The IADS had the opportunity to travel to Seattle to attend and report the Global Department Stores Summit, co-organized with Nordstrom. It was the occasion to review how the iconic US department store is articulating its attention to customers, which they claim to be superior to the competition in the country. On this occasion, we visited the Pine Street store (in the Seattle city centre), a location not as glamorous as the store at Columbus Circle in New York that we reviewed earlier this year.

What is so special about their service and how is it organized in store from the customer perspective? What are the learnings for other retailers? And most importantly, how is this helping in a city still bearing the scars of the pandemic, including a devastated "Retail Mile"?

CHECK OUT THE COLLECTION OF PICTURES HERE

IADS Exclusive: Nordstrom, sleepless retailer in Seattle

IADS provides its members with a weekly in-depth analysis on retail-oriented topics. This is an example of the themes the Association regularly addresses, and the topic of an article from the IADS members-only newsletter date 26 October 2022.

In a post-pandemic world, crafting an inclusive culture able at the same time to bond together employees and act as an element of motivation and pride is more important than ever, especially now that retail companies start to feel the pinch when it comes to attracting new talents. The IADS had the privilege to listen to Walter Robb, the former Co-CEO of Whole Foods Market, during the World Retail Congress in April 2022, on the topic of "conscious capitalism" and how, when properly implemented, it could help fuel growth for the company by creating an adequate corporate culture. This is the reason why we invited him to share his thoughts and vision when it comes to leading with a purpose, as well as to share the lessons he learnt during his 26-years-long tenure within the company.

IADS Exclusive - Innovative Thinking Series: former Co-CEO of Whole Foods, Walter Robb, shares lessons learned

IADS provides its members with a weekly in-depth analysis on retail-oriented topics. This is an example of the themes the Association regularly addresses, and the topic of an article from the IADS members-only newsletter date 19 October 2022.

Boyner in pictures

The IADS travelled to Turkey (now known as Türkiye) last June to meet with Cem Boyner, the CEO of Boyner Grup, a former IADS member, to get an update on his latest initiatives following the Covid-19 pandemic. Located between Asia and the West, often tarnished with its international policy decisions (to the shame of Turkish businessmen), and riddled with inflation (estimated at 78,35% for 2022, a 24-year high), it is easy to overlook the country and consider it done.

In reality, the retail market is buoyant, and many innovations are taking place, which made the trip all the more interesting as many of these innovations could be interesting for IADS members to look at. We review below our store visit, as well as the insights collected during the meeting with Hopi, Boyner Grup's data venture.

IADS Exclusive: Boyner, the "multi-brand lifestyle company" 

IADS provides its members with a weekly in-depth analysis on retail-oriented topics. This is an example of the themes the Association regularly addresses, and the topic of an article from the IADS members-only newsletter date 12 October 2022.

Greece in pictures

The IADS was invited to take part in the 2022 Future of Retail Conference organised in Athens last May by the Hellenic Federation of Retail. The Association was interviewed on stage, along with Mr Dimosthenis Boumis, the CEO of Attica, the emblematic Greek department store, and invited to discuss the future of retail in city centres.

It was also the opportunity to reconnect with old acquaintances, since the former CEO of Minion, a defunct department store in Athens, used to be a member of the IADS and is now a member of the Attica board. Attica has gone through the Covid-19 pandemic with the same difficulties as other department stores in the world and came up with a new strategy designed to rely less on international tourists (even though they remain more than welcome) and more on the local Greek clientele, from every social class. If appealing to the rich Greeks is not a head scratcher, the current social and revenue structure in Greece makes it a bit more complicated to appeal the to lower classes without losing glamour or soul.

We visited the City Link flagship, in the heart of Athens, very close to the infamous Syntagma square, in order to see how the store is implementing and executing the new strategy.

IADS Exclusive: Greece is going upmarket, but not only

IADS provides its members with a weekly in-depth analysis on retail-oriented topics. This is an example of the themes the Association regularly addresses, and the topic of an article from the IADS members-only newsletter date 05 October 2022.

