What: Chinese e-tailer reportedly preparing to enter the US stock market.

Why it is important: The listing could make Shein the biggest Chinese company to go public since the debut of mobility giant Didi Global (valued at USD 68 billion) on the New York Stock Exchange in 2021. Shein was valued at more than USD 60 billion (EUR 55 billion) in a USD 2 billion (EUR 1.83 billion) seed round in March.

Shein has been considering a U.S. IPO for at least three years, but the plan has so far been hampered by the close scrutiny that U.S. authorities place on Chinese companies and their accounts and the resulting market volatility of the Covid-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine.

A spokesperson for Shein denied the rumours of the company preparing for an IPO.

Shein reportedly preparing to enter the US stock market

What: John Lewis has collaborated with Zyler to launch its ‘Try It On’ tool on the John Lewis Rental platform.

Why it is important: The additional function will encourage customers to experiment with more styles of clothing.

The ‘Try It On’ feature gives customers the opportunity to visualize the clothing items on themselves and will even get feedback regarding if the length and silhouette of the clothing item will complement their body shape or skin tone.

John Lewis links with Zyler for rental virtual try on tech 

What: US retailers are accelerating in the health and care sector.

Why it is important: While in Europe wellness is related to self-pleasure, in the US it tends to be more related to health itself, due to the differences in terms of social security systems.

Retailers are capitalizing on the consumer demand for personalized, accessible healthcare, stepping into the space typically filled by traditional providers.

Companies like Best Buy, Walmart, and Walgreens are integrating healthcare services into their offerings. For instance, Best Buy is leveraging tech for remote patient monitoring, Walmart plans to double its in-store clinics, and Walgreens aims to include full-service doctor's offices. Amazon is also tapping into the healthcare sector with prescription delivery and virtual and in-person healthcare services. Chewy.com is focusing on pet healthcare with wellness and insurance services.

However, privacy concerns could pose challenges as customers might be wary of sharing personal health information with these retailers. The shift indicates a possible future where retailers could become significant players in the healthcare industry.

In the US, retail healthcare expands 

What: H&M is trialling its new Keep-The-Presence concept for the first time globally in the UK and Ireland.

Why it is important: The concept enables the brand to maintain its physical presence to serve local customers and keep high streets thriving.

The concept features new temporary store fit-outs being created at the front of stores while the wider unit undergoes renovations.

Customers can shop curated capsule collections through the pop-up style areas and utilize in-store services such as Click and Collect lockers. A dedicated online activation area and bespoke H&M members’ offers are also available during the trial.

The retailer is optimistic that its new concept will contribute towards keeping busy retail destinations thriving while its stores undergo renovations to provide the best possible customer experience.

H&M tests new concept store in UK to retain presence during refurbs

What: John Lewis Partnership’s sustainability plans have been validated by a scientific committee.

Why it is important: Such a rubber stamp allows at the same time to content activists and avoid being taxed of greenwashing, even though customers could wonder is 2050 is not a too distant date in the future.

The John Lewis Partnership (JLP) has become the first UK retailer to have its net-zero science-based targets approved by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi).

The retailer aims to achieve net-zero across its operations by 2035 and across its wider supply chain by 2050. JLP is also the first global retailer to have SBTi-approved targets related to greenhouse gas emissions from 'forests, land, and agriculture'.

The company's sustainability plans include product design for longevity, recyclability, and the use of sustainable materials, as well as transitioning its vehicles away from fossil fuels and procuring 100% renewable electricity. JLP also plans to provide customers with integrated energy efficiency insights for its online products.

John Lewis’ race to net zero is endorsed 

What: Selfridges releases a loyalty scheme that offers customers free shipping, first access to events, charitable donations, and exclusive experiences.

Why it is important: The Selfridges Unlocked scheme will give customers a variety of benefits as well as give back to the community.

The luxury department store, Selfridges, has released a loyalty program, in which holders will gain perks such as free shipping over GBP 150 and first access to events, services, and product launches. The company also vows to donate to Centrepoint on behalf of customers after each purchase. Customers can opt-in to receive a Selfridges Key QR code to be placed in their digital wallet for use in-store and online. The London department store also announced its Swap Shop in which customers will be able to exchange their unwanted clothing for stamps that can then be traded for pre-loved clothing- this is in partnership with the fashion rental firm, Loanhood.

Selfridges unveils new ‘Unlocked’ membership scheme 

What: The retailer is making progress on its sustainability efforts but still has a long road ahead to make more of an impact.

Why it is important: Macy’s is making efforts towards integrating sustainability across all its business through its social service platform.

