What: John Lewis has unveiled its 20th Christmas advert, a Saatchi & Saatchi campaign with the tagline "Don't give up on giving", featuring Dame Kristin Scott Thomas and Paul Whitehouse voicing Pickles the dog.

Why it is important: John Lewis is building its golden quarter message around shoppers' confidence in choosing gifts rather than around product or price, the same theme as its Gift List vodcast and its early Christmas shop launches.

John Lewis has unveiled its Christmas advert for 2026, marking the 20th year of its high-profile seasonal campaigns. The ad, created by Saatchi & Saatchi, focuses on consumers' lack of confidence in choosing a Christmas gift and seeks to bring people together across generations in a spirit of seasonal joy. It centres on "rediscovering the joy in gifting" under the tagline "Don't give up on giving".

It features Dame Kristin Scott Thomas, with Paul Whitehouse voicing Pickles the dog, set to a Sam Fender soundtrack of the Rolling Stones' "You Can't Always Get What You Want".

Marketing and loyalty director Rosie Hanley called the advert a beloved tradition that the team wanted to feel extra special this year, with a storyline many customers will relate to. She said she has resorted to putting cash in an envelope for fear of getting a gift wrong, and hopes the campaign restores the nation's gift-giving confidence.

The ad first aired on John Lewis social channels, including YouTube and Instagram, from 7.30am on 3 November, and runs on TV during Coronation Street and The Great British Bake Off that evening.

IADS Notes: The advert follows an early start to John Lewis's festive season: the online Christmas shop opened more than 100 days before Christmas after searches for "Christmas" on johnlewis.com rose 33% week-on-week following the World Cup final (Retail Week, August 2026), and the in-store Christmas shops opened 93 days ahead of the day, with gift-wrap searches up fivefold (Retail Week, September 2026). The gifting theme also runs through the six-episode Gift List vodcast, hosted by Angela Scanlon with celebrity guests and framed as entertainment rather than promotion, which is distributed across YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts and johnlewis.com alongside social cutdowns (Fashion Network, September 2026). The campaign arrives as John Lewis holds 3.09% of UK fashion and retail brand searches, up 0.03 percentage points year on year, while online-first players such as Shein, Very and ASOS lost share (Retail Times, October 2026).

John Lewis unveils its 20th Christmas advert

What: El Corte Inglés has put a new managing director, hired four months ago from Karl Lagerfeld, in charge of Sfera, its fashion chain of more than 500 stores, while reorganising the group's fashion division.

Why it is important: El Corte Inglés is rebuilding its fashion organisation around executives from fast fashion and international brands, as fashion becomes the group's main growth driver.

El Corte Inglés has hired Paula Jiménez Tamayo as managing director of Sfera. She joined four months ago from Karl Lagerfeld, where she spent seven years and rose to vice president of sales. She started at Inditex, with more than seven years at Tempe, before moving to Mango and then Converse in the Netherlands.

Sfera turned twenty-five in 2026 and is the group's main fashion brand, the only one with an independent distribution network. At the close of FY2025 it had 547 stores: 167 owned, 309 franchised and 71 corners inside El Corte Inglés. It operates in around twenty countries, mainly in Latin America, Asia, Europe and the Middle East.

The appointment coincides with a reorganisation of the fashion area. Elena Lazcanotegui now leads external and own women's brands as a single unit. She reports to Laura Moreno, head of home and fashion purchasing, alongside the men's, children's, intimates and swimwear, and Sfera directorates.

Fashion sales reached €5,882 million in FY2025. The group posted consolidated revenue of €17,247 million, up 1.14%, and net profit of €628 million, up 22.8%.

IADS Notes: The Sfera appointment follows a run of management changes at El Corte Inglés under chairperson Cristina Álvarez. In March 2026 the commercial side was reshuffled: Enrique Hidalgo was promoted to sales management director, a new country manager was named for Portugal and the purchasing department was split (Modaes, March 2026). In June, Javier Catena returned as CEO, the seventh leadership change in recent years, with every business unit now reporting to him (Modaes, June 2026). Fashion is the division being reinforced. Fashion sales rose 3.1% in FY2025-26 and the segment is described as a key growth driver, alongside a €3 billion investment plan through 2030 (Press Release, June 2026). Sfera is the group's main international vehicle. It closed FY2024 with 529 stores, owned in core markets and franchised abroad, and was preparing to launch its renovated format in Mexico. Its store and expansion strategy has been led by Ángela Goitia since late 2023 (Modaes, November 2025).

El Corte Inglés names new Sfera managing director and reorganises fashion

What: SKP's founder Ji Xiao'an draws on his love of literature, fine art and opera to shape the luxury department store's design, programming and community, according to a panel of its architect and cultural partners.

Why it is important: As the group expands from Beijing to Wuhan and Guangzhou, a coherent design language and cultural programming give SKP a consistent identity across very different sites.

At a talk moderated by Kering's president of Greater China, Cai Jinqing, three speakers discussed how art, opera and fashion shape SKP: Sybarite cofounder Torquil McIntosh, iSing! Festival founder Tian Hao Jiang, and Wu Hongliang, president of Beijing Fine Art Academy and chief curator of Wuhan Biennale 2026.

Sybarite began working with SKP in 2012 on its logo, then extended that visual language across retail surfaces, interiors and architecture. McIntosh described the founder's original vision as transforming a mall into departments where brands sit comfortably. Each city has posed a different challenge, from an underground space in Chengdu to an existing building in Wuhan.

Tian's connection began when his autobiography, recounting his career at New York's Metropolitan Opera, led him to SKP Rendez-Vous, its in-house bookstore, and then to Ji himself. Their friendship brought the iSing! festival, which has recruited more than 400 young artists from over 38 countries in 15 years, to Wuhan. Tian argued that opera, like fashion, is about human stories.

Wu said the Biennale chose "walk and talk" as its slogan to bring art closer to the local community through chance encounters, inside the museum and beyond.

IADS Notes: SKP's developer-managed, experience-driven model is also delivering commercially: group turnover rose 15% in 2025, with SKP Beijing returning to growth and Louis Vuitton and Miu Miu opening mega-flagships at SKP Wuhan (WWD, February 2026). Wuhan keeps attracting first-time entrants, with Chanel choosing SKP's K Avenue promenade for its first store in the city (WWD, October 2026). Sybarite is designing the group's next project, a mixed-use complex in Guangzhou's Tianhe District that combines retail with residential, office and cultural spaces (WWD, March 2026). The architecture firm's own research argues that leading luxury retailers stay competitive through adaptability and immersive, personalised experiences (Sybarite, November 2025). In Europe, Le Bon Marché and Galeries Lafayette are pursuing a comparable cultural strategy, using artist collaborations and partnerships with institutions such as the Centre Pompidou-Metz to turn their stores into cultural destinations (Le Figaro, March 2026).

How art, opera and fashion shape SKP

What: El Palacio de Hierro’s third-quarter net income rose 18.1% to 383 million Mexican pesos on revenue up 7.2%, after a year of declining profitability.