IADS recently held a meeting all about the women's fashion brands to look out for in 2022. Based on market research, IADS and NellyRodi presented the most innovative brands from different segments of women's fashion: DNVB, designer, contemporary, young talents and everything in between! Check out our selection of these brands

IADS Exclusive - Brand Roundup: Women's Fashion

IADS provides its members with a weekly in-depth analysis on retail-oriented topics. This is an example of the themes the Association regularly addresses, and the topic of an article from the IADS members-only newsletter date 28 September 2022.

IADS Exclusive- Innovative Thinking Series: IADS interview with Marek Piotrowski, Retail Robotics 

The IADS recently sat down with Marek Piotrowski, Chief of Marketing Operations at Retail Robotics, a technology company that has been improving the efficiency and convenience of delivery and click and collect processes for e-commerce and e-grocery for more than 30 years. Marek Piotrowski has been involved in marketing and design for the entirety of his career working with top brands all over the world through advertising agencies where he utilized different successful strategies for a slew of brands. He joined the Retail Robotics team and oversees marketing, design, PR, and user experience at Delipop in France.

Delipop harnesses Retail Robotics' click-and-collect multi-retailer smart parcel lockers that serves as multi-brand or single retailer pick-up points. Delipop recently opened its first locations across Paris, so the IADS team decided to use the opportunity to take a first-hand look at the 'store front'.

IADS Exclusive- Innovative Thinking Series: IADS interview with Marek Piotrowski, Retail Robotics 

IADS provides its members with a weekly in-depth analysis on retail-oriented topics. This is an example of the themes the Association regularly addresses, and the topic of an article from the IADS members-only newsletter date 21 September 2022.

Pyrénées in pictures

Last May, the IADS had the occasion to travel to Andorra to visit the local landmark Pyrénées department store and meet with its leading team to understand where the company was heading. In Andorra too, the Covid-19 pandemic left its mark and forced retailers to rethink their business approach and positioning, especially in such a landlocked country normally living on touristic flows.

Even though the size of the business is relatively small when compared to other IADS members, the Pyrénées business case raises a set of interesting questions when compared to the rest of its local market:

-    What does loyalty mean for the Pyrénées customers? Is the game all about attracting local customers to the Pyrénées ecosystem, or making sure that tourists will return to the store? And what is the differentiation point: price, or selection?

-    How can a retail company stand out from the crowd in a country where the whole industry is based on duty-free product sales, from tobacco and liquor to fashion and accessories?

Given the specificity of the Andorran market and operations, such a visit was extremely informative as it helped to see another approach to differentiation and segmentation. Interestingly, in Andorra too, the game is not anymore to sell products (even at extremely competitive prices) but to provide a new, fresh and compelling experience both in-store and online.

IADS Exclusive: Pyrénées, building a destination within the destination

IADS provides its members with a weekly in-depth analysis on retail-oriented topics. This is an example of the themes the Association regularly addresses, and the topic of an article from the IADS members-only newsletter date 14 September 2022.

Inno in pictures

The IADS had the occasion to travel to Brussels and took the opportunity to visit Inno, the iconic Belgian department store celebrating its 125th year of activity this year and a founding company of the IADS. A new CEO was appointed in 2019 with a new plan, and this visit was the opportunity to take stock.

What can we learn from the Inno revamp? Where do they stand? To what extent the Belgian retail scene has evolved after the Covid-19 pandemic and where is the company heading?

IADS Exclusive - Inno in Brussels: the long-awaited awakening 

IADS provides its members with a weekly in-depth analysis on retail-oriented topics. This is an example of the themes the Association regularly addresses, and the topic of an article from the IADS members-only newsletter date 7 September 2022.

Steen & Strom in pictures

The IADS had the occasion to travel to Finland, Sweden and Norway to visit Stockmann, NK and Steen & Strom respectively. All those three venerable companies, true institutions in their countries, have started a transformational post-pandemic journey in order to become destinations again in their respective cities.