Macy’s launched its social service program, Mission Every One, last year. The program allocates USD 5 billion through 2025 to programs and strategies that are aimed at creating a more equitable and sustainable future.

The platform guides, encourages, and challenges employees to consider the three pillars of impact: people, communities, and planet against their strategies, operations, and decision-making.

The retailer directed USD 1.4 billion of its spend in fiscal year 2022 to the program and is working towards embedding the platform and sustainability into all aspects of its business. Macy’s is also half way to meeting its 2025 goals with 3,000 sustainable product pages added online.

Last year, Macy’s provided increased transparency into its private brand practices and also created partnerships with industry advisors to help further their work and scale faster.

In November 2022, the company set new near-term science-based emission reduction goal, building on its emission reductions from 2018 to 2021 where they reduced scope 1 and 2 emissions by 20%.

Macy’s CEO gives progress report on sustainability initiatives

What: Peek & Cloppenburg has opened a new multi-label store in Bonn.

Why it is important: P&C is sticking to its cooperations and planned locations despite the ongoing insolvency proceedings.

The modernized building spans 6,500 square meters of retail space across three floors with women’s fashion, menswear, and accessories.

The store features a Boss shop-in-shop as well as special areas by Tommy Hilfiger, Polo Ralph Lauren, and Marc O’Polo.

The ground floor features menswear, while the first floor is dedicated to women’s fashion and the second floor houses cocktail and eveningwear. Lounge areas are featured throughout the building to encourage customers to increase the length of their stay.

P&C Düsseldorf opens in Bonn

What: The social media platform launched its first-ever brick-and-mortar pop-up in London.

Why it is important: The physical retail space is an extension of TikTok’s Shop feature where merchants can sell products directly to their followers and be discovered.

The space is centered around community commerce and focuses on tech, home and living, and book product categories.

Merchants had the opportunity to meet experts behind the app to learn more about social selling and tap into online trends. They were also able to host live streams from the venue.

TikTok has created a new era of social commerce as one video can quickly go viral and create demand and opportunity.

TikTok opened first physical pop-up on Oxford Street

What: Hyundai becomes the operator for Disney in Korea.

Why it is important:  Could Disney stores be new partners for department stores in the world?

Hyundai Department Store Co. announced it will open the first official Disney store in South Korea, located in Pangyo, just south of Seoul.

The store will offer around 300 types of official Disney products previously unavailable in the country, featuring items related to Mickey Mouse, Disney princesses, and characters from "Toy Story", among others. The product list will expand as the Pangyo store launches new products in collaboration with overseas Disney stores.

In addition to this store, Hyundai plans to open three more Disney stores in 2023 and aims to operate up to 10 stores by the end of the following year.

In Korea, Hyundai teams up with Disney 

What: Inditex will stop sourcing clothes from Myanmar in phases as a plan to leave the country

Why it is important: Inditex is joining the textile and garment companies that have chosen to pull out of Myanmar.

Due to global labour union IndustriALL’s campaign about not investing in Myanmar because of the state of emergency, Inditex has chosen to responsibly withdraw from the country in phases. This is following the 2021 military coup in Myanmar.

The company has yet to announce when exactly they will leave the country or their number of Burmese suppliers.

Other brands that have participated in the withdrawal include H&M, Bestseller, Benetton, and Primark.

Inditex to make ‘gradual’ exit from Myanmar

What: Riots over the police killing of a teenager in France spread to central Paris leading to the looting of stores on the rue de Rivoli and in the Westfield Forum des Halles mall. Many other cities also saw major riots.

Why it is important: The Galeries Lafayette stores (Haussmann, Grenoble and Lyon Bron) were also targeted.

The violence echoes the "yellow vest" demonstrations of 2018 and 2019, which also resulted in looting and property damage, and negatively affected tourism and retail spending.

In France, riots spread and protesters spill into shopping areas 

What: Harvey Nichols CEO shows concern about decreasing number of internal shoppers due to the lack of tax-free shopping for tourists.

Why it is important: Tourists are spending less time and money in the UK and are favouring Paris and Milan

The CEO, Manju Malhotra, expresses that businesses in the UK rely on international visitors and that the government needs to prioritise this before an election.

There have been multiple calls from the fashion industry for the reinstatement of the tax-free shopping for tourists that ended when the UK left the EU in 2020. Parliament is to debate the topic on September 7th.

Harvey Nichols CEO calls for return of tax-free shopping for tourists

What: EU is attempting to tackle the fast fashion recycling topic, but ends up nowhere useful.

Why it is important: Whatever happens to fast fashion will one day or another apply to fashion as a whole. A recycling tax might be a reality soon.