Why it is important: Digital sales are growing more than twice as fast as total revenue while the margin holds steady, so the group’s omnichannel investment is adding volume without eroding profitability.

El Palacio de Hierro, one of the largest department store groups in Latin America, returned to profit growth in the third quarter of 2026 after a year of declining profitability. Revenue for the quarter reached 13.957 billion pesos (666 million euros), and the margin was unchanged from a year earlier at 34.6%.

Operating income rose 6.5% to 838 million pesos (40 million euros), a slower pace than net income. Digital sales grew 17.5% year on year, according to company data.

Over the first nine months of 2026, revenue reached 42.606 billion pesos (2.0359 billion euros), up 5.5%. Retail sales, which make up the bulk of the business, grew 4.7%, while the margin was virtually unchanged at 34.5%.

Despite the stronger third quarter, year-to-date profitability remains below 2025 levels. Net income for the nine months totalled 1.648 billion pesos (78.7 million euros), down 4.22%, and operating income fell 5% to 3.156 billion pesos (150.8 million euros).

IADS Notes: The third-quarter rebound reverses the first-half trend, when sales rose 4.65% but net income fell 9.46%, with second-quarter net income down 3.56% (Modaes, August 2026). Across the region, the five largest Latin American department store groups grew combined first-half revenue by just 2.3%, against 7% a year earlier, with El Palacio de Hierro's profit down 3.5% while Liverpool's rose 25.3% (Modaes, September 2026). The third quarter turned that comparison around: Liverpool grew revenue by 2.2% and widened its gross margin to 42.8%, but its net profit fell 14.5% under Nordstrom acquisition accounting (as Modaes reported in October 2026). El Palacio de Hierro's digital growth has eased from the 22% recorded over 2025 (Modaes, March 2026) but still far outpaces total revenue. It is backed by an omnichannel programme that includes an e-concession model for digital luxury, fast delivery and new payment options (Fashion Network, May 2026).

El Palacio de Hierro returns to profit growth with an 18% rise in third-quarter net income

What: With its new 2,800 m² store in Coyhaique, Falabella now operates in every region of Chile and has completed its three planned southern openings for 2026.

Why it is important: The opening shows how a store with Click & Collect can bring a full online catalogue to cities too small for a traditional department store.

Falabella has officially inaugurated its Coyhaique store, located at Arturo Prat 451 in the city centre, which began receiving customers on 29 September. The ceremony was attended by Minister of Labour and Social Security Tomás Rau, Coyhaique mayor Carlos Gatica and regional presidential delegate Luz María Vicuña, alongside unions and local organisations.

The store carries clothing, footwear, technology and home goods, and offers self-checkout and Click & Collect for orders placed on falabella.com. It has created more than 100 jobs; a recruitment fair held in May with the municipality drew more than 500 interested candidates. Corporate General Manager Tomás Platovsky described the opening as a way to bring the company's omnichannel offer to the Aysén Region and to build long-term ties with the community.

The Víctor Domingo Silva School of Coyhaique has also joined Haciendo Escuela, Falabella's 57-year-old programme supporting schools across the country.

Coyhaique follows openings in Angol in July and Linares in August; the resulting physical network now works alongside Falabella's digital ecosystem to reach customers across the country.

IADS Notes: Coyhaique completes a southern rollout that began in Angol, where Falabella opened an 1,800 m² apparel-led store in July, bringing its Chilean network to 46 stores and offering the full falabella.com catalogue through Click & Collect (Press Release, July 2026). Linares followed with a larger store of more than 4,300 m², 95 jobs and the same link to the online catalogue (Press Release, September 2026). The three openings are part of a $900 million investment plan for 2026, 40% above the previous year, which set aside $113 million for 17 new stores across Chile, Peru and Mexico (Modaes, January 2026). The expansion runs against the department store contraction seen in most developed markets: Latin America's five largest groups, Falabella among them, grew revenue 10% and profit 48% in 2025 by combining retail with banking, credit, shopping centres and logistics (The Robin Report, September 2026).

Falabella now operates in all 16 regions of Chile

What: Falabella presented its Spring/Summer 2027 season at Market F, its trend space, with a collection built around Latin American identity and a digitally premiered runway show featuring more than 70 models and 120 looks.

Why it is important: Falabella is making Latin American identity a point of difference, positioning the region as a source of fashion creativity rather than a follower of global trends.

Falabella has presented its Spring/Summer 2027 season at Market F, its trend space combining exclusive, national and international brands. The collection draws on colours, textures, prints and silhouettes that reflect Latin American identity, and brings together 20 exclusive international brands.

The selection includes Mango, Byan, VDamiani, Malva, Baobab, Saint Male and Hand Over, alongside collaborations such as Agua Bendita x Falabella and One Dilemma x Sybilla. The season is available at Market F Parque Arauco and on Falabella.com.

The launch was accompanied by the digital premiere of a new edition of Falabella Fashion Live, a runway show presenting the season's Latin American-inspired trends. The event also gathered fashion leaders, content creators and lifestyle figures, including Trinidad de la Noi, Paula Fernández, Carola Montenegro, and Paula and Sofía Mekis.

According to Tatiana Riesle, Marketing Manager at Falabella, the message behind the collection is that "being Latino is in fashion", with Latin America presented not only as a source of trends but as a creative identity capable of engaging with global fashion. The show aims to bring talent from Chile, Peru, Colombia, Uruguay and other Latin American countries closer to Falabella's customers.

IADS Notes: Agua Bendita was already part of Falabella's Exclusive Brands programme before this collaboration. In Lima, Falabella opened a dedicated space at Jockey Plaza for the Colombian swimwear label alongside Especia and Palma Canaria, aimed at a regional appetite for fashion with identity and authenticity (Fashion Network, November 2025). Market F follows the same curated-concept model Falabella uses in beauty, where Beauty F, until now run as spaces inside its department stores, is moving into a standalone store in Viña del Mar (Perú Retail, July 2026). Exclusive capsules are also a repositioning tool outside the region: John Lewis launched a 44-piece collection with Rixo, its largest fashion collaboration to date (Fashion Network, October 2026). Falabella is investing in fashion from a position of strength: in 2025, it and Latin America's four other largest department store groups grew combined revenue 10% and profit 48%, while the format shrank across much of the developed world (The Robin Report, September 2026).

Falabella presents its Spring/Summer 2027 collection with a runway show inspired by Latin identity

What: Bloomingdale's has partnered with Ralph Lauren for the holiday season, giving the brand its 59th Street flagship's facade, a series of holiday windows and a first-floor pop-up shop.

Why it is important: Choosing a long-standing partner of close to 60 years fits Bloomingdale's strategy of building desirability through fewer, deeper brand relationships rather than breadth of assortment.

The partnership follows a record-breaking holiday season built around a Burberry takeover, which Bloomingdale's set out to exceed. For the first time, Ralph Lauren will dress the Lexington Avenue facade with a large-scale installation. The Ralph Lauren Holiday Shop opens Thursday and runs through early January with Purple Label, Ralph Lauren Collection and luxury gifts. Singer-songwriter Sienna Spiro will perform at the windows' unveiling on November 20. Asked whether the brand shares the cost, Kevin Harter, vice president of integrated marketing, described it as a true partnership.