At a moment when tourism is starting again and the three countries seem relatively immune to the difficulties created by the war in Ukraine, we review where they stand, their innovations worth noting and why their transformation is far more than just a revamp or a digital reset: for at least two of the three companies, they are challenging their own business model to the point of admittedly literally learning a new job.

Let's embark north of the 60th parallel to see what is going on!

This third part is dedicated to Steen & Strom in Norway.

IADS Exclusive - Steen & Strom: no longer the Nordic Tom Thumb

IADS provides its members with a weekly in-depth analysis on retail-oriented topics. This is an example of the themes the Association regularly addresses, and the topic of an article from the IADS members-only newsletter date 31 August 2022.

With Covid, the search for wellness has become increasingly important for consumers. In a survey from McKinsey, the global wellness market was estimated at USD 1.5 trillion in 2021, with a predicted annual growth of 5 to 10%. In this survey, 79% percent of the respondents said they believe that wellness is important, and 42% consider it a top priority.

As a consequence, retailers started to tip toe in this relatively unknown part of the business, in the intersection of beauty, sports practice, health products and services. Selfridges first launched a wellness program in February 2022. Dubbed "Superself", the initiative included paid sex counselling sessions, confidence coaching sessions and other services to help customers live a "brighter lifestyle". This month, they are transforming their Corner Shop into "The Feel Good Bar", a well-being destination focusing on sex and sleep-enhancing products and services. The cinema at Selfridges will also be part of the program, converting into a sleep session area. Health-based experiences like acupuncture sessions, IV drips, bio-hacking, and oxygen therapy will become available later this year. Also in the UK, on top of a cosmeceutical space, Flannels partnered with Barry's Bootcamp to open a gym in their new Liverpool store. In the US, mental health initiatives developed in the past months for instance at Walmart, CVS and Rite-Aid drugstores.

In France, last year, Monoprix launched "La Santé au Quotidien", a new department dedicated to products that are in between traditional beauty offerings and medical treatments. In March 2022, Le Printemps Haussmann store also launched a new beauty floor gathering beauty services such as manicures, pedicures, brow services, hair products and a salon, dermo-cosmetics and food supplements, as well as a spa developed with the Face 2 Une beauty tech brand, proposing no gender services through manual massages and machines. Next September, using a more confidential approach, Le Bon Marché will also open a permanent 150 sqm beauty salon.

Obviously, initiatives are plentiful but Galeries Lafayette goes further than any other department store in the wellness business. Last week, and after a year in the making, they opened the "Wellness Galerie" in their Haussmann store. On 7 July, Alexandre Liot (Haussmann Store Director) and Arthur Lemoine (Offer and Buying Director) unveiled the new floor. The IADS attended the floor visit for you, and we are delighted to report back this exciting member news.

IADS Exclusive - Wellness: the next step in Galeries Lafayette's makeover 

IADS provides its members with a weekly in-depth analysis on retail-oriented topics. This is an example of the themes the Association regularly addresses, and the topic of an article from the IADS members-only newsletter date 20 July 2022.

Among the many consequences for retail stemming from the Covid-19 pandemic, which we are exploring at length, a major one is the international tourism crash and the closure of China, which historically steadily contributed to department store companies' growth in the past years. Even considering the recent closures taking place in Shanghai, Beijing and other Chinese cities, the business has flourished domestically for the past 2 years in China and the acceleration of retail digitization has also taken place there. The road seems to be still very bumpy, but there is definitively a light at the end of the tunnel. What can we learn from what took place in China and are there lessons to have in mind? To answer this question, we interviewed two specialists from Mobile Now Group and Clientela.

Mobile Now Group, founded in 2009, is a development studio with a focus on digital experiences, products, and platforms. With offices in Shanghai, Hangzhou, and Changsha, in addition to their Singapore office, they have a commanding understanding of the Chinese market and its evolution. They have worked on more than 100 projects with leading companies in the world such as Richemont, Cartier, IWC, Montblanc, Sephora, DFS, Hennessy, Lane Crawford, Shiseido, NARS, SMCP, La Samaritaine, and others.