The European Commission is proposing that the fashion industry should pay for processing discarded clothing to encourage the use of more recyclable materials and offer repair services. This move is in response to the significant environmental impact of the fashion industry, with nearly 80% of garment waste in the EU ending up in landfill or incinerators.

However, critics argue that the plan fails to address the majority of the industry's environmental damage, which arises from the production process rather than disposal. Examples include the large water footprint in jean production and harmful cotton monocultures in China and India.

Larger European fashion companies, like H&M, are already increasing the use of recycled materials, but technologies for such use are still developing and have their own environmental challenges.

EU recycling plans for fast fashion face thorny externalities

What: Altana company aims to use artificial intelligence to help fashion businesses manage their supply chain.

Why it is important: Altana will be able to regulate the fashion industry as it can compile billions of data points on how goods move through the global supply chain.

The company recently captured a multi-year deal with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection to block goods that could be made by Uighur forced labour in China’s Xinjiang region which happens to be the epicentre of cotton production in the country.

The purpose of Altana is to give customers transparency on the full value of goods as well as give businesses insights on how to structure their supply chain to take advantage of free-trade agreements, minimise tariffs, and manage risk.

Altana uses AI to collect a mix of public and private information from different languages and formats, analyse them, and derive relevant information to share with businesses.

The co-founder and chief executive, Evan Smith, envision the platform helping companies make international trade simpler by fast-tracking clearance of their imports after sharing their data with CBP.

The goal is to include fashion companies and other smaller firms on the platform.

Will AI finally bring visibility to fashion’s supply chain?

What: Resale is increasingly becoming a staple for lifestyle brands.

Why it is important:  For now, such programs are great for marketing and customer relations, but questions remain about their profitability and how to be economically sustainable.

Brooks Running has launched a recommerce program called ReStart, which refurbishes and resells used Brooks footwear in the U.S. To run this program, Brooks has partnered with Trove, a recommerce technology provider. The program offers used products across three quality levels: Like New, Great, and Good, with prices starting at 35% off the manufacturer’s suggested retail price.

The ReStart program is part of Brooks' sustainability strategy, aiming to extend the lifespan of used products. Trove, Brooks' resale partner, claims that its secondhand goods sales reduce greenhouse gas emissions by keeping items in use longer. The company processes more than a million items annually and works with various brands looking to resell used goods.

While the recommerce trend is growing, with ThredUp predicting the U.S. resale market will reach $70 billion by 2027, there are questions about its profitability and environmental benefits. Some online resale providers have struggled to maintain profitability, and experts question whether the shift to resale can counterbalance the fashion industry's environmental impact.

Lifestyle brand Brooks goes resale 

What: Printemps hopes to lure in Asian customers thanks to Alipay and Kakao payment options.

Why it is important: Being able to welcome customers from the whole world will  increasingly force department stores to host a number of different payment solutions as the world is fragmenting on this topic.

France-based luxury department store Printemps has integrated Alipay+ to offer its Asian customers a seamless checkout experience. Alipay+, developed by Ant Group, provides global mobile payment and marketing solutions that connect merchants with multiple e-wallets and payment methods.

As a result, Printemps now accepts payment apps popular in Asia like AlipayHK and Kakao Pay, offering real-time in-app displays of payments in euros and the user's home currency. This collaboration is part of a broader marketing strategy, which includes special offers and shopping experiences through customers' payment apps.

This move is expected to boost Printemps's appeal to Asian tourists, particularly from China, as France is one of the top global destinations for them. Printemps first partnered with Ant Group in 2015, adding Alipay to its accepted payment options and introducing instant tax refund services for Alipay users.

Printemps Paris now offers Alipay + as a payment method 

What: Runway Vietnam opens a new store in response to the growing Vietnamese luxury market.

Why it is important: The Vietnamese luxury goods market is approaching USD 1 billion in revenues and Runway Vietnam opened its multi-brand store to meet the rising demand.

The 7,535 square-foot store at Diamond Plaza is designed with a modern aesthetic and is split into two sections to cater to two different kinds of clientele: women who value creative and original elegance, and the other to younger generation customers with a more urban and experimental brand mix.

The founder of Runway Vietnam, Anh Tran, notes the duality of luxury and that it can be both exigent and laid-back. Brands featured include Comme des Garcons Play, Jacquemus, The Attico, Self-Portrait, Theory, Forte Forte, Ganni, Zimmermann, Studio Nicholson, Eenk, Comme des Garcons, Junya Watanabe, Rick Owens, Off-White, Marni, Fear of God, Ambush, and Pushbotton.

The Vietnamese luxury sector is expected to grow 3.2% annually in the next 5 years due to the growing middle class and the rise in the number of high-net-worth individuals.

