What: The María Porto & Leticia Hervás art gallery located in El Corte Inglés de Castellana, in Madrid displays a collection of works by great masters at very attractive prices.

Why is it important: There are a total of 222 works and prints by established artists, which customers can take advantage of to acquire and add to their collections.

The gallery also offers a series of additional services such as advice to private collectors and the design of comprehensive projects, in addition to inter-mediation in the sale of artworks, and their evaluation and appraisal.

El Corte Inglés ventures in selling art 

What: Seven countries are involved including Thailand, Singapore, China, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines.

Why it is important: The survey was conducted by Influential Brands, a global organization in Singapore that specializes in researching and exploring Asian consumer insights.

The Mall wins 2021 Asia's top influential brand

What: The retailer plans to open 30 new El Corte Inglés Supermarkets outside of the department stores, with a renewed image and a more digital and sustainable format.

Why it is important: The project aims to strengthen the Group's position in the food area. It will also promote the other food brands: Hipercor, Club del Gourmet, the recently acquired Sanchez Romero and the supermarket chain Supercor (including Supercor Express and Supercor Stop & Go in alliance with Repsol).

Regarding the most premium segment, the company intends to continue developing its Club del Gourmet brand and promote the Madrid supermarket chain Sanchez Romero, as a benchmark for high-end products.

El Corte Inglés will open more supermarkets 

What: In strong support of the country's recovery agenda, SM recently reached over 6 million doses of Covid vaccine administered in 71 malls around the country to date.

Why it is important: In addition to supporting the population, SM also facilitated vaccination of its micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) partners in coordination with their respective local government units.

SM Supermalls steps up Covid vaccination

What: The retailer partnered with Mrs. Rushmore agency.

Why it is important: The campaign revolves around children who make Christmas the most special time of the year.

Watch spot here

El Corte Inglés' Christmas spot news

What: Arthur Lemoine will take over from seasoned executive Marianne Romestain, who occupied the position since 2018.

Why it is important: Lemoine, a graduate of the Essec business school, has occupied various positions within the group. He is also a member of Galeries Lafayette's Executive Board.

He has been managing director of the group's watchmaking and jewelry activities since 2018 and before that, headed the food and beverage division, overseeing the implantation of Eataly in Paris.

Marianne Romestain will take over from Lemoine as managing director of the group's watchmaking and jewelry division, which includes the Louis Pion and Galeries Lafayette — Royal Quartz brands.

Galeries Lafayette has a new offer and buying director 

What: The "Arriba Mujeres" initiatives brings together success stories of Latin American women from Peru, Chile and Colombia.

Why it is important: Falabella has been participating in many initiatives promoting women empowerment. Since 2017, the retailer is part of the PAR Ranking, which evaluates gender equity issues: in 2020 the retailer ranked 34th out of 211 companies. In Peru, 59% of its management and middle-management positions are led by women.

Falabella empowers women 

What: After Beijing in 2013 and Shanghai in 2019, the department store will open a new store in Shenzhen early 2023 with the ambition to have 10 stores by 2025.

Why it is important: Shenzhen is a key city in the development of the 'Greater Bay Area of Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau' and is one of the fastest growing tier-1 cities in‎‎ the world. ‎

‎The goal of the department store is to target this young local population, by deploying a store format that it describes as unprecedented, and "where the focus will be on design and a highly edited multi-brand selection". A concept store spirit will infuse the 5,000 square meters.‎

Galeries Lafayette announces a new location in China

Press release

What: The company has inaugurated a new logistics hub in Chile for Sodimac, Tottus, Falabella and Linio platforms.

Why it is important: The new hub is 13,500 square meters and has a dispatch capacity of 300,000 orders per month. In addition, it will generate more than 500 jobs.

The distribution centre will support the group's ambitions to have a high percentage of orders delivered in 48 hours or less.

Falabella has a new distribution centre in Chile

What: The retailer collaborated in the reforestation of 14.4 burned hectares in Ejulve, Teruel, in what was considered the largest forest fire in Spain, in 2009.

Why it is important: This initiative is launched at the same time as Galeries Lafayette, also contributing to a reforestation project. El Corte Inglés not only compensates the equivalent of a yearly Castellana store carbon footprint, but also contributes to regenerate a forest, while betting on local economic development.

El Corte Inglés offsets carbon footprint 

What: Manor, Coop, Migros and Denner react to the growth of the Omicron variant by enforcing new measures to be applied as early as 13 December.

Why it is important: While protecting customers and employees, retailers are hoping that this voluntary self-regulation measure will prevent them from more restrictions and possible store closures.

Manor will introduce capacity restrictions, social distancing and reinforced hygiene measures including mandatory masks in its department stores from 13 December 2021.

Coop, Migros and Denner recommend to shop at the beginning of the week and to avoid weekends and rush hours. In addition, they suggest that only one person per household should be shopping. Contactless payment methods will be favoured.