Clientela, a software company based in New York founded in 2010, has developed a complete suite of acquisition, clienteling and retail operations for stores, in order to cater to customers' needs through an optimal experience, while maximizing efficiency and profitability for retailers. They have developed solutions for several leading global brands, such as Cartier, Benefit Cosmetics, Marc Jacobs, Chloé, MaxMara, and Carolina Herrera, and they have led a pilot project with IADS member Magasin du Nord in Denmark.

Mobile Now and Clientela partnered in 2020 realizing that retail clients needed a global clienteling approach that brings together two important approaches:

• The maturity and knowledge of global clienteling best practices,
• The specificity of the Chinese digital ecosystem, especially in mobility, social commerce, and O2O commerce.

We interviewed Thomas Meyer, co-founder of Mobile Now, and Arnaud Barbelet, COO and partner at Clientela. Thomas spent 20+ years in Asia (14 in China) and most of his career in tech and mobile development before co-creating Mobile Now Group 12 years ago, with experiences at Wunderman, OgilvyOne, and WPP among others. Arnaud has 18+ years of experience in start-up development centred on customer approach and understanding. He brings a complementary eye to what's going on in China and helps draw conclusions for retailers from other regions.

IADS Exclusive - Transformation in retail: Innovative Thinking Learnings from Chinese social media: a talk with Mobile Now and Clientela

IADS provides its members with a weekly in-depth analysis on retail-oriented topics. This is an example of the themes the Association regularly addresses, and the topic of an article from the IADS members-only newsletter date 13 July 2022.

NK Review in Photos

*The IADS had the occasion to travel to Finland, Sweden and Norway to visit Stockmann, NK and Steen & Strom respectively. All those three venerable companies, true institutions in their countries, have started a transformational post-pandemic journey in order to become destinations again in their respective cities.

At a moment when tourism is starting again and the three countries seem relatively immune to the difficulties created by the war in Ukraine, we review where they stand, their innovations worth noting and why their transformation is far more than just a revamp or a digital reset: for at least two of the three companies, they are challenging their own business model to the point of admittedly literally learning a new job.

Let's embark north of the 60th parallel to see what is going on!

This first part is dedicated to NK in Sweden.*

IADS Exclusive - NK: the luxury leader learning to sell fashion

IADS provides its members with a weekly in-depth analysis on retail-oriented topics. This is an example of the themes the Association regularly addresses, and the topic of an article from the IADS members-only newsletter date 06 July 2022.

The Stockmann Review in Photos

*The IADS had the occasion to travel to Finland, Sweden and Norway to visit Stockmann, NK and Steen & Strom respectively. All those three venerable companies, true institutions in their countries, have started a transformational post-pandemic journey in order to become destinations again in their respective cities.

At a moment when tourism is starting again and the three countries seem relatively immune to the difficulties created by the war in Ukraine, we review where they stand, their innovations worth noting and why their transformation is far more than just a revamp or a digital reset: for at least two of the three companies, they are challenging their own business model to the point of admittedly literally learning a new job.

Let's embark north of the 60th parallel to see what is going on!

This first part is dedicated to Stockmann in Finland.*

IADS Exclusive - Stockmann: from near-bankruptcy to reconnecting with innovation and profits

IADS provides its members with a weekly in-depth analysis on retail-oriented topics. This is an example of the themes the Association regularly addresses, and the topic of an article from the IADS members-only newsletter date 29 June 2022.

The Dutch Retail Tour in photos 

Taking the opportunity of the kick-off celebrations of Vanderveen's 125th anniversary in Assen, the IADS visited three Dutch department stores at the end of April 2022: De Bijenkorf and Peek & Cloppenburg in Amsterdam, and Vanderveen in Assen.

In the Netherlands, the department store business is mainly led by De Bijenkorf, running seven locations throughout the country. Peek & Cloppenburg (accounting for approximately 75 stores in Germany and now owning Magasin du Nord), runs 4 stores in the Netherlands. Finally, Vanderveen has a single location in Assen and is still run by the Vanderveen founding family.