The season, themed "A Treasured Holiday," includes about 20 activations. Barbour and Tea & Sympathy will run a café from November 20 to January 10, Ugg will take over Forty Carrots with an exclusive holiday yogurt flavour, and Santaland opens on the eighth floor on November 21. Other activations include a Burberry cashmere pop-up, a Hermès festive workshop and pop-ups for Parfums de Marly and Christofle.

Exclusives include accessories from Christian Louboutin, Rene Caovilla and Valentino Garavani, an Advent calendar and tree and ornament collaborations with New York City Ballet, Caviar Kaspia and Alice + Olivia. Donations will support No Kid Hungry and the Child Mind Institute through December 31.

IADS Notes: Bloomingdale's is not alone in handing its holiday stage to a brand partner. Selfridges has brought Disney back with a "Home Alone"-inspired experience combining exclusive products, themed food and Disney+ activations alongside its city-themed windows (WWD, October 2026). At Saks Fifth Avenue, the November 23 window unveiling and light show are presented by Bread Financial, the season's official payment sponsor. The show was cancelled in 2024 to cut costs and reinstated last year (WWD, October 2026). Galeries Lafayette has made designer-led windows a recurring format, enlisting Jean-Charles de Castelbajac for its Haussmann flagship after Kevin Germanier in 2024 (WWD, September 2026). The choice of Ralph Lauren also fits Olivier Bron's strategy of carrying fewer brands with deeper relationships: Bloomingdale's has cut its brand count by about 10% as part of a push to turn near-universal awareness into luxury desirability (BoF, October 2026).

Bloomingdale's and Ralph Lauren unveil holiday partnership

What: Breuninger has launched its online shop in eleven more European countries, taking its online presence from 13 to 24 markets.

Why it is important: With its online shop, marketplace and BEYOND loyalty programme working together, a department store group with 13 stores in two countries now operates as a pan-European digital platform.

Breuninger has made its online shop available in Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Ireland, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Slovakia, Croatia, Portugal and Greece. The group started 2026 with ten online markets, added Denmark, Sweden and Romania by May, and now counts 24, more than doubling its European online presence in 2026. Customers in the new countries are served through an English-language shop, with an assortment based on the offer in existing European markets.

CEO Holger Blecker described the simultaneous launch as a major step in the internationalisation strategy, positioning online as a central growth driver. The expansion rests on a scalable system of technology solutions and standardised processes built over recent years. Logistics are centralised at the Sachsenheim distribution centre, with delivery to the eleven new countries handled by DHL Paket International.

Breuninger is also extending its marketplace, launched in Germany in 2020, which adds curated partner assortments and is now live in Austria, the Netherlands and Poland. The BEYOND loyalty programme has expanded from Germany, Austria and Switzerland to Poland, the Netherlands and Czechia, reaching six markets and more than two million members. Chief Customer Officer Dr. Felix Kreyer framed the three pillars as complementary elements of Breuninger's digital growth strategy.

IADS Notes: This launch completes a sequence that began with localised online shops in Switzerland and the Netherlands, alongside the introduction of the BEYOND loyalty programme to Swiss customers (Retail News, November 2025). It continued with Denmark, Sweden and Romania (Press Release, May 2026). The marketplace followed a parallel path. It was first exported to Austria, building on around 300 partner brands in Germany (Fashion United, February 2026), and then to the Netherlands, by which point more than 60% of sales came from online channels and all markets were profitable (Retail News, April 2026). The method has since shifted. Earlier launches were built around local language, payment and logistics, while the eleven new markets share a single English-language shop, the existing assortment and one fulfilment hub in Sachsenheim, trading localisation for speed of roll-out.

Breuninger expands its online shop to 24 European markets

What: Boyner Group's COMMUNITÉ has opened its second Istanbul store at Galataport, mixing established luxury names, emerging designers and Turkish labels with an on-site Italian restaurant.

Why it is important: Two Istanbul luxury retailers, Boyner and Beymen, are now both investing in large experience-led stores, which makes the city a test of how far design and curation can differentiate premium retail.

COMMUNITÉ, the multi-brand retail concept developed by Turkish retail group Boyner, has opened its second Istanbul location at Galataport. The store brings fashion, beauty, wellness, art and design together across several floors, with a selection of over 400 brands. The source presents the opening as an upgrade for Istanbul's luxury retail scene, a city it argues is under-recognised as a shopping destination.

The source stresses that it is not a typical department store. The assortment mixes established luxury names with emerging designers and spotlights local Turkish talent. Comme des Garçons, JW Anderson, Wales Bonner and Dries Van Noten appear alongside Auralee, Paloma Wool and Willy Chavarria, together with Turkish labels including Nackiye and Anim.

Beauty, grooming and lifestyle are covered by names such as Maison Francis Kurkdjian, La Mer and Creed, while the home and décor departments include design pieces from Lalique and Georg Jensen. Il Gattopardo, an Italian restaurant on site, gives shoppers a place to eat before or after browsing.

IADS Notes: Communité's second Istanbul site follows a first store that WWD (September 2026) reported was generating a quarter of its revenue from handbags, with an assortment built on emerging brands, roughly 60% of them new to Turkey, rather than established luxury labels. BoF (June 2026) described the format as an Istanbul "third space" where the buying team's role moves from purchasing to curation, with exclusive collaborations, emerging talent and an ambition to build city-specific experiences in new markets. Boyner's Tersane Istanbul flagship, covered in a Boyner press release (November 2025), took a related route within the group, pairing global and local brands with art, technology and a Costa Coffee as social hub. Another Istanbul luxury retailer is moving in the same direction: Monocle (March 2026) covered Beymen's OMA-designed flagship in a historic Tersane shipyard, which hosts events, pop-ups and talks. The breadth of categories at Communité, where beauty, wellness, art, design and dining sit alongside fashion, has a parallel in Berlin, where WWD (October 2026) reported KaDeWe linking a new fitness and longevity floor to its food hall and beauty offer as a full-day customer journey.

COMMUNITÉ opens second luxury department store in Istanbul

What: On The BoF Podcast, Bloomingdale's CEO Olivier Bron said the US chain has near-universal awareness but not yet the desirability it needs in luxury, and has cut its brand count by about 10% to give the remaining brands more space.

Why it is important: By giving fewer brands more space and backing its top personal shoppers, Bloomingdale's is competing for the relationship with the highest-spending clients, the same ground contested by Bergdorf Goodman and independent personal shoppers.

After 30 years of US department store closures, bankruptcies and discounting, Bloomingdale's grew comparable sales by more than 11% last quarter, its second consecutive quarter of double-digit growth, while much of the luxury industry struggles to grow. Bron, who became CEO nearly three years ago, argues the chain must give shoppers a reason to walk in.

He separates awareness from desirability: Bloomingdale's is known across the US, but its credibility in luxury lags, a gap he attributes to an obsession with short-term financial returns, and one he also sees at major European luxury houses. The luxury renovation has reduced the brand count by about 10%, deepening relationships with the remaining brands.

Top personal shoppers operate as businesses within the business, with Bloomingdale's providing the brands, inventory, systems and space to maximise their sales. Home has widened what associates can sell, since clients spending millions on fashion spend similarly on their homes.

Bloomingdale's wealthiest customers are growing in number and spending more, though Bron cites the midterm elections and AI-driven market jitters as risks. Drawing on his turnaround of Galeries Lafayette's 70 stores, he puts execution ahead of strategy, within a philosophy that balances instinct, data and care for customers.

IADS Notes: Bron's distinction between awareness and desirability underpins his plan to move Bloomingdale's from premium contemporary to high luxury, renovating the New York flagship and 10 stores over five years and favouring dwell time over yield from every inch of space (Monocle, September 2026). His view of Europe's largest luxury houses is consistent with their recent results: over the first half of 2026, Gucci comparable revenue fell 5% and LVMH Fashion & Leather Goods declined 1% organically, while US department stores grew by raising spend per purchase, with Macy's average unit retail up 9% (PYMNTS, September 2026). The weight he places on top personal shoppers is mirrored at Bergdorf Goodman, where the 40 highest-volume associates generate about $200 million in annual sales and half of revenue comes from clients spending more than $10,000 a year (The New York Times, October 2026). Retaining that talent inside the store has become a competitive issue, as independent personal shoppers, many of them former staff laid off at Saks, Matchesfashion and Net-a-Porter, now capture the top-client relationship on commissions starting at 10% of spend while brands struggle to train and keep their best in-store associates (Financial Times, October 2026).

Olivier Bron on making Bloomingdale's desirable again

What: ECE Marketplaces will take over centre management and leasing at Breuninger's two Breuningerland shopping centres in Sindelfingen and Ludwigsburg from 1 January 2027, replacing Sonae Sierra.

Why it is important: By separating ownership from operations, Breuninger keeps strategic control of its two regional centres while relying on ECE's scale to strengthen tenant mix and leasing.

Breuninger is pressing ahead with the strategic development of its two Breuningerland shopping centres in Sindelfingen and Ludwigsburg. From 1 January 2027, ECE Marketplaces will be responsible for leasing, centre marketing, facility management and day-to-day operations, succeeding Sonae Sierra, which has managed both centres since autumn 2025. Breuninger is investing in both sites over the long term and presents the new operating set-up as the basis for their future development.

Breuninger will remain the strategic driver of the centres' development, contributing its experience in fashion and lifestyle retail and in designing high-end customer experiences. Hendrik Pannenborg, Chief Real Estate Officer, said the shared ambition is to create an environment that attracts customers, offers retail partners convincing prospects and strengthens the regional appeal of both centres. Joanna Fisher, CEO of ECE Marketplaces, described the partnership as bringing together two experienced players in retail, customer focus and shopping-centre management.

The partners plan to build clearly positioned site profiles, a tenant and sector mix matched to demand, modern services and an environment that encourages longer visits. ECE manages around 200 retail properties, operates in eleven countries and oversees assets worth €28 billion, with more than 17,000 shops and 3.4 million daily visitors.

IADS Notes: The handover to ECE comes after Hendrik Pannenborg took charge of Breuninger's property portfolio in January 2026, succeeding Prof. Michael Cesarz with responsibility for the management and development of all its locations (Press Release, December 2025). It also follows the launch of Breuninger Park in Stuttgart, a mixed-use complex due in 2027 that combines mobility infrastructure with offices, restaurants and retail (Press Release, March 2026). Together, these moves confirm real estate as a strategic business line for the retailer. The emphasis on site profiles, tenant mix and dwell time echoes The Mall Group, which repositioned The Mall Ramkhamhaeng as a curated cultural hub built around vintage, resale and creative lifestyle brands (Press Release, April 2026). The Mall Group is also moving beyond the traditional landlord model, using loyalty, AI and experiential attractions to increase dwell time and repeat visits (Retail News Asia, May 2026). Breuninger's model differs in one respect: it keeps strategic direction of its centres while handing leasing, marketing, facility management and day-to-day operations to an external specialist.

ECE to take over centre management of Breuninger's two Breuningerland shopping centres

What: John Lewis and Rixo have launched a 44-piece collection, priced from £65 to £525, featuring the first archive print used in a John Lewis fashion collaboration.

Why it is important: Exclusive designer capsules are a lever for repositioning its fashion offer, and the Rixo launch, its largest yet, tests that strategy at scale during the party season.

John Lewis has unveiled the Rixo collection, its largest fashion collaboration to date. Available in 30 UK stores, the launch supports British design talent and adds to the retailer's premium brand portfolio, while giving Rixo a presence beyond its London stores.

The vintage-inspired, print-heavy range works for day and evening, with a clear skew towards party season. It spans dresses, knitwear, blouses, jackets, skirts, scarves, shoes and bags in an autumnal palette, using velvet, cashmere, metallic embroidery, sequins and lamé, with faux fur and lace trims on selected pieces. The hero piece, the Vesper, is a full-length dress with cap sleeves and a ruffle neckline.

An exclusive floral motif drawn from the John Lewis Partnership Archive and inspired by a block-printed 19th-century textile dating back to 1849 appears across two dresses, a blouse, a skirt and a scarf. Prices range from £65 to £525 for a lace-trimmed dress, and selected mainline Rixo jewellery and footwear from the campaign will be sold online.

Founder Orlagh McCloskey said a collaboration should feel as strong as anything the brand has created before. The launch coincides with H&M's Elie Saab drop, underlining the importance of partywear collaborations at this time of year.

IADS Notes: When the partnership was announced in the summer, John Lewis presented it as a way to strengthen its premium fashion credentials while extending Rixo's reach beyond its London stores, with the collection slated for all John Lewis fashion stores and online (Press Release, July 2026); at launch, the in-store rollout covers 30 stores. Rixo is the largest in a run of exclusive designer capsules that have become the retailer's main lever for repositioning its fashion offer, following a 32-piece menswear collection with Savile Row label Clothsurgeon, priced from £29 to £435 and sold online and in five stores (Drapers, October 2026). The capsules run alongside a parallel push on own-label, where new fashion creative director Jacqui Markham aims to make John Lewis's classics good enough to pass for high-end designer pieces (Drapers, October 2026). The launch also lands as consumer attention shifts towards department stores: ahead of Christmas, John Lewis held 3.09% of UK fashion and retail brand search, up 0.03 points year on year, as Selfridges and Harrods also gained share while Shein, Very and ASOS lost ground (Retail Times, October 2026).

John Lewis launches its biggest fashion collaboration yet with Rixo

What: John Lewis Partnership, owner of the John Lewis department stores and Waitrose, has agreed a landmark recognition deal with Usdaw as UK employment law changes give trade unions increased rights of workplace access.

Why it is important: The deal formalises worker consultation at an employee-owned retailer under cost pressure, without extending to pay. It sets a template for how large UK retailers can accommodate unions on their own terms.

The John Lewis Partnership, owner of the John Lewis department stores and Waitrose, has agreed its first collective bargaining agreement with a trade union in almost 100 years. The deal is with shopworkers' union Usdaw and covers collective consultation on issues such as redundancies, health and safety, equality and training across the Partnership. Staff terms and conditions, including pay, are excluded.

John Lewis chiefs moved proactively as changes to employment law introduced by the Labour government come into force, giving trade unions increased rights to workplace access. The decision will likely increase the chances of other big retailers following suit. Usdaw, which has longstanding relationships with some other big retailers, notably Tesco, urged them to engage with it.

Chair Jason Tarry said the agreement will sit alongside the Partnership's commitment to democratic principles and complement its existing democratic structures, with the Partnership Council and forums remaining the cornerstone of employee voice. Usdaw general secretary Joanne Thomas said the union already has members in the business and looks forward to growing its membership and finalising how the agreement will work in practice. Employees are under no obligation to join Usdaw and remain free to join any union.

IADS Notes: The new agreement's scope over collective consultation on redundancies comes as John Lewis Partnership simplifies its head office, with redundancies so far affecting under 1% of the workforce. Chair Jason Tarry has said further cuts are not a one-off, with redeployment and natural wastage preferred and departures a last resort (Drapers, September 2026). Cost pressure is set to intensify ahead of the UK Budget. Tarry names business rates as the Partnership's largest cost, ahead of rent, and warns that a further tax rise on large stores would push retailers to look first at their most expensive operations, their stores (Drapers, October 2026).

John Lewis strikes landmark trade union recognition deal

What: John Lewis's new fashion creative director, Jacqui Markham, aims to make the department store's own-brand classics good enough to be mistaken for high-end designer pieces.

Why it is important: Elevating own-brand fashion to designer-level quality gives John Lewis a differentiated, higher-margin offer that sits alongside its exclusive designer capsules rather than competing with them.

Jacqui Markham joined John Lewis as fashion creative director in April, succeeding Queralt Ferrer after four years in the role. Her mandate is to put the retailer's own-brand fashion "front of mind" by mastering "stylish classics" designed to resemble high-end designer items.

Markham brings more than two decades of high-street design leadership. She was global design director at Topshop between 1998 and 2013, shaping the looks that built the brand's fashion credentials, before serving as design director at Asos and returning to Topshop until 2018. She later held design roles at Urban Outfitters, worked as a freelance consultant, and joined Whistles as creative director in April 2025.

Her arrival is part of a wider reshuffle. In September, managing director Peter Ruis left after two years and was replaced by non-executive board member and former River Island CEO Will Kernan.

Markham draws inspiration from real people's everyday style and from a personal archive of vintage pieces, embroideries and techniques. She favours masculine shirts and tailoring, and maintains that physical fabrics and in-person collaboration will never be replaced by digital tools in the design process.

IADS Notes: Markham's remit was set out at her appointment: to lead the next phase of John Lewis's own-brand fashion strategy and sharpen its design direction across womenswear, menswear and childrenswear (WWD, April 2026). Her push on own-label classics runs alongside exclusive designer capsules, which have become the retailer's main lever for repositioning its fashion offer. The latest is a 32-piece Clothsurgeon menswear range, priced well below the Savile Row label's usual prices and launched as tailoring sales rose 17% (Drapers, October 2026). The fashion reset is happening during a leadership transition. Peter Ruis handed over to board member Will Kernan after a period of store upgrades, fashion expansion and digital investment, at a time when continuity was seen as critical ahead of peak trading (Fashion Network, August 2026). Meanwhile, chair Jason Tarry's three-year "Rise" plan aims to make John Lewis "leading again" while consumer spending remains under pressure (Financial Times, September 2026). Elsewhere on the UK high street, Marks & Spencer is taking a parallel route to fashion credibility, reviving its St Michael own label through an Aries capsule priced from £10 to £120 (Fashion Network, September 2026).

John Lewis aims to bring designer-level quality to own-brand classics

What: Magasin du Nord kept all its stores and its webshop open after detecting unauthorised activity in parts of its internal IT systems on 18 October, while it investigates what personal data may have been affected.

Why it is important: Only 5% of Danish companies surveyed say they could largely carry out core activities without central IT. Magasin's ability to trade manually shows the value of a fallback that has been tested in practice.

On Sunday 18 October, Magasin du Nord detected unauthorised activity in parts of its IT systems, affecting a number of internal functions. Its security team, working with relevant authorities, worked to investigate the incident and limit its consequences.

Stores and the webshop stayed open. A few stores experienced startup difficulties on Sunday, with employees handling parts of the work manually, but all stores opened, while cash registers and online shopping kept running. CEO Peter Fabricius credited employees' flexibility and effort.

Magasin is still establishing the full extent of the incident, including which personal data on customers, employees and partners may have been affected. Payment card information was not part of the breach, as it is handled by Magasin's payment provider and not stored in the affected systems. The incident has been reported to the authorities, and affected groups are being informed directly.

A January 2026 survey by the Danish Confederation of Business found only 5% of surveyed member companies could largely carry out core activities without access to central IT systems. The Danish Chamber of Commerce described Magasin's experience as a relevant example for the entire Danish retail trade. Magasin plans to use the lessons in its preparedness work.

IADS Notes: Magasin's ability to keep trading stands in contrast to M&S, where a cyber attack forced a seven-week suspension of online sales and a £136mn profit hit (Financial Times, November 2025). The gap between expectation and reality remains wide: 81% of surveyed executives expect critical systems to be restored within 10 days of an attack, while real-world cases average three to six months, and only 35% of organisations regularly test recovery under real scenarios (Harvard Business Review, October 2026). Retail continues to be targeted at pace. In mid-October, attacks on refrigeration controllers spoiled stock across about 400 French supermarkets as Asos, TFG London and Ahold Delhaize reported separate incidents (The Robin Report, October 2026). Within days, H&M Group began investigating claims of an attack by the group linked to the Asos breach, in which customer names and contact details were accessed but no payment card information (Retail Week, October 2026). As at Magasin, keeping payment data out of the affected systems limited exposure at De Bijenkorf. There, an attack on logistics partner CEVA compromised customer personal data but not bank or card details, though it still delayed orders, returns and refunds (nu.nl, September 2026).

Magasin du Nord keeps stores and webshop open through IT incident

What: El Corte Inglés and Iberia have signed an agreement allowing Iberia Club members to redeem Avios for vouchers across the group's physical stores and online channels.

Why it is important: By accepting Avios across department stores, supermarkets and Sfera, El Corte Inglés gains a new reason for frequent flyers to shop with the group in both high-frequency and occasional categories.

El Corte Inglés and Iberia have reached an agreement that allows Iberia Club members to use their Avios for purchases across the group's brands: El Corte Inglés, Hipercor, Supercor, Supermercados El Corte Inglés and Sfera, both in physical stores and through online channels.

Since Wednesday, October 21, members can redeem Avios through the Avios website for vouchers worth between €5 and €250, according to separate statements issued by the two companies. Both parties said the agreement strengthens their value proposition for customers by making Avios usable across a wide network of physical stores, as well as on the group's website and app.

Iberia's Customer Director, Beatriz Guillén, described the alliance as a milestone for Iberia Club. She said the addition of El Corte Inglés shows members they can also use Avios to choose from a wide variety of products and experiences at one of Spain's most recognised brands.

IAG Loyalty's Commercial Director, Rob McDonald, called the partnership a great example of how Avios can keep becoming more relevant and accessible for members in Spain.

IADS Notes: The agreement ties El Corte Inglés to a loyalty currency whose economics increasingly depend on partners outside aviation. Avios, as used by British Airways, now draws more than 80% of its revenue from external partners such as Amex and JPMorgan Chase rather than from flying, as airlines adopt retail-style loyalty mechanics to stay connected with customers between trips (The MBS Group, September 2026). Retailers have been building similar bridges with travel. M&S's overhauled Sparks scheme pays bonuses for partner activity such as booking holidays with Virgin Atlantic, alongside spendable cash rewards and AI-personalised offers (Fashion Network, April 2026). Frasers Group has taken the coalition model further by consolidating rewards across its portfolio and 16 partner retailers into the single Frasers Plus platform (The Retail Bulletin, January 2026). The Iberia partnership also adds to El Corte Inglés's own travel ecosystem. The group is acquiring Tool Factory's 25% stake to take full ownership of Viajes El Corte Inglés, a business that combines online capabilities with a physical network of travel agencies (Fashion Network, October 2026).

El Corte Inglés signs an agreement with Iberia to redeem Avios in the group's physical and online stores

What: John Lewis is expanding its rapid delivery service with Deliveroo and Uber Eats to eight stores in London and the home counties, offering around 10,000 products in as little as 30 minutes.

Why it is important: Rapid delivery turns John Lewis's stores into fulfilment hubs, allowing a full-line department store to compete on immediacy without building its own last-mile fleet.

John Lewis has expanded its rapid delivery service, run with Deliveroo and Uber Eats, from two stores and a limited range in 2025 to eight stores across London and select home counties, including Oxford Street, Peter Jones, Welwyn Garden City, Bluewater and Kingston. Around 10,000 products are now available for delivery in as little as 30 minutes.

Pilot data showed demand peaking between 12pm and 2pm, driven by urgent tech, emergency gifts and treats. The PlayStation 5 controller is the best-selling item so far, while personal fans sold well over the summer. John Lewis has delivered more than 1.3 million items directly from shops since scaling deliver-from-store, and offers next-day click and collect from nearly 16,000 locations, including Waitrose stores.

The rollout is accompanied by a site redesign, improved search and personalised recommendations drawn from browsing history, across the website and the app, which now generates around 40% of online sales. An AI-powered product finder is due before Christmas as traffic from digital assistants grows. John Lewis expects to process up to 150,000 online orders a day at peak. The investments form part of its £800m multi-year transformation programme and coincide with 25 years of johnlewis.com.

IADS Notes: The expansion builds on a rapid delivery service that was already in place in March 2026, when John Lewis offered a curated range through Uber Eats within 45 minutes in select cities, alongside integrations with ChatGPT and Google Gemini and a TikTok Shop trial run under its £800m transformation programme (Press Release, March 2026). The rollout now covers around 10,000 products, adds Deliveroo and shortens the promised delivery time to 30 minutes. The retailer's logistics network has been reshaped at the same time: John Lewis closed its Blakelands distribution centre in Milton Keynes after more than four decades and consolidated operations at the automated Magna Park 3 facility to support omnichannel demand (Drapers, May 2026). The rollout also coincides with chair Jason Tarry's three-year "Rise" plan, whose first year focuses on technological and operational foundations, with targets of more than £100mn in additional profit from joined-up John Lewis and Waitrose loyalty and £180mn a year from retail media (Financial Times, September 2026). These investments are being made under financial pressure. The Partnership's H1 loss widened to £124m and department store sales fell 2% to £2bn, while Tarry committed to staying in the premium tier rather than competing on price (Drapers, September 2026).

John Lewis expands rapid delivery with Deliveroo and Uber Eats

What: The Mall Group won Tourist Attraction of the Year and Content Marketing of the Year at the Travel Daily Media Travel Trade Excellence Awards 2026 for Thailand, for its Emsphere destination and its Monchhichi New Year campaign.

Why it is important: Emsphere and the Monchhichi campaign show two levers that turn footfall into tourism value: a mixed-use destination marketed on Chinese discovery platforms, and character IP staged as city-wide experiences with measured sales uplift.

The Mall Group won Tourist Attraction of the Year and Content Marketing of the Year at the Travel Daily Media Travel Trade Excellence Awards 2026 for Thailand.

The first award recognises Emsphere at EM District, which opened in December 2023 and combines shopping, dining, entertainment and nightlife, including UOB LIVE, EM WONDER, TRIBE Sky Beach Club and more than 80 restaurants. It was the No. 1 searched destination in Thailand on XiaoHongShu in 2024, ranked in Dianping's Must-Visit Places in Thailand in 2026, and generated 3.46 billion online impressions and around 2,457 media articles in 2025. The company also worked with airlines, hotels, travel platforms and payment providers to ease access for international visitors.

The second award recognises the Monchhichi New Year Celebrations, marking the character's 50th anniversary and the launch of an exclusive Thai Edition. The campaign linked Siam Paragon, Emporium and The Mall Lifestore with digital content, KOLs and experiences in Bangkok neighbourhoods, parks and restaurants. Park Pilates with Monchhichi was fully booked within three minutes, Monchhichi Christmas Town recorded a 293% rise in participation and 107% growth in spending, and the Emporium Pop-Up saw traffic rise 549% and sales increase 83% year on year.

IADS Notes: The Mall Group's two Travel Daily Media wins follow its three awards at the Marketing Excellence Awards 2026, where the Monchhichi New Year campaign took a Gold for Experiential Marketing and a Bronze for Communications and PR (Press Release, September 2026). Its reach to foreign visitors now extends upstream of the store, as it is among the launch partners of THIM, the government app that pairs immigration procedures with retail and travel privileges and has recorded more than 600,000 downloads since 1 August (The Nation, September 2026). The destination model is spreading across Thai operators, with Siam Piwat planning IconPhuket, a 12-attraction project scheduled to open in 2029 and expected to draw 80,000 to 100,000 visitors a day once fully operational (Inside Retail, October 2026). The policy backdrop favours this formula: Thailand halved its visa-free stay to 30 days for visitors from 93 countries to attract higher-spending tourists, and retailers are urged to prioritise Thai design and better payment acceptance (Inside Retail, September 2026). Hong Kong offers a measurable comparison, as K11 Musea's tourist spending rose 26% over Golden Week against 5.3% revenue growth across 78 major mainland shopping districts, driven by new brand openings (Inside Retail Asia, October 2026).

The Mall Group wins two awards at Travel Daily Media Travel Trade Excellence Awards 2026 for Thailand

What: Galeries Lafayette, Louis Vuitton, Celine, Dior, Decathlon and Apple were among the retailers looted across France on 17 October as unrest linked to student blockades and the Gilets Jaunes spread to major cities.

Why it is important: Prime retail streets and luxury flagships, which hold large amounts of high-value stock, have become direct targets as a cost-of-living protest movement spreads across France.

Retailers across France faced widespread looting on 17 October as unrest spread to major cities. Alexandre Bompard, CEO of Carrefour and president of the Federation of Commerce and Retail (FCD), condemned the damage and looting suffered by businesses.

In Paris, an Intersport store was looted, the Celine store on Avenue Montaigne was ransacked, and videos showed a Dior boutique on Rue Saint-Honoré being looted. Mayor Emmanuel Grégoire warned of extensive damage while distinguishing the protest movement from the looters. In Bordeaux, a Decathlon on Rue Sainte-Catherine was looted and set on fire, and an Apple store, Galeries Lafayette and an Intersport were also targeted. The Louis Vuitton store in Marseille was broken into, and a Rolex store was reportedly ransacked.

Galeries Lafayette confirmed incursions in Paris, Chambéry, Nantes, Perpignan, Rennes, Tours and Bordeaux, its most heavily impacted store. Most locations had closed early as a precaution, but the scale of the violence overwhelmed security measures and stretched police. The retailer expects very significant material and economic consequences; all stores were due to reopen the following day except Bordeaux, which stays closed until Monday afternoon.

Most of LVMH's concurrent Journées Particulières open-doors events in Paris went ahead.

IADS Notes: The Bordeaux store, the most heavily damaged on 17 October, is midway through a two-and-a-half-year renovation to align it with the premium standards of the Haussmann flagship while remaining open to customers (Sud Ouest, March 2026). The damage and lost trading come as Galeries Lafayette pursues a heavy investment programme during a severe downturn in French department stores, marked by declining footfall and falling textile and clothing sales (Modaes, April 2026). Elsewhere, retailers are making security a collective, funded priority. Hundreds of businesses in London's West End are pooling £23m for surveillance, police presence and deterrence technology (Retail Week, May 2026), and UK high street retailers are deploying facial recognition to counter theft and threats against staff despite privacy concerns (Financial Times, March 2026). The events of 17 October, when precautionary closures were overwhelmed in several cities, show the limits of such measures when violence reaches this scale.

Galeries Lafayette and other retailers hit by looting as unrest spreads across French major cities

What: Chanel will open its first store in Wuhan at SKP, its fourth boutique inside the department store group's properties among 13 in China.

Why it is important: As luxury brands close unproductive stores in China, Chanel is opening in a Central China city of more than 13 million people, inside a department store complex built around standalone luxury stores.

Two years after SKP entered the Wuhan market, Chanel has unveiled the hoarding of its future standalone store, a first for the city. According to posts shared on Xiaohongshu, the boutique will sit between Louis Vuitton and Cartier on SKP K Avenue, a 1.5-kilometre pedestrian promenade set to host around 40 standalone stores upon completion. It will be Chanel's second store in central China.

SKP Wuhan, the fourth location of the department store group, is located in the Wuchang District, a central cultural zone of the Hubei capital, which counts more than 13 million inhabitants. Celine, Giorgio Armani and Prada will also open there, coinciding with the launch of the WWD x SKP Global Fashion & Beauty Summit.

As China undergoes a prolonged market reset, luxury players are closing unproductive stores, exploring untapped regional markets and testing pop-up formats. Chanel counts 13 boutiques in China, four of them within SKP establishments in Beijing, Xi'an, Chengdu and now Wuhan. The brand recently reopened its Plaza 66 boutique after an 18-month renovation and presented Coco Neige, Matthieu Blazy's first collection for the house, in a Spanish-style villa on Wukang Road.

IADS Notes: Chanel's arrival builds on the momentum of SKP Wuhan, where mega-flagships from Louis Vuitton and Miu Miu helped SKP Group lift its turnover by 15% in 2025, with SKP Beijing returning to growth at RMB 23.5 billion (WWD, February 2026). The group is now taking the same developer-led model to Southern China, anchoring a 1.35 million sq ft mixed-use complex in Guangzhou's Tianhe District with annual sales projected above $1.4 billion (WWD, March 2026). This expansion runs alongside a broader reset of China's luxury market. Global brands are answering the rise of local players with immersive flagships and architectural statements, and Wuhan sits alongside Beijing and Shanghai as a city where targeted expansion remains a priority (WWD, January 2026).

SKP to open the first Chanel store in Wuhan 

What: El Corte Inglés will hire about 6,350 people for Black Friday and Christmas, mainly in sales, food and catering, logistics and online commerce.

Why it is important: Most of the hiring targets food, logistics and online orders, so El Corte Inglés is staffing peak season around the same service, digital and logistics priorities set out in its strategic plan.

El Corte Inglés will strengthen its workforce ahead of Black Friday and Christmas by adding approximately 6,350 people to the areas expected to see the strongest increase in activity, including sales, food and catering, logistics and online commerce. The retailer says the additional staff will help improve the customer shopping experience and maintain the service and quality associated with the company.

The new hires will join regular operations across departments and also provide special services during November and December, such as gift wrapping and other support functions. To integrate them, El Corte Inglés runs a comprehensive training programme each year so that recruits start in their positions with the knowledge their tasks require.

The company presents the Christmas season as an entry point to its teams, with options suited both to candidates seeking a long-term career and to those looking for temporary, flexible work.

Positions on offer include gift wrappers, sales associates and fashion specialists; butcher, delicatessen, fruit and vegetable, pastry and fishmonger assistants; logistics operators and online order assistants; checkout and customer service staff; cafeteria, restaurant and kitchen staff, apprentices and professional chefs; prepared-foods and Gourmet Club personnel; and merchandise managers for outlet stores.

IADS Notes: El Corte Inglés's 6,350 seasonal hires put it alongside UK peers scaling up for peak trading. Marks & Spencer is recruiting 11,000 festive staff at £13.41 an hour (Drapers, October 2026). John Lewis Partnership is hiring 10,400 seasonal employees across John Lewis, Waitrose and its distribution network, including 1,800 distribution and supply-chain roles, down from a record 13,700 last year (Drapers, September 2026). The emphasis on logistics, online order and customer service roles matches the priorities Cristina Álvarez set out at the July shareholders' meeting, where she named customer service, the physical store, digital growth, AI and logistics as pillars of the group's updated strategic plan (El Corte Inglés press release, July 2026). The many fresh-food, gourmet and restaurant positions also reflect food's role as a traffic driver. At Seoul's leading flagships, food halls are the main entry point for new customers in their 20s and 30s, and 79% of younger first-time visitors to The Modern Food Hall bought other products (Maeil Business Newspaper, October 2026).

El Corte Inglés will hire more than 6,300 workers for Black Friday and Christmas

What: Manor has redesigned the toy departments in eight Swiss department stores around easier navigation and hands-on play, adding an "Autorama" for testing toy cars and 20–30 sqm pop-up spaces that open with Pokémon.

Why it is important: Rotating brand pop-ups let Manor refresh the toy offer for repeat visitors and give brands and suppliers a way to shape the in-store experience through their own fit-outs, promotions and events.

Manor has launched a new toy concept in eight of its department stores, after a pilot in Basel. The concept was extended to Geneva, Lugano, Zurich Letzipark, Winterthur, Lausanne, Aarau and Emmen. Manor says that as purchasing becomes more digital, department stores must remain places where toys can be discovered and tried with all the senses.

The assortment is now organized into thematic worlds, such as games, vehicles, soft toys and dolls, each with its own color code carried across walls, furniture and other store elements. Non-gendered age indications show at a glance which toys suit which age groups. New display units and themed furniture present each range while keeping a consistent look.

Interactive elements include an activity zone with monthly-changing themes, display furniture with built-in "Focus Points", an "Autorama" where miniature vehicles can be tested, and a themed photo booth. Pop-up spaces of 20 to 30 sqm, renewed regularly, host new products, current trends and brand worlds. Brands and suppliers can design them as they wish and add promotions or events. Pokémon, which celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2026, launches the format.

IADS Notes: Manor's toy-floor redesign follows its plan to invest CHF 200 million over three years in modernizing flagship stores while exiting less profitable sites (Press Release, March 2026). The focus on in-store experience over transactional shopping mirrors the shift in Korea, where Hyundai, Shinsegae and Lotte are reorganizing layouts into lifestyle-led, experiential spaces (The Chosun Daily, February 2026). Family-oriented toy formats are expanding in other markets too. Nordstrom is rolling out FAO Schwarz shop-in-shops with interactive activations aimed at multi-generational shoppers (Press Release, June 2026), and Korean department stores are upgrading their children's floors, with children's sales up 21% at Hyundai and 13.9% at Shinsegae this year (Korea JoongAng Daily, October 2026). The category's customer base is also widening beyond children: adults and adolescents drove a 9% rise in France's toy market in 2025 and now account for 36% of toy sales (Le Monde, December 2025).

Manor rolls out new toy concept across eight department stores

What: Speaking at Wharton, Bloomingdale's CEO Olivier Bron credited strategy, wholesale risk-taking and store investment for record Q2 sales, while attributing about 25% of recent performance to competitors' difficulties.

Why it is important: Bloomingdale's is growing by doing the opposite of prevailing US practice: holding wholesale risk, investing in stores over digital, and judging performance over the long term rather than quarter by quarter.

Bloomingdale's CEO Olivier Bron argues that US retail has become too skewed towards short-term returns and data, at the expense of relationships, emotion and brand building. Bloomingdale's posted an 11.3% comparable sales gain in the second quarter, reaching $922 million, its highest second-quarter total ever, helped by a K-shaped economy that has lifted US luxury ahead of Europe and Asia. Net promoter scores are at a record high.

Bron estimates that about 25% of recent performance stems from competitors' difficulties, in an apparent reference to Exemplar Luxury Group, but credits strategy for most of the gains. These include longer-term investments and a buying model in which 80% of products are bought wholesale, a riskier but potentially more profitable approach than concessions.

Bron wants Bloomingdale's stores to resemble brand boutiques, with stronger displays, ambience, service and storytelling, rather than the crowded racks typical of US department stores. He cites Le Bon Marché, which he says has no digital offer, as an inspiration rather than a model. Stores remain the priority: 80% of Bloomingdale's digital sales come from areas with a store, so store investment reinforces online growth.

IADS Notes: Bron's case for boutique-style presentation extends his plan to move Bloomingdale's from premium contemporary to high luxury in line with Asian and European standards, renovating the New York flagship and 10 stores over five years and favouring space to pause, eat and drink over maximising yield from every inch of the store (Monocle, September 2026). His argument that stores drive digital echoes his description of Bloomingdale's as a neighborhood business. Digital accounts for 40% of sales, yet most revenue comes from Manhattan locals, and stylists hired as staff now generate 40% of fashion revenue (Les Echos, October 2026). He had already attributed the US experience gap to shareholder pressure for immediate returns and to investment skewed towards digital, and he keeps concessions at 20% so that the customer belongs to Bloomingdale's (Vogue, September 2026). That wholesale-heavy stance runs against the platform model in which brands carry more of the inventory risk through concession arrangements such as those at Harrods (Harvard Business Review, August 2026). The competitive opening he describes is also documented: Exemplar Luxury Group left bankruptcy with 75% less debt but still owes $1.2 billion and must regain lost market share and priority brand allocations (WWD, September 2026).

Olivier Bron on what makes Bloomingdale's tick

What: John Lewis Partnership chair Jason Tarry warned that a tax raid on large stores in the UK Budget on 28 October would trigger a wave of high street closures.

Why it is important: Business rates are already John Lewis's largest cost, ahead of rent. A further tax rise on large stores would push department stores to cut their most expensive assets, the very stores that anchor UK high street footfall.

Jason Tarry, chair of the John Lewis Partnership, has warned chancellor John Healey that taxing department stores and supermarkets in the 28 October Budget would only harm UK high streets. Retailers fear that prime minister Andy Burnham will fund a business rates cut by shifting costs onto larger stores through a "warehouse tax". Tarry said such a tax would hit far more high street shops than warehouses; for John Lewis, it would raise charges on 18 warehouse hubs and 200 stores.

Tarry argued that the plan reflects a misunderstanding of how modern high streets work. Retailers forced to balance the books will look first at their most expensive operations, their stores. He described department stores and large supermarkets as anchor tenants whose footfall sustains surrounding independent shops, pubs, bakeries and cafes.

Following higher business rates on larger warehouses from April 2026 and rising employment costs, Tarry asked Healey for a clear Budget commitment that no high street shop will face higher taxes. He also criticised the government's limited engagement with retail and hospitality on the cross-government high street strategy announced in January, noting that four high street reviews in 15 years had been shelved.

IADS Notes: Tarry's warning comes a year after industry bodies cautioned that a business rates rise could put more than 100,000 UK retail jobs at risk, with department stores and supermarkets facing the steepest bills (Retail Week, October 2025). Costs have continued to rise since then. Retailers absorbed higher National Insurance contributions and minimum wage increases by cutting hours, headcount and pay rises (Financial Times, October 2025). John Lewis Partnership's first-half pre-tax loss widened to £124m from £88m despite 2% sales growth, a result Tarry attributed to the increased cost of doing business (Drapers, September 2026). In the same results period, he named business rates as the retailer's largest cost, ahead of rent, and said head-office job cuts would not be a one-off (Drapers, September 2026), which supports his argument that stores would be the first operations cut if taxes rise further. Government action on high streets has so far focused on property rather than operating costs: Andy Burnham's £210m package funds the redevelopment of derelict buildings, rental auctions and community rescue schemes, adding to the £5bn Pride in Place programme (Retail Week, September 2026).

John Lewis chair warns Budget tax raid on large stores would trigger high street closures