What: The space within the NYC flagship has been relocated is 70% larger than before and features 10 new or expanded luxury boutiques.

Why it is important: It is now one of the largest selections of men's designer shoes in New York.

The department, which measures just under 13,000 square feet, features a wide assortment of casual and dress shoes from designer and performance brands as well as an assortment of accessories, select fragrances and a gallery of hats. All told, there are 10 new and expanded luxury boutiques in the space from Alexander McQueen, Balenciaga, Gucci, Saint Laurent, Burberry, Salvatore Ferragamo, Zegna, Tod's, Givenchy and Valentino.

Bloomingdale's new men's shoe floor

Bloomingdale's new men's shoe floor ARTICLE

What: Architecture consultancy OMA has completed the first quadrant of the masterplan and renovation of KaDeWe in Berlin. Ongoing since 2016, the transformation of the 90.000 sqm historic building is fragmented into four quadrants that break the original mass into smaller, easily accessible and navigable sectors.

Why it is important: Rather than treating the existing building as a singular mass, the project breaks it into four quadrants, each with its own qualities and targeted at a different audiences: classic, experimental, young, generic. This approach addresses the accelerating shifts in consumer behaviour and the challenges and opportunities brought by online retail that are affecting the traditional department store.

KaDeWe's Berlin new concept

KaDeWe's Berlin new concept ARTICLE

What: A new initiative from a major Japanese department store company to go digital and younger.

Why it is important: Everything is focused on product discovery and experience, leading to a straightforward and neat customer journey without having to carry a shopping basket.

Surfing on the OMO trend (online merges offline), a new store opened in Tokyo, called Choosebase. This online and offline connexion is increasingly developing in Japan although still related to hip and trendy stores.

Japanese department store company Seibu opened last September 21 a new store, Choosebase, in its Shibuya brand, to a appeal at younger and trendier customers. 50+ DTC brands are available there and the whole customer journey is achieved through QR codes near products, which are virtually placed in baskets to be picked up at the exit of the store. Customers do not have to carry a shopping cart and can instead focus on the experience, enhanced by many Instagram-friendly features.

Products can also be shipped to any address as well.

Visit Choosebase Shibuya for an ultramodern shopping experience

Choosebase in Shibuya, Tokyo

What: After an extensive nine-month renovation, the 11,000 sqm department store presents a new, exclusive shopping experience.

Why it is important: Recurring design elements in industrial chic contrast with natural materials and create a creative and inspiring mix of styles. The interior design was created in collaboration with the well-known Stuttgart architecture and design office DIA-Dittel Architekten, while the London-based architectural firm HMKM played a key role in the design planning.

Ludwigsburg store renovation

Breuninger Ludwigsburg's renovation

What: TPG Architecture (New York) redesigned the existing store in the Perisur Mall, located in the southern suburbs of Mexico City.

Why it is important: The remodel of the store was a total renovation completed in several phases, the store remaining open during the entire course of the project. The ground floor, housing jewelry, cosmetics and luxury, and the second floor, showcasing women's fashion, opened during the Covid crisis.

El Palacio de Hierro renovated Perisur store

El Palacio de Hierro renovated Perisur store ARTICLE

What: To re-establish themselves on a popular shopping street in Downtown Toronto, Holt Renfrew designed a facade that would give the store a unified presence.

Why it is important: With a flagship store located in of the most expensive shopping streets in Toronto, Holt Renfrew engaged Gensler architects to upgrade their window displays and disjointed facade to create a strong, unified visual presence that would not only showcase their luxury retail goods, but also create entry points, and let natural light into the interior spaces.

The first step in the renovation process was to rationalize the store's entire envelope and devise a strategy to unify the five separate buildings into one presence so that customers could see how large the store is from the street level. The new facade was constructed of limestone that was full of fossils and brought a sense of liveliness and a variation in texture between the stone panels.

