiential assets while positioning digital channels and AI as growth and personalisation engines.

El Corte Inglés will present an updated strategic plan in September, with a more ambitious investment programme focused on business growth, logistics and new technological capabilities. Cristina Álvarez outlined the direction at her first shareholders’ meeting as president, where she defended the physical store as a differentiating factor and an essential asset for connecting with customers. Álvarez described stores as experiential environments where human interaction, brand awareness and customer relationships are built beyond transactions. She also stressed the growing importance of the website and app as gateways for customer acquisition, digital experience and personalisation. AI will be used to personalise shopping, optimise product availability, streamline service and better interpret customer needs, while preserving the company’s human essence. Shareholders ratified Javier Catena as CEO, responsible for implementing the roadmap. The group enters this phase from a stronger financial position, with 2025-26 net profit up 22.8% to €628 million, EBITDA up 4.7% to €1.266 billion and debt reduced to 1.3 times EBITDA.

IADS Notes: El Corte Inglés’s updated strategic plan builds on a year of leadership renewal, stronger financial performance and renewed investment ambition. In April 2026, Modaes reported that Cristina Álvarez was shifting the group toward growth through acquisitions, increased investment, digital transformation, logistics and organisational renewal, supported by McKinsey and the existing €3 billion investment plan through 2030. That plan was first detailed by Modaes and Fashion Network in July 2025, when El Corte Inglés committed to store modernisation, business expansion, logistics and technological capabilities while maintaining strong financial performance. The group’s capacity to accelerate investment was reinforced by its June 2026 results, when a company press release reported double-digit profit growth, record-low debt, increased investment, digital transformation, store modernisation and logistics innovation. Modaes also reported in June 2026 that Javier Catena had returned as CEO to implement the updated strategic plan, with a focus on operational excellence, digital acceleration, logistics, real estate and business transformation. Earlier, in January 2026, Modaes noted that Álvarez had already strengthened digital, customer experience, operations and supply chain leadership while reorganising purchasing to improve category expertise and agility.

El Corte Inglés will present its updated strategic plan in September, with increased investment