Differences are huge between these three businesses. Each targeting specific customer groups, they offer a particular take on department stores, from international luxury to mass-market and ultra-local purpose. A review in pictures is also available to the IADS members.

IADS Exclusive - Dutch department store tour: from international groups to family-owned business

IADS provides its members with a weekly in-depth analysis on retail-oriented topics. This is an example of the themes the Association regularly addresses, and the topic of an article from the IADS members-only newsletter date 22 June 2022.

The Lacoste Arena in photos 

Lacoste (part of MF Brands Group, owner of Manor) has 1,100 stores in 98 countries but didn't have any flagship stores until 19 May 2022 when they opened their first one on Paris' Avenue des Champs-Elysées, which can seem surprising for a company which topped the €2bn sales as early as 2016.

Dubbed "Lacoste Arena", the brand new 3-storey store displays on 1,600 sqm no less than 9,500 products, from footwear to ready-to-wear for men, women and kids. The store is all about showing and emphasizing the link between fashion and sport, by balancing experiential spaces, entertainment corners and sales areas, to address all types of shoppers: fashion and streetwear fans, sport addicts or consumers looking for sustainability.

The IADS had the opportunity to enjoy a private tour of the store. Besides the expected (and now necessary) experiential features, what are the key store highlights? Is this flagship a fair example of what the store of the future could be? How is CSR included? You can also dive in deep by having a look at the store review in pictures here.

IADS Exclusive - Lacoste Arena: a case for experiential stores

IADS provides its members with a weekly in-depth analysis on retail-oriented topics. This is an example of the themes the Association regularly addresses, and the topic of an article from the IADS members-only newsletter date 15 June 2022.

During the World Retail Congress in Rome in early April 2022, the IADS had the opportunity to be part of the panel interviewing retail veteran Ron Johnson. This IADS Exclusive issue is a transcript of the interview and fits perfectly into our Innovative Thinkers series, launched last September. Listening to Ron Johnson, his past experiences, questions and successes, casts a new light on some of the ideas that he pushed forward in some of his tenures, especially at JC Penney, at the light of what happened during the pandemic. Also, he shares an interesting retrospective vision of his own career and how he contributed to changing the way retail works, either through successful initiatives, but most often, in his own words, with "things that did not work".

IADS Exclusive -Innovative Thinking Interview with Ron Johnson, CEO and founder of Enjoy

IADS provides its members with a weekly in-depth analysis on retail-oriented topics. This is an example of the themes the Association regularly addresses, and the topic of an article from the IADS members-only newsletter date 08 June 2022.

In Europe alone, subscription models and paid memberships account for EUR 350 billion. Consumer goods 'only' represent 15% of the total business. Illustrating such expectations and following up with last year's Exclusive about subscription retail, the IADS gathered the latest initiatives in paid membership.

IADS Exclusive -What's new in paid membership? Developing but restrained by global uncertainties

IADS provides its members with a weekly in-depth analysis on retail-oriented topics. This is an example of the themes the Association regularly addresses, and the topic of an article from the IADS members-only newsletter date 01 June 2022.

The ongoing digitization of department store companies involves integrating new and very different teams, reinventing the jobs of the existing ones, and finding a common motivating purpose for all of them. In that sense, there are some similarities between what Best Buy went through and what IADS members are currently trying to achieve. Take a look at what the former CEO of Best Buy had to say on the matter.

IADS Exclusive - Innovative Thinking Series: The turnaround of Best Buy: a fireside chat with Hubert Joly

IADS provides its members with a weekly in-depth analysis on retail-oriented topics. This is an example of the themes the Association regularly addresses, and the topic of an article from the IADS members-only newsletter date 25 May 2022.

Nordstrom announced on March 1st the launch of their own Retail Media Network (RMN) with the "Nordstrom Media Network" initiative. Trade marketing and side advertising revenues from brands are not new to retailers. So why is this piece of news interesting for department store companies?

IADS Exclusive: Are Retail Media Networks the new El Dorado for retailers?

IADS provides its members with a weekly in-depth analysis on retail-oriented topics. This is an example of the themes the Association regularly addresses, and the topic of an article from the IADS members-only newsletter date 18 May 2022.

Check out the photos here

The IADS visited Rome for the World Retail Congress early in May and took the occasion to visit La Rinascente and Coin Excelsior, among others, for a store review and an innovation spotting session.

To what extent has the Covid-19 pandemic forced local department stores to evolve, in the same way that Paris, Madrid, London or Milan had to follow suit? Has Rome, which is usually lagging behind the economical capital of the country, managed to take that opportunity to upgrade its department store scene?

IADS Exclusive: Rome Retail Tour: Is it still la Dolce Vita for retail in Rome?

IADS provides its members with a weekly in-depth analysis on retail-oriented topics. This is an example of the themes the Association regularly addresses, and the topic of an article from the IADS members-only newsletter date 11 May 2022.

Spring/ Summer Window Displays Photo Deck 

IADS consolidated 2022 Spring and Summer window displays from around the world in the latest Spring/Summer window report. Have a look at how IADS members and other department stores are capturing the upcoming new seasons through their artistic and inspiring interpretations.

IADS Exclusive - Department Stores Spring/ Summer Windows 2022

IADS provides its members with a weekly in-depth analysis on retail-oriented topics. This is an example of the themes the Association regularly addresses, and the topic of an article from the IADS members-only newsletter date 04 May 2022.

IADS recently held a meeting all about the cosmetics & beauty sector. Based on market research, the IADS team presented the most innovative brands from different segments of the cosmetics & beauty brand industry: skincare, makeup, haircare, fragrances, and everything in between! Check out a selection of these brands!

IADS Exclusive - Brand Roundup: Cosmetics & Beauty

IADS provides its members with a weekly in-depth analysis on retail-oriented topics. This is an example of the themes the Association regularly addresses, and the topic of an article from the IADS members-only newsletter date 27 April 2022.

Teaming up and buying together in order to reach scale economies seems like a natural step for international department stores, since the goal of these large retail organisations has always been to reach optimization in terms of procurement to maximize margins. In addition, since they are usually operating on national markets, an international collaboration seems logical.

This is the reason why international retail associations, such as the IADS, have explored the subject for years, trying to articulate a working solution for their members, be it at the material level for private labels, at the product or label level for national brands, or even by suggesting to team up to buy or create from scratch shared brands which could be seen as private labels for a group of stores.

We are reviewing in this paper a series of options drafted by the IADS dating back to 2001, in order to draw some conclusions and put them in comparison with what we know today.

IADS Exclusive - The long sought-after opportunity of collaborative procurement

IADS provides its members with a weekly in-depth analysis on retail-oriented topics. This is an example of the themes the Association regularly addresses, and the topic of an article from the IADS members-only newsletter date 20 April 2022.

Blocher Partners (bp) was founded 30 years ago in Germany by Jutta and Dieter Blocher. From the very beginning, their approach was transdisciplinary. Along with their client needs, they added new competencies to their practice: interior design, product design, but also marketing and communication solutions. Thanks to their recognized know-how in the development of retail spaces, they were soon labelled as retail architects. They could offer clients holistic concepts, always putting the customer in the centre of actions and the thinking process. For getting in touch with their clients in an early stage and really understanding their needs, Blocher Partners lately expanded their business by the field design strategy: early in 2022 'Blocher Partners sens' was established. Erik Schimkat who leads the new entity, is an interior designer who has specialized in co-creative design research methods. These are of great importance when it comes to unveiling unseen potential and pushing ideas towards new boundaries. For this interview we had the chance to talk to both Jutta and Erik about innovation and transformation in the retail business.

IADS Exclusive - Interview with Blocher Partners

IADS provides its members with a weekly in-depth analysis on retail-oriented topics. This is an example of the themes the Association regularly addresses, and the topic of an article from the IADS members-only newsletter date 13 April 2022.