For the glass elements, which included the replacement of the existing dark and gloomy window displays and the revitalization of a main entrance, large panels that allowed for minimal joints and no mullions were used. The clear glass allowed ample views into the store that displayed the merchandise inside, and also brought in natural light. Overall, the project took three years.

Holt Renfrew's Toronto flagship store

What: The 260 sqm (2,799 sq.ft.) Joyce Beauty outpost at Lane Crawford in Shanghai has been fully revamped by local architecture practice AIM Architecture, offering shoppers a serene refuge from the department store's hustle and bustle.

Why it is important: The renewed Joyce Beauty shop-in-shop carries a wide selection of upscale brands (Dr. Barbara Sturm, Perricone MD, Augustinus Bader, RéVive, Floraïku and 111SKIN among others), showing the growing appeal for prestige beauty.

Founded in 1970, Hong Kong-based retailer Joyce has become synonymous to high-end fashion and beauty with standalone stores at several branches of affiliated department store Lane Crawford, but also a handful of monobrand boutiques for leading luxury brands.

Joyce Beauty at Lane Crawford

Joyce Beauty at Lane Crawford ARTICLE

What: A first Fauchon café boutique opens at El Palacio de Hierro Perisur, as the beating heart of the Women's floor.

Why it is important: This move is part of the department store' strategy to differentiate from competitors and offer great experiences to customers, as they are more and more appealed by culinary experiences while shopping. It's also a great way to emphasize each store with a particular community-driven DNA.

All Fauchon's creations such as chocolates, macaroons, teas, pastries, cakes and salty recipes are available to take away or to enjoy in the Café area.

Palacio de Hierro partners with Fauchon

What: Bloomie's, a new brick-and-mortar concept offering a slice of Bloomingdale's full-line department stores, is also a private label. Both officially launch on 26 August.

Why it is important: After Nordstrom Local service hubs, Bloomingdale's is another US department store venturing in smaller formats. The Bloomie's concept will be adjusted to the need of the community, and will serve as a learning experience before figuring out where else in the country additional locations could open.

The new, 22,000-square-foot Bloomie's, located in the Mosaic District lifestyle center in Fairfax, Va., has a "highly curated" assortment of contemporary and luxury brands, new store design concepts and a restaurant. Services include a returns dropbox, buy online and pick-up in-store, curbside pickup, a desk for customization and alterations, a van for deliveries, and technology-empowered stylists (to communicate better with shoppers and access inventory from Bloomingdale's stores). Bloomie's has a total workforce of 30 in sales, alterations, management and operations.

Decades ago, Bloomie's was also a women's novelty underwear. So in conjunction with the opening of the first Bloomie's store, the Bloomie's brand has been relaunched. The inaugural collection has a total of 35 fashion and novelty pieces, including varsity jackets, socks, T-shirts, hoodies, combat boots, totes, chargers, pencil sets. Each season, there will be two drops, including limited-edition collaborations with every collection. The Bloomie's brand will be sold at Bloomie's, on bloomingdales.com and at Bloomingdale's 59th Street flagship, and might later be sold in more locations.

What Bloomie's Means to the Future of Bloomingdale's 

First Bloomie's Store Now Open

What Bloomie's means to the future of Bloomingdale's

What : The department store unveils a new shoe floor, a revamped Premium and Mid-range womenswear offer and a 360° joyful ad campaign.

Why it is important: Galeries Lafayette took the opportunity of the Covid-related store closures to accelerate its reinvention, especially betting on a renewed fashion offer.

The new shoe floor moved from the basement to the fourth floor to become the largest in Europe. A circular fashion space called (Re)store is highlighting vintage and responsible labels. A space dedicated to DNVBs and 'Instabrands' is completing the fashion offer. Please read the IADS exclusive here.

Click here for photos of the Revamp

DP Septembre 2021 - Galeries Lafayette

What: Frasers Group unveiled its latest big development, the new branch of Flannels in Sheffield.

Why is it important: Willing to open 10 more flagship stores in the coming decade, the Group is one of the most active British retailers as far as brick and mortar development is concerned.