Runway Vietnam expands with new duplex store at Diamond Plaza 

What: Fashion retailers and brands are embracing faster delivery as consumers are becoming more demanding such as a new on-demand app that makes deliveries in 90 minutes.

Why it is important: Faster delivery models are appealing to customers and give retailers the opportunity to keep up with pure players but are expensive and complex to offer.

A startup in London has created a bike delivery service that makes deliveries from fashion stores within 90 minutes or less.

The goal of the app is to help brick-and-mortar stores keep up with digital pure players.

While customers are attracted to faster delivery, these delivery models are expensive and complex and also introduce a risk of cutting corners on service to achieve speed. The impacts that ultra-fast delivery can have on the environment also need to be taken into consideration.

Other examples of ultra-fast delivery in fashion and beauty include Farfetch, which offers 90-minute delivery in select cities, and a service called FastAF, which delivers beauty and health products in under two hours. Marks & Spencer offers same-day clothing delivery as consumers’ expectations are changing to expect same-day delivery.

In order to maintain service quality and achieve higher satisfaction levels, retailers should focus on the importance of offering flexibility. Customers should be able to choose the delivery time and day and also have the ability to reschedule the delivery.

Does fashion need 90-minute delivery?

What: The retailer has introduced new products to its advertising service.

Why it is important: The new range of options aims to accompany customers throughout the shopping experience, providing visibility, recognition, and engagement with its different firms.

Falabella Media works with over 120 brands and is looking to further enrich its proposal and alliance with these brands so it can reach consumers and connect with them through different advertising services.

Some of the new features include real-time messaging, which will enable them to generate personalised communication, in-store dashboard advertising, and product launches.

FMedia will also soon offer more services including the incorporation of Google Ads and Meta, expanding its offer of functionalities for companies.

Falabella expands the range of services and products on its FMedia platform

What: Allbirds has not only released the first net-zero shoe, but the toolkit to do the same.

Why it is important: Private labels leaders should take notice, as well as Sustainability ones who should not only update their suppliers policies but also be ready for a customer mindset’s shift.

Allbirds has unveiled the design of its zero-carbon shoe, "M0.0NSHOT", at the Global Fashion Summit in Copenhagen. The shoe, primarily made from carbon-negative regenerative wool and methane-capture bioplastic, achieves a carbon footprint of 0.0 kilograms CO2e without the use of carbon offsets.

Along with the shoe's reveal, Allbirds has also released an online toolkit, or "Recipe B0.0K", which provides detailed information about the shoe's creation process to help other businesses make their own sustainable products. The commercial launch of the shoe is planned for Spring 2024.

DTC brand Allbirds launched a zero-carbon sneaker 

What: The largest market in the world (for now) is changing its nature.

Why it is important: Is it the advent of private labels for Chinese department stores just like in the rest of the world?

In 2023, China's retail market is expected to grow by over 9% CAGR by 2026, with domestic brands significantly contributing to this growth.

E-commerce brand Wudashu attributes this to the changing behaviour of Chinese consumers who seek personalised and trendy products. Retailers, in response, are developing domestic brands with suppliers to meet this demand, benefiting from reduced marketing costs and competitive products.

Despite the overcapacity issue, suppliers are now aligning with suitable retailers to ensure a healthier retail sector. Livestream shopping, a retail channel that originated in China, is also contributing to the growth, becoming a USD 512bn market.

What is behind the surge in China’s domestic retail brands? 

What: Westfield gives an overview of the financial performance and tenant sales of the first half of the year.

Why it is important: The report gives an insight to the company’s financial health and the retail industry.

The company reported that the adjusted recurring earnings per share (AREPS) rose 6.6% to EUR 5.28 in H1 which was driven by the strong operational performance in retail and offices.

The like-for-like net rental income was up 8.2% at EUR 1.152 billion with its shopping centres making up the bulk of it at EUR 1.059 million. Tenant sales rose 9.2% YOY in H1.

Bankruptcies increased in H1 to 211 stores, due to government support and rent relief provided during the Covid period coming to an end with more than a quarter of stores affected being in France.

The group signed 1,180 leases with the proportion of long-term deals signed increasing and vacancies for shopping centres decreasing.

Westfield owner says tenant sales still rising in H1 

What: Shopify consolidates its position of DYI website enabler, through easy to add software bricks, and now, content creation.

Why it is important: E-commerce website owners and operators will have an easier access to content and design creation, which might help the emergence of new designs and approaches to selling online.

Shopify has launched a free application called "Collabs Network" for merchants to connect with content creators and influencers to build sales and customer acquisition.

This expansion of the Shopify Collabs app, launched in 2022, allows creators to partner directly with Shopify merchