What: Manor is laying the groundwork for its future strength with the aim of strengthening its attractiveness and differentiation.

Why it is important: Six months after his arrival as CEO of Manor, Roland Armbruster details its strategy for the department store which will go through the strengthening of the leadership in cosmetics & beauty, the modernisation of women's and men's fashion and the strengthening of homemade and local offerings at Manor Food. Digitalization will also be a key element, particularly at the company's headquarters with simpler, more agile and more efficient processes and organization. The goal is to consolidate our leading position in omnichannel retailing in Switzerland.

Manor's leading position in the cosmetics & beauty market will be continuously reinforced by new, trendy, innovative and sustainable brands (Green Beauty). In the women's and men's fashion departments, Manor will rethink its customer experience, renovating more than 20,000 square meters in its 12 main stores. Manor Food's range of homemade products will be further expanded, as will "local" sourcing, based on ever-closer partnerships with producers in regions that already supply more than 5,000 products.

Manor wants to increase the attractiveness of its online channels. By the end of the year, customers will be able to benefit from a brand-new version of the mobile app offering simplified and intuitive access associated with a more attractive assortment.

Finally, to gain agility and focus on the future, the company will carry out reorganizations at the head office which will be implemented gradually until the end of 2024, based on natural turnover and early retirements as well as the elimination of 80 jobs in central services. Alternative solutions will be sought after for these, whether within Manor or outside the company.

Manor details its priorities for the future

What: Galeries Lafayette Champs Elysees displays Michael Kors's new AW collection in a pop-up space that resembles a private jet flight.

Why it is important: The immersive pop-up experience will offer an exclusive competition and prizes including a Paris-NYC round trip which will make customers interested and drive engagement.

Michael Kors set up a private jet display in the atrium of the Champs Elysees store which displayed its autumn-winter collection. Included in the presentation is the brand's Denim Jacquard collection and a space for its men's offer. The exhibit will last until September 11th.

Galeries Lafayette sets up Michael Kors space at Champs-Elysées location

What: Manor supports the emerging art scene in Switzerland by recognizing and awarding young artists.

Why it is important: The award has encouraged Switzerland's art scene for over 40 years by offering the promoted artist an exhibition.

The Cultural Prize allows the public to visit exhibitions by young artists in a dozen cities- six in two consecutive years- and nominate six artists working in the industry to win the prize.

The winners include Mathias Ringgenberg from Bern, Mahtola Wittmer from Central Switzerland, Johanna Kotlaris in Ticino, and Gina Proenza in Lausanne. Their works will be showcased in exhibitions across Switzerland, accompanied by an exhibition catalogue. One of their pieces will also be acquired by Manor.

Manor Cultural Prize 2024 celebrates Switzerland's emerging art scene 

What: Manor will participate in the Locarno Film Festival in Basel and give an award.

Why it is important: Manor will be awarding the 'Pardo d'onore Manor' to filmmaker Harmony Korine.

The Locarno Film Festival will take place from August 2nd to August 12th in Basel. One of the locations would be the Piazza Grande which houses the Manor department store and will showcase national and international film productions.

The 'Pardo d'onore Manor' will be given to Harmony Korine on August 11th and his two films, Gummo (1997) and Spring Breakers (2012) will also be screened during the Locarno76 festival.

Manor partakes in the Locarno Film Festival 

What: The Breuninger flagship store is among the stores that are have partnered with Westfield Hamburg-Uberseequartier and is celebrating the topping out ceremony with Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield.

Why it is important: The celebration thanked all partner companies and construction workers on site and announced the opeining of the shopping centre to be in spring 2024.

Over 300 guests from partner companies and 1,300 construction workers were in attendance of the celebration.  The construction is progressing constantly with 14 building currently being built and completed as well as interior design gaining momentum.

Partnered brands that have signed a lease with Westfield Hamburg-Uberseequarteier include Breuninger, Boss, Lacoste, Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein, Zara, Bershka, Pull & Bear, Mango, H&M, Derbe, JD Sports, Snipe, Foot Locker, Knudsen, Douglas, and Rituals.

Breuninger flagship store among projects being celebrated by Westfield Hamburg-Uberseequartier 

What: El Corte Inglés has been recognised as the 6th strongest retail brand in the world.

Why it is important: The international brand valuation and strategy consultancy, Brand Finance, released its ranking of the top ten retail brands for 2023.

El Corte Inglés was ranked sixth, an increase of 10 points from the prior ranking.

Mercado Libre, Decathlon and Amazon among others were included in this year's report.

El Corte Inglés recognised as the 6th strongest retail brand

What: Boyner opened its new active store in Fethiye.

Why it is important: The new active store in Fethiye in the latest addition to the retailer's active stores.

It joins the existing roster of Boyner ACity Active and Boyner Active Buyaka, and has officially opened its doors to welcome shoppers.

What: Galeries Lafayette permanently opens a K-beauty stand in the Paris Haussmann department store.

Why it is important: Galeries Lafayette will be celebrating Korean beauty products and its self-care philosophy starting August 8th.

The opening of the K-beauty store in Galeries Lafayette Haussmann comes because of the success of a pop-up K-beauty installation in the Champs-Elysées location.

The stand will be located in the Wellness Galeries on the ground floor of the Haussmann store and the opening day of August 8th will feature five brands: Dear Klairs, Rom&nd, Mixsoon, Urang, and SKIN1004.

Galeries Lafayette introduces a permanent K-beauty stand press release

What: Chairwoman of The Mall Group, Supaluck Umpujh, reported to be worth IDR 30 trillion and her path to success.

Why it is important: The success of Chairwoman Umpujh is a result of her reliant work with The Mall Group for 3 decades.

Forbes reported the wealth of Supaluck Umpujh to be at USD 2 billion or IDR 30 trillion making her the 15th richest person in Thailand and the most successful woman in Thai retail.

Umpujh had studied pharmacy in university and continued to further her studies in the field. She moved back to Thailand from the US at the age of 39 in the early 80s to take care of the family business.

After some primary misfortunes, she was entrusted to being the boss of The Mall Group and under her leadership, the company successfully opened a wide network of retail businesses and grew into what it is today.

Supaluck Umpujh, Boss Lady Jejaring Mal Thailand Berharta Rp30 T

What: The Mall Group celebrated its 42 years of business on June 25th.

Why it is important: The Mall Group organized a making-merit ceremony to celebrate the anniversary of the company.

The ceremony began with paying respects to Brahma and the Spirit House and then giving alms to 9 Buddhist monks.

What: El Corte Inglés' shareholders unanimously approved the motions presented by the Board of Directors at the Annual General Meeting.

Why it is important: The company announces its growth, positive financial results, and commitment to social and environmental initiatives.

Motions passed included the approval of the 2022 management report, financial statements, non-financial statements, and earnings appropriation.

The Chairwoman, Marta Alvarez, highlighted the group's growth in 2022, with all businesses delivering profits and significant investments made in refurbishing stores such as the Castellana, Serrano, Preciados, and Pozuelo; the retail business, particularly the fashion division, drove growth.

The company welcomed more than 1.5 billion visits to physical stores, websites, and apps.

They are committed to societal and environmental initiatives, including the completion of the 'zero waste' project in all El Corte Inglés department stores.

El Corte Inglés held its Annual General Meeting and all motions tabled by its directors were passed

What: Manor signed a two-year contract with FC Basel 1893 to be their official partner until the end of the 2024/25 season.

Why it is important: The partnership will unite the business as they have a long-standing connection to the city of Basel as well as bring new experiences to the individual client base.

The partnership agreement will benefit both parties as football fans with a loyalty card will have access to live tickets on-site or even the department store hosting an autograph session with the team's players.

Manor will be the official partner of FC Basel 1893 from the new season.

What: The 2022 annual report of El Corte Inglés reports a 22.5% increase in revenue from the previous year as a result of the company focusing on improving its financial and business position.

Why it is important: The Spanish clothing distributor, EL Corte Inglés reveals its 22.5% revenue increase and EUR 15,327 million in turnover in its 2022 report showcasing its comeback from the company's only net loss year of 2020.

The 2022 financial results of El Cortes Inglés showcase its impressive position of a 22.5% increase in revenue as well as the group's financial strategies to improve its standing. The newspaper, Expansion reasons that the turning point for the company was its alliance with Matua where it sold 50.01% of Seguros El Corte Inglés and 9% of the department store capital group for EUR 1,105 million.

The company aimed to strategically use the new funds to reduce their debt which already stood at a 15-year low, however, the pandemic had caused a EUR 1 billion increase in their liabilities.

With debt accounting for 2.4% of the EBITDA, the company will focus its efforts on making the business less vulnerable to economic cycles by offering new services. The optimistic financial plans for the company from the period 2021-2026, hope to increase EBITDA from its 2022 figure of EUR 951 million to EUR 1,700 and reduce debt by 60%. It then aims to be in a suitable position and enter the public capital market with an IPO.

El Corte Inglés lays the foundations for a new stage with its 2022 results 

What: Elivisha and Constance collaborate with Casa Armida to open a jewellery boutique in the El Palacio de Hierro Polanco department store.

Why it is important: El Palacio de Hierro showcases Mexican talent in its new boutique.

The department store launched and inaugurated the collaborative boutique with an exclusive event on July 26th. The boutique will cover 180 square metres and feature pieces from both brands and their new collections.

El Palacio de Hierro opens a new boutique with Elisheva and Constance and Casa Armida

What: El Corte Inglés has collaborated with Disney to create a campaign counting down the 100 days until the 100-year anniversary date of the entertainment company.

Why it is important: The collaboration is a historic agreement and gives El Corte Inglés a 360° plan which includes the exclusive sale of Disney products and special activations among other initiatives.

The collaboration will begin in July and run until the closing of the Christmas campaign which will be exclusively at El Corte Inglés.

The department store group will have special activations around the campaign as well as an exclusive Disney 100 event and additional activations for Christmas.

El Corte Inglés' back-to-school campaign will be themed as Disney 100 and the group will also host Disney 100 themed shop-in-shops measuring 200 square meters from October 2 to 22. Additionally, the Castellana store will host a Disney 100 space in an outdoor area spanning 800 meters squared.

This is the fourth consecutive year that El Corte Inglés will be the main retail partner for Disney's Christmas campaign. In Serrano, Callao, and Goya, Disney will be the start of the Christmas booths which are free to enter and will include new products from Disney's latest film.

El Corte Inglés teams up with Disney to celebrate 100 years of the Walt Disney Company 

What: El Palacio de Hierro displays a museum exhibition in Mexico City at their Polanco location to celebrate its 135th anniversary.

Why it is important: The store chose to feature 135 objects dating from 1888 that are relevant to the history of fashion while simultaneously celebrating the brands that have worked with them by displaying their archives.

The exhibition will be open to the public for a month — July 13th to August 13th — and was curated by Ana Elena Mallet alongside Joel Aguilar. The display includes historical archives of the Christian Dior house, Carolina Herrera, Casa Guerlain, and never-before-seen pieces from El Palacio de Hierro.

El Palacio de Hierro celebrates its 135th anniversary with an exhibition that compiles more than 13 decades of history

What: The leading department stores in the world ranked by revenue

Why it is important: The ranking highlights the financial trends within department stores that from regional strength to optimism on forecasted performance.

Major companies have seen a 3% increase in revenue since last year despite adjustments in the sector.

The top 10  list is as follows:

Macy's: remains the leader with sales of over EUR 20,000 million.

Kohl's: anticipates a drop in revenue in 2023.

El Corte Inglés: cost optimisation strategies greatly increased net results.

Nordstrom: the only company on the list that managed to exceed pre-pandemic revenues.

Marks and Spencer: plan to close 25% of large format stores in the next 5 years.

Falabella: closure of 5-10% of stores in Peru, Colombia, and Chile.

JC Penney: developed its cosmetic chain but sales are 16% below 2019 figures.

Signa: joint venture with Hudson Bay to create merged company Galeria Karstadt Kaufhof which then filed for bankruptcy protection and began to restructure.

Hudson Bay: two waves of layoffs in the previous year.

Isetan Mitsukoshi: plan for 2023 is to improve loyalty and reduce costs.

Los diez mayores de los grandes almacenes

What: Galeries Lafayette joined forces with last year's Grand Prix of the Hyères Fashion Festival, to highlight winner Jenny Hytönen through a clothing capsule.

Why it is important: The objective is to allow young talents to produce and distribute their creations to the general public. It is also a way to rejuvenate Private Labels.

This capsule, which consists of six pieces, will be sold from October 12 in the Haussmann flagship, in the Champs-Elysées store, and in the department store's e-shop. Prices vary between 39 euros for a t-shirt, 99 euros for the sequined skirt and the printed knit cardigan, or 150 euros for the canvas backpack.