Manor new Covid restrictions

What: As part of its sustainability strategy, the department store announces a comprehensive animal welfare policy with ambitious guidelines for the handling of animal materials.

Why it is important: This new policy implies a full compliance from Breuninger's partners and suppliers. Breuninger is also sending a strong signal to the industry.

After refraining from selling real fur, exotic leather and angora wool at the end of 2020, Breuninger joined the international initiative "Fur Free Retailer Program" in January 2021. The new animal welfare policy is another step to commit to the responsible handling and protection of animals in the fashion industry.

The aim is to ensure minimum standards for animal materials, to exclude critical materials and to replace them with alternatives. Breuninger's animal welfare policy addresses far more materials than the usual industry standards. Materials such as silk, corals, skins and leather, pearls, mutt pearls and shells are also taken into account.

Breuninger's animal welfare policy

What: The department store launched a reforestation programme located 40 km from Galeries Lafayette in Nantes.

Why it is important: Faithful to its social responsibilities, the group wants to participate in the collective effort to increase the French forest areas.

This program should generate a climate benefit over 800 tonnes of CO2 over 30 years. A dedicated platform will give regular achievement updates.

Galeries Lafayette further commits to sustainability

What: Savemore launches a new retail format, Savemore Express, with a smaller surface than regular stores.

Why it is important: During lockdowns, neighbourhood food stores have served as the essential destination for people, especially with home cooking as the only option. The new Savemore Express addresses this shift by providing the weekly grocery needs and offering an expanded line of fresh merchandise, essential food, personal care, and household products.

With a regular Savemore store typically covering 1,500 to 2,500 sqm. in floor area, the new format's smaller size makes it more versatile in delivering basic essentials to customers.

SM Markets (umbrella brand for SM Supermarket, SM Hypermarket, and Savemore) and its sister company, Alfamart, has over 1,500 stores; 206 Savemore stores, 9 Savemore Express stores, 60 SM Supermarket stores, 53 SM Hypermarket stores, and 1,201 Alfamarts.

SM Markets' Savemore introduces new store format

What: The Mall Group teams up with a Japanese company to receive introductions to interesting Japanese brands.

Why it is important: The Mall Group gains at the same time access to new brands for the Thai market but also information about their actual potential given JR West's available data.

JR West, the Japanese company operating railroads and shopping centers in Japan, has concluded a partnership with The Mall Group to provide information about its Japanese tenants and help them building relationship with the Thai operator. Within working relationship, the first of its own, The Mall Group will review proposals from JR West about brands to introduce in the EmSphere mall in Bangkok for potential openings in Q4 2023.

JR West unit inks partnership with Thailand's Mall Group

What: Christian Dior has expanded its retail footprint in Mexico with the opening of its fourth store, a new boutique at El Palacio de Hierro in Guadalajara (following locations in Artz, Santa Fe and Polanco).

Why it is important:  El Palacio de Hierro secures and expands its partnership with Dior.

The Guadalajara store resembles a curved light box with two entrances. Women's and men's collections are displayed in the centre. Product is cross-merchandised following a new concept started at the brand's massive Paris Champs-Élysées boutique opened in 2019.

El Palacio de Hierro opens a new dior store

What: El Corte Inglés Group posted a positive EBITDA of EUR 234 million, a EUR 416 million year-on-year increase on the same period last year (March-August).

Why it is important: Despite the absence of tourism and the restrictions still in place throughout the period, retail revenue is USD 5.42 billion, in line with 2019.

The Group's sales performance was driven mainly by retail, led by a strong recovery in fashion. Management improvements in the Group allowed to improve the gross margin by 2.7 points, to 30.2%.

El Corte Inglés posts a positive EBITDA

What: SM Prime Holdings, Inc. (SM Prime), one of the leading integrated property developers in Southeast Asia, reported a 9% increase in consolidated net income to PHP 15.6 billion in the first nine months of 2021 from PHP 14.4 billion in the same period last year. Consolidated revenue recorded PHP 56.8 billion, 6% lower from PHP 60.7 billion in the same period being reviewed.

Why it is important: SM Prime's Philippine mall business, which accounts for 28% of the Company's consolidated revenues, recorded a 14% lower revenue vs last year's in the first three quarters of 2021. A stricter community quarantine from August 2021 has affected the operation of the mall business, limiting the operation of non-essential shops. Meanwhile, SM Prime's China mall business has reported a 28% increase in revenue.

"SM Prime continues to develop new ways and solutions in its businesses by developing sustainable programs that provide safe and secure environment for all of its stakeholders. This is in line with our anticipation of welcoming more people in our establishments, primarily in our malls and other commercial facilities, where thousands of our partner-tenants can showcase their products and services this coming Holidays Season," said Jeffrey C. Lim, SM Prime President.

SM Prime net income up by 9%

What: Luxury department store chain SKP, which includes the world's most profitable mall SKP Beijing, has become China's first retail group to be certified carbon natural after it was certified by Carbonstop, China's first carbon management software and consulting services provider.

Why it is important: The retailer is creating a new model of carbon neutrality and setting new standards for luxury retail by analysing, measuring, optimizing, and reinventing every aspect of energy consumption within the operation. This includes construction, choice of materials, maintenance, waste management, water consumption, lighting, electrical and mechanical equipment lifecycle to travels.

These disciplines have been applied to all existing SKP stores in Beijing and Xi'an, and is a focus for the stores being built in Chengdu and Wuhan.

SKP is the first Chinese mall to reach carbon neutrality

What: The pop-up at Galeries Lafayette Haussmann will run until 31 December. In addition to the retail space allocated to the brand, the latter is presented at both store entrances. What's more, all the windows along the Boulevard Haussmann have been turned over to the brand, the first time the retailer is giving this much high-visibility space to a brand.

Why it is important:  After a pop-up at Selfridges earlier this year, this is the second foray into physical retail for the direct-to-consumer loungewear label, as part of its new "Pangaia Pact, an initiative designed to highlight how we work with partners across three key pillars — carbon neutrality, circularity and purpose".

In keeping with its mission of being an "Earth-positive business," the company is offsetting the pop-up's entire carbon footprint, with an additional 10% thrown in for good measure, having accounted for factors such as employee commuting, material use and transport, on-site electricity and heating.

In addition, both brand and retailer will be donating 1% each of net sales from the pop-up to the Bee the Change fund, an initiative started by Pangaia in 2020 to support grassroots NGOs working to preserve and protect species such as bees from extinction and supported by transparency-focused donations platform Milkywire.

Galeries Lafayette partners with Pangaia

What: The retailer will show fine jewellery in a special edition of its digital live shopping series. "Shop the Gift" dedicates a virtual tour to the brands BVLGARI, Chopard, TAMARA COMOLLI, TIFFANY & Co. and Wempe.

Why it is important: The brands involved in the live shopping event are available on breuninger.com since this year as part of the marketplace.

As for its digital fashion show last Spring, "Shop the Gift" will present jewelry brands on  December 1 at 7 pm in the Staatsgalerie Stuttgart. The hosts of the video shopping event are the well-known TV, radio and podcast presenter Hadnet Tesfai and fashion and influencer icon Leonie Hanne.

All the products shown can be bought directly afterwards and already on breuninger.com. In addition, viewers can exchange ideas live with Breuninger's fashion experts via a chat function.

Breuninger launches distant shopping for fine jewellery

What: Much simpler, adapted to the digitalisation of the business, the new incentive system will affect 42,000 people and will allow workers to know their sales commissions easily.

Why it is important: At a time when it's difficult to attract and retain retail staff, retailers are evolving their bonus schemes. The IADS Operation Meeting dedicated to the 'attract and retain talent' topic will be held on 2 December.

With this new system, progress is made in the transparency and simplicity, so that each employee will be able to regularly know the percentage that will be paid each month through the corporate intranet. The system will take into consideration the working hours of each worker and will generate an incentive from the first sale carried out. In addition, the system will take digitalization into consideration.

Staff from supermarkets and gourmet stores staff (including fishmongers, butchers...) will be added to the employees entitled to receive incentives.

El Corte Inglés' new incentive programme 

Agreement at El Corte Inglés for the new incentive system for the workforce

What: The expansion will go through Sodimac, Falabella's DIY and home improvement chain.

Why it is important: The retailer benefits from a strong momentum in the home improvement business in Brazil and will develop from its existing Sodimac-Dicico and Sodimac Homecenter networks.

Falabella to accelerate expansion in Brazil

What: The British real estate company Stokemont.com compiled a core list of 47 of the best-known department stores and recorded the number of Instagram hashtags, TikTok views, and average global search data to put together a ranking list of the most popular department stores worldwide.

Why it is important: Overall, the study shows that European department stores are known and popular worldwide. El Corté Inglés is 9th and Breuninger is 21st in the ranking list.

Macy's in New York is the most popular department store in the world with a final score of 9.65, with 118.3 million TikTok views (#1 in the category) and 14.2 million average monthly searches worldwide (#1 in the category) and 1.23 million (#3 in the category) for Instagram hashtags. Macy's is closely followed by Nordstrom in Seattle with a final score of 9.58 and Selfridges in London (8.96). Places 4 to 10 were occupied by Harrods in London (8.89), Bloomingdale's in New York (8.68), Saks Fifth Avenue in New York (8.61), Galeries Lafayette in Paris (8.47), David Jones in Melbourne (8.33), El Corte Ingles in Barcelona, Madrid and Lisbon (8.26) and Beymen in Istanbul (7.64).

Galeries Lafayette is the 7th most popular department stores worldwide