The new branch of Flannels in Sheffield is claimed to be "the biggest luxury retail investment in the city to date, with the signing of a 15-year lease. The store covers 55,000 sq ft with women's and men's ready to wear and accessories, kidswear, activewear and — for the first time — beauty. The new concept, Flannels Beauty, is based around "a modern understanding of how consumers engage with beauty – across multiple brands, price points, and a unique mix of heritage, challenger, exclusive and pharmacy brands".

The company said it's "the most digitally-enabled store in the North of England" and it added that it's "rebelling against traditional 'beauty hall' models and introducing new services including the world's first Beauty Changing Rooms concept, featuring an interactive, digitally-connected private space "designed to test, trial and play".

When it comes to fashion, the retailer said it has moved "deeper into the contemporary space" and also brings labels to the city, including Off-White, Saint Laurent, Fear of God and Talentless.

In the short term following Sheffield, the group will open two new flagships, in Leicester and Liverpool. The Liverpool opening will be the first large-scale multi-brand luxury destination in the city. Over seven floors, the Liverpool store will feature an "expansive" beauty destination, a rooftop restaurant and an entire floor dedicated to leisure, activewear and high-performance sportswear. This 'World of Active' conceptual space will also include a "trailblazing" fitness studio.

The chain now numbers 50 UK stores, including an Oxford Street, London flagship, and the regional flagships of which the new Sheffield store is one.

Flannels opens a new flagship store

The retailer is opening the world's first women's shoe store, on the 4th floor of the Hankyu Department Store Umeda Main Store, in Osaka, Japan. The French luxury goods giant is also opening up a dedicated repair shop specializing in product maintenance and care services, with brand artisans available to help customers. The Hermès Aftersales Counter is on the second floor of the East Building of Hilton Plaza Osaka.

PRINTABLE VERSION HERE

It's here!

Suspense was on almost until the D-day. The long-awaited reopening of iconic Parisian department store, La Samaritaine, is finally here after sixteen years out of business and a total investment estimated between EUR 750 million and EUR 1 billion.

Closed in 2005 for safety reasons, the initial renovation plan was aiming for a reopening in 2010. Renovation plans were only unveiled in 2012, with, at the time, a target opening date set for 2016. After some blockages from local authorities (before and during the course of the renovation), works didn't begin until the end of 2014 and, later on, the opening was announced for April 2020. But due to the Covid pandemic, the opening was postponed to June 2021, although the precise date changed several times while getting closer to the date. After many changes and an official pre-opening event with French President Emmanuel Macron, La Samaritaine Paris Pont-Neuf – finally – opens its doors on 23 June. Luxury takes time as Bernard Arnault always says.

A little bit of history

La Samaritaine was founded in 1870 by Etienne Cognacq and his wife ‎Marie-Louise Jaÿ. Both came from modest families, he was a hawker and she was a sales person at Le Bon Marché. Believing in innovative selling methods (fixed prices, clear price information, possibility to try on garments, easy in-store circulation …), the couple is a remarkable example of the social climbing that was linked to the rise of department stores at the end of the 19th century. Growing through the years, they ended up with a four-building store completed in 1932.

Having acquired Le Bon Marché in 1984, LVMH bought La Samaritaine in 2000 with the ambition to transform them in modern and trendy department stores, on both sides of the Seine River. However, the approach for La Samaritaine significantly differed from le Bon Marché (which is a LVMH entity), as it would be managed by DFS, the Hong Kong-based tax-free shopping division of LVMH.

(Chinese) tourists vs. locals

A first Duty Free Shoppers store opened in Hong Kong airport in 1960. In 1972, the company launched its first DFS Gallerias in Honolulu and Hong Kong. In 2013, DFS announced their intention to expand outside of Asia, by looking for a few European locations (France, Italy, Switzerland). The strategy was to rely on DFS' brand awareness among Mainland Chinese shoppers and company's understanding of Asian consumers to capture their spending when travelling to Europe. For DFS, at the time, "Chinese customers will continue to account for more than half of our revenue in several years to come". In 2016 they opened their first European duty-free business in Venice, combining luxury and curated local products. While it still remains unclear if it is successful or not, DFS claims it has been attracting 3 million visitors in the first year. La Samaritaine is their second European outpost.

For LVMH, tourists (especially Chinese ones) were supposed to account for half of the department store's customers. In 2019 alone, nearly 1 million Chinese tourists visited Paris, spending over EUR 1 billion in tourism revenue. The average amount spent in stores is EUR 1,128 per day and per person. In that sense, department stores are an important crossing point for such spending (Galeries Lafayette is the second place to be visited after the Eiffel Tower and the retailer now has a dedicated store across from the flagship Boulevard Haussmann, just for Chinese tourists). Before the pandemic, and comparing La Samaritaine with the results of the Galeries Lafayette's Haussmann branch in Paris, French trade magazine LSA estimated that the revamped department store's annual revenue could potentially exceed EUR 500 million. For comparison, Le Bon Marché turnover is estimated to EUR 550 million, with 50% more retail space than La Samaritaine. But Le Bon Marché is not known for attracting that many Chinese tourists.

Needless to mention that Covid changed the game and La Samaritaine has, at least for now, to rely on Parisian, French, and hopefully European customers. For the time being, the opening marketing campaign is very much French-oriented (if not to say Parisian) and features the real store employees, using a very French and girly tone.

But Bernard Arnault has a long-term perspective on DFS' new venture and the current situation is not making much of a difference to him: "In the short term, there are very few tourists. […]. The question is not whether things will return to normal or not. Clearly, they will return to normal. The question is when? We don't know, and everything depends on that. But we've waited 15 years, an extra year won't make much difference."

So, La Samaritaine's strategy towards Chinese customers has not changed despite Covid crisis, and DFS will just have to wait for them to come back. In that sense, just looking at the store loyalty program says a lot. Using a QR code, you can get your digital card directly and instantly while in the store: what you get is not a Samaritaine card, but a Loyal T Card by DFS and an email from them, informing you about "What's happening In Hong Kong This Month"… To say the least, it will be confusing for Parisian customers who don't know anything about DFS. In itself, the loyalty programme includes the usual: exclusive offers, free alterations, exchange without receipt, free delivery from EUR 200, and reward points coming with each purchase.

A closer look at the store

The original state-of-the-art "Art Nouveau" and "Art Deco" architecture and decor are amazingly restored and completed by a new and controversial Rue de Rivoli wavy glass facade by Japanese architecture agency Sanaa, which was also in charge of the department store project. Depending on the store sections, interior design was handled by Yabu Pushelberg, Agence De Création Malherbe Paris and Studio Ciguë.

The whole project occupies 2 buildings out of the 4 original ones, represents 70,000 square-metres splitting in different parts, and will employ 3,000 people. Non-retail parts are offering offices, 96 social housing apartments and a childcare centre. For the business parts: a LVMH Cheval Blanc 5-star luxury hotel (72 rooms, some with private pools, scheduled to open on 7 September 2021), and 20,000 square-metres dedicated to the department store itself including 12 food vendors (before closing the selling surface was 30,000 square-metres). As a comparison, Le Bon Marché surface is 30,000 square-metres, BHV is 38,000 and Galeries Lafayette Haussmann is 70,000.

The relatively small surface implies choices and, as it was originally designed for an international customer base, the store is exclusively dedicated to fashion and beauty. As opposed to competitors, local customers won't find kid's wear, nor homeware or groceries. In terms of taste, feeling and brand mix, La Samaritaine is meant to be about lifestyle, discovery and experience, "at the intersection of Avenue Montaigne and Le Marais […] where they can treat themselves to a luxury purchase and sip an espresso made by an expert barista", according to Eléonore de Boysson, DFS' President for EMEA.

More than 600 luxury and premium brands (including 40 exclusive ones) can be found under the renovated store, mixing big names and independent labels in all departments. Basically, the store splits in 2 sections: a luxury one (Pont-Neuf side, throughout the 6 floors) using materials such as state-of-the-art mosaics, light wood and gold finishing, and a streetwear one (throughout the basement, ground and first floors) featuring graffiti, concrete and raw materials. The latter is shrewdly located on the "high-street" Rue de Rivoli side (an Oxford Street Parisian version) to attract Millennials and Gen Z customers.

Wandering through the floors

From the main entrance on Rue de La Monnaie, the ground floor is dedicated to leather goods and accessories such as sunglasses and costume jewellery. The organisation is quite the usual with concession stands all along the walls, smaller stands and multibrand areas displayed in the middle. A relatively small part of the floor is dedicated to "La Boutique de Loulou", an elevated gift shop, gathering 1,500 small objects, tech objects, stationery, books, souvenirs, accessories... Being self-service, metallic baskets are available to customers to easily shop. On the Rue de Rivoli side, the ground floor offers a young take on women's and men's fashion with a "Designers Lab". Also, on this side of the store, and for the next 5 months to come, famous contemporary art gallery Perrotin has a 200 square-metre pop up store offering cultural goods such as art books, artists' limited editions, goodies and decorative objects. It's worth mentioning that La Samaritaine boasts about highlighting French creative talents in the "Factory", a space for free expression.

The first floor is dedicated to luxury and contemporary women's fashion, mixing concession stands and multibrand areas. When strolling towards the Rue de Rivoli side, the floor is transitioning to a genderless streetwear, outdoor and athleisure area complemented by a Shinzo Paris sneakers shop-in-shop.

From Tiffany to Cartier, the second floor is entirely dedicated to jewellery and watches and should appeal to Chinese customers when they are back. The third floor is for men's fashion. The fourth floor is for women's shoes displayed in a boudoir style. It's worth mentioning that there is no men's shoes section per se, but only a sneakers wall on the men's floor in addition to the offer available at Shinzo's shop-in-shop.

The fifth floor is beautiful in itself with legendary Art Nouveau peacock frescos, from which the store communication takes its origin. It's also the place for Voyage restaurant and lounge coming along with an event space. Unfortunately, no rooftop, terrasse or spectacular views for the restaurant, such spaces being all taken over by Cheval Blanc hotel. Anyhow, food is an important part of the store, coming as a possible answer to the customer's current cravings for experience. The 12 food vendors available in the store are all exclusive concepts and are ranging from coffee to pastry shop and classic restaurants. Street Caviar run by Prunier and located on the Rivoli side, is certainly the most interesting one as it offers EUR 15 caviar sandwiches.

Last but not least, the beauty department, unusually located in the basement, is the store's main asset. Representing 3,400 square-metres and supposedly is the largest in Continental Europe, it should be a key driver for traffic and sales, for both tourists and locals. Two-hundred brands have been curated including 50 sustainable ones, plus niche and exclusive ones. They split in 2 different ways, a young and trendy self-service, and a more institutional space with concession stands. Interestingly and quite new, the majority of the beauty assistants are from La Samaritaine staff, not from brands. While all staff members are trained to be able to serve any customer need, customers can also shop by themselves as if at Sephora, thanks to baskets made available throughout the entire department. Services complement the beauty offer with a brow bar, a spa (Spa des Cing Mondes with hammam, sauna, and massage) and Studio de Beauté (run by Kure Bazar including nail bar, hairdressing and barbershop). Perfume is also emphasized with both an engraving station and one-of-a-kind editions ranging from EUR 3,000 to 300,000.

At your service

Besides "L'Appartement" VIP lounge available on the women's fashion floor, La Samariatine offers personalised, and sometimes, new services. To be booked at the "Conciergerie", personal shopping is developed through different options: directly in the store or in "L'Appartement" VIP lounge, but also at your home. In that case, a stylist will come to your place and show you ways to combine your pieces with new ones. La "Conciergerie" is also supposed to help any customer willing to book a museum ticket, a restaurant or a show. "Make my day" is a new service evolving around the idea of leisure and pushing customers to spend more time in the store. Offering them a "Samaritaine immersion", the experience ranges from 2 hours 30 minutes (including 3 culinary experiences and an hour with a member of the Rue de Rivoli team) to a full day pampering with manicure, brow, makeup and hair styling sessions, lunch at Voyage restaurant, 3 hours with a personal stylist and a photo shoot.

Hands-free shopping is available for customers to gather all purchases in one place and to pay for everything in a single transaction. A tax refund service is developed so that all store staff know how to proceed, making the refund seamless for an immediate refund in cash, credit card or by "Wallet Alipay".

As a conclusion, the IADS perspective

Times are difficult for multibrand retail and especially for department stores, competing to retain customers in store while being forced to develop their e-commerce and digital capabilities. Especially in Paris, retail suffered greatly with "Gilets Jaunes" social movement in 2018, massive strikes in 2019 and Covid in 2020. Meanwhile, Galeries Lafayette Champs-Elysees opened in March 2019 with results "below expectations," (after the first six months) company Chief Executive Officer Nicolas Houzé told BoF. More recently, Qatari-owned department store Printemps changed its management team and announced a new strategy.

So La Samaritaine is not a safe bet yet. While nobody knows when tourism will resume and allow the department store to fulfil its strategy, here is what we can keep in mind further to the opening:

• In a general way, La Samaritaine is not a store made for locals and Parisians will understand that in a minute, the loyalty program says everything about that.
• It might also be hard to attract big local spenders to this "high-street" Paris neighbourhood. Rue de Rivoli has never been their favourite and has recently transformed to a pedestrian way. For sure, people will visit this beautiful store and, while unable to splurge on a EUR 2,000 Loewe bag, will probably indulge with a EUR 15 caviar sandwich. That's not a lot of money at the end of the day, and it remains to be seen if they will come back for a second sandwich.
• There is no e-commerce and attached necessary delivery and click & collect services available.
• On the other hand, the beauty department is a real asset and could guarantee strong sales among locals, assuming they will be aware it exists.
• Food options are a lot considering the total footage. They are disseminated throughout the store, sometimes in debatable places, but will probably attract people looking for fun alternatives during their office lunch hours.

If Paris is still very much impacted by Covid, the city positions itself for a rebound. La Samaritaine will be part of it anyway, as well as IADS member Galeries Lafayette Haussmann that just completed the renovation of its historic and stunning "coupole" dome. On the cultural side and under global corporation umbrellas, art foundations (among them the Pinault one located very close to La Samaritaine) recently opened adding new and noteworthy attractions to a city now expecting life to go back to normal.

a closer look at la samaritaine

Credits: IADS (Christine Montard)

What: K11 opens a second store in Wuhan

Why it is important:  There is a race to growth and size from major operators in China. K11 is going fast, while staying strong on its ultra experiential positioning.

K11 opens a second location in Wuhan in Art Mall I, within the planned framework of 40 new stores across Greater China in the next 5 years. As usual, the experience is designed to be new and surprising to customers, including a giant music box design, a rooftop garden and a musical urban farm. The store comes with the usual array of Western brands willing to be part of such a new shopping concept, such as Gentle Monster, Alexander Mc Queen, Stella Mc Cartney or Zadig & Voltaire. Interestingly, there is also a whole new offer in terms of F&B experiences, including Korean and Chinese new concepts.

Newest K11 Art Mall opens in Wuhan, featuring music-box theme

K11 opens a new store in Wuhan, featuring music-box theme

Part of the retailer's strategy to invest in its store existing estate, the St James Quarter shop will offer a variety of new services and experiences including a beauty studio, personal styling services and  'All Things Baby' nursery appointments for new and parents-to-be. It also includes s a 3,000 square foot World of Design hub where home stylists will offer free drop-in appointments to help customers design a home makeover.

The beauty studio will include the retailer's Beauty Society offering which is a free, concierge-style service with beauty experts. Aiming to deliver a "fun day out shopping for all the family", the store also features interactive and colourful play areas.

The shop also pays tribute to the city of Edinburgh with features such as two life-size model stags, an Edinburgh Gin pop up shop, an interactive Hornby Flying Scotsman model in the toy department and John Lewis's very own Greyfriars Bobby statue.

John Lewis unveils newly refurbished Edinburgh department store

Nordstrom SPACE and Dover Street Market Paris (DSMP) partner to highlight emerging global designers in curated concept shops. The collaboration features all seven individual brands under the Brand Development branch of DSMP, who introduce their Spring/Summer 2021 collections in select Nordstrom stores and online at Nordstrom.com. The brands launching at Nordstrom SPACE under the collaboration include Vaquera, Rassvet, Weinsanto, ERL, Liberal Youth Ministry, HFD and Youths in Balaclava.

This is the first time Dover Street Market Paris has partnered with a retailer for a shop-in-shop experience. For six weeks, the specially curated edit of the seven brands will live in dedicated SPACE concept shops. In addition to in-store build outs in New York, Los Angeles and Vancouver, the Nordstrom SPACE team have created a physical and digital Zine to introduce the collaboration and brands to customers with unique editorial content.

Nordstrom SPACE is an in-store and online boutique dedicated to advanced and emerging designers. The shop features a cross-category offering of seasonal collections of apparel, shoes, handbags and accessories from designers including Comme des Garçons, Jacquemus, Marine Serre, Simone Rocha, Cecilie Bahnsen, Meryll Rogge, Wales Bonner, Chopova Lowena and more.

Nordstrom SPACE and Dover Street Market Paris (DSMP) partner

Built in September 1975, SM Makati City in Philippines is a 13 000 sqm, 5 storey flagship store. It is a department store and not a mall, although the department store itself carries numerous local and imported brands. The completion of the project is due in 2022.

SM is renovating its Makati City department store

Breuningerland in Ludwigsburg in Germany regroups a Breuninger department store as well as 120 stores. The 40 000 sqm shopping centre renovation and modernisation will be completed in 2022.

Breuningerland renovates in Ludwigsburg

What: Renovation plans include the addition of a new entrance from Karl Johans gate, one of Oslo's main shopping street.

Why is it important: The relaunch, betting on a conjunction of physical and digital commerce, is set to bring the iconic 224-year-old department store into the future.

The department store is divided into 7 floors from the basement to the 6th floor encompassing:

•    Food and Restaurants

•    Beauty (with featuring the first Dior Beauty boutique in the Nordics) and Accessories

•    Menswear

•    Womenswear

•    Unisex Contemporary Fashion

•    Childrenswear and Home Lifestyle

•    Events & Service

The retailer also unveiled a new name, logo and visual identity.

Check out the detailed plans below!

STEEN & STRØM detailed plans

Steen & Strøm reopens after revamp with new name

Defining itself as a game-changing new store, it aims to be an inspirational place to meet, explore and shop.

The store is located in Wolverhampton. The firm's overall 60,000 sq ft development also includes other key chains owned by the company (Flannels and Sports Direct, each with a separate entrance).

Frasers is opening brand-new flagship stores in some of the U.K.'s biggest cities, but is also investing in smaller towns like Wolverhampton setting the benchmark for regional retail. This new lifestyle proposition means residents of Wolverhampton no longer need to travel to Birmingham to seek the best luxury, fashion and beauty brands.

Customers will enter Frasers through a marble façade and see a "beauty playground" offering 120+ brands. This area also features a Trend Marketplace, "a dynamic space bringing together an ever-changing roster of emerging beauty, tanning, hair, bath & body brands, alongside beauty tools and accessories.

Meanwhile, the all-important women's ready-to-wear fashion collections in the store include a comprehensive mix of hundreds of brands, such as Coach, Mario Valentino, DKNY, Michael Kors, Barbour, Polo Ralph Lauren Calvin Klein, Kitri, Faithfull the Brand, Agolde, Sleeper and Cult Gaia.

And the company said that "in response to the ever-growing demand for activewear and leisurewear", the store will carry lines from "game-changing brands" including Les Boys Les Girls, Rotate Sunday and Sporty & Rich, and luxury high-performance sportswear from PE Nation, Victoria Beckham x Reebok, Adidas by Stella and more. There are also extensive women's lingerie, footwear, loungewear and denim destinations.

On the first floor, menswear includes CP Company, Barbour, The North Face, Polo Ralph Lauren and Tommy Hilfiger. There are areas dedicated to men's loungewear, denim and footwear all offering a cohesive edit of wardrobe solutions. And the store also has a luxury kidswear area.

Frasers Group opens its first brand new store

What: the freshly renovated Holt Renfrew Ogilvy department store in Montreal

Why it is important: Holt Renfrew, part of the Selfridges group, bought the location in 2011 when Ogilvy was purchased by the group. They decided the keep the historical name, a true landmark in Montreal, when the location was reponed second half of 2020.

The historical "store of light" in Montreal, Ogilvy, had a second youth last August when it reopened, 100 years after its foundation, under the name Holt Renfrew Ogilvy (an interesting case of co-branding based on historical DNA and geographical location).

VMSD goes through the architectural specificities of the new store, documented with pictures.

You can see more pictures by clicking here.

Pictures of the Holt Renfrew - Ogilvy location in Montreal

What: the new biggest mall in Korea with 15-storey and 9,000 sqm retail surface

Why it is important: It opened in March 2021, during the pandemic and, to differentiate itself, the mall dedicates a third of its retail surface to the "Sounds Forest'", an artificial green space with 30 trees, flowers, natural grass and a 12-metre waterfall

In order to counter Covid-19 fatigue, the mall provides to its customers a relaxing experience through an artificial forest, with 30 trees and natural sceneries. This non-retail space is to be added to an art gallery at the 6th floor.

In order to provide such a differentiating experience, Hyundai mentions that it costs USD 182 million worth of annual earnings by not using this space to retail activities. Time will tell if the investment translates into traffic.

hyundai seoul mall offers retail therapy via its indoor gardens

The Hyundai Seoul mall

El Corte Inglés unveiled a refurbished Castellana flasgship store in Madrid in December 2020. The remodelling was led by architect Lazaro Rosa-Violán, whose previous works include retail developments, hotels, and restaurants among others.

El Corte Inglés' changes include a major refurbishment of the Gourmet Experience.

Click below to see the remodel:

El corte inglés - Castellana remodels 2020

Breuninger spent several months renovating their Nuremberg store location into a modernized flagship. CEO, Holger Blecker, explained the strategic decision to invest in the brick-and-mortar location in a statement saying, "We firmly believe in brick-and-mortar retail and feel close ties to the Nuremberg location. Especially in challenging times like these, it is our job as retailers to work for the revitalization and attractiveness of the inner cities…"

The more than 700 square meter flagship features an exclusive shoe world in the basement featuring collections of designer brands such as Aquazzura, Balenciaga, Chloé and Givenchy. Leather goods can be found on the ground floor and women's fashion can be found on the second floor with a renovated and modern ambience. Other designer labels such as Valentino, Celine, Bottega Veneta, Saint Laurent and Loewe are featured among the space.

To connect the physical department stores with the online store, Breuninger has advanced their digitalization through innovative services. Customers have numerous service terminals that enable immediate product and assortment queries.  Digitally networked changing rooms facilitate stationary shopping with extended Click&Collection options that allow customers to reserve desired items in advanced and then try them out in the store. To enhance the physical experience even further, separate beauty rooms can be booked for exclusive treatments such as facials.

The location also offers gastronomy concepts through a cocktail bar on the second floo, serving an extensive drink menu and the popular in-house Breuninger Confiserie, a confectionery which celebrates its 70th anniversary in 2021.

Breuninger opens flagship store in Nuremberg