Galeries Lafayette partners with the winner of the 2022 Hyères Festival

What: Chalhoub signed a new strategic partnership to enhance customer centricity.

Why it is important: The group recently signed a strategic partnership with STC, the largest telecom in Saudi.

This partnership allows Qitaf Loyalty Programme members to redeem their points at selected Chalhoub Group brands, enhancing their shopping experiences. The partnership enables Chalhoub to provides its customers with a new and convenient method of payment, aligning with our commitment to delivering exceptional experiences, as customer centricity remains at the core of its mission.

Read more here!

What: Breuninger invests in its distribution centre in Sachsenheim and expands its logistics on a large scale.

Why it is important: Breuninger's DC opened in 2019 spanning 76,000 square meters. Now they are adding around 40,000 square meters to the existing property.

Around 200 jobs will be created in the course of the expansion in warehousing, shipping, outgoing goods and product returns. This will increase the number of employees at the DC to around 1,700 in the future.

The DC was prepared for expansion options in order to be able to react to the growing online business. In recent years, Breuninger has successively opened up new markets and expanded its online business to other European countries – e.g., to Spain, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, Poland and most recently the Czech Republic – and new department stores opened in Munich and Luxembourg.

The construction of the extension of the DC will be carried out sustainably according to BEG-Standard 40. The extension will also be DGNB Gold-certified and the roof will be fully equipped with photovoltaic systems.

The DC includes goods processing, supplying stationary trade and online shipping, content production with a photo studio as well as the Breuninger confectionery and administration.

Breuninger is growing its logistics capacities

What: El Palacio de Hierro has been featured in an article that celebrates its Coyoacan store opening.

Why it is important: El Palacio de Hierro has chosen Coyoacán for its newest store location. The 410,000-square-foot space, designed in partnership with TPG Architecture (New York), is the second largest in the retailer's portfolio.

The Palacio ethos is to create stores that are spiritually and emotionally owned by the community. Each store is a tool of communication, speaking directly to the people it serves. there are 38 individual departments, all share a common Palacio sensibility.

The article states, "Palacio Coyoacán is more than a store. It's a destination for families and friends, designed to be an integral part of the community, and a reflection of its rich culture and storied history."

El Palacio de Hierro's newest store in Coyoacan

What: Galeries Lafayette opens its third store in China.

Why it is important: The department store inaugurated its new flagship in Shenzhen with its partner, Hopson Development Holdings Limited.

The store opening is its third store in China, with Galeries Lafayatte opening stores in Beijing and Shanghai. This Shenzhen location is in the heart of one of the main cities in southern China and represents a new incarnation of the group's ambitions in China.

The Shenzhen store takes a concept department store approach and allows Galeries Lafayette to express its creativity and know-how in fashion and lifestyle.

Explore the photos here!

What: El Palacio de Hierro announces that Amina Muaddi footwear will be sold at their department stores.

Why it is important: El Palacio de Hierro will be the entryway for the footwear brand to enter the Latin American market offline.

Amina Muaddi shoes will be available in two of the El Palacio de Hierro stores- the Polanco branch and the Monterrey branch.

The brand, launched in 2018, became a viral sensation from its striking details and silhouette. It is currently distributed by Bergdorf Goodman, Net-a-porter, Ssense, Nieman Marcus, Mytheresa, and now El Palacio de Hierro.

El Palacio de Hierro welcomes Amina Muaddi to its portfolio

What: El Corte Inglés increases its workforce to have a total of 81,434 workers distributed among all the companies in the group.

Why it is important: The company is expanding and relays its staff figures.

The increase of about 3,000 employees came in part from the company's acquisition of Logitravel.

The chairwoman, Marta Alavrez, shared that the average number of group employees stood at 71,426 people in 2022 not including the insurance group staff and that most of El Cortes Inglés' employees have permanent contracts (96.7%).

The workforce was made up of 50,674 women and 30,760 men, while its employees with disabilities greater than or equal to 33% amounted to 1,600 workers.

El Cortes Ingles has allocated EUR 30 million, in agreement with unions, for a plan to reorganise their staff in the central and regional administrative services that will affect 2,100 people, including 630 over 59 years old.

El Cortes Inglés increase its workforce by 3.7% in 2022, to more than 81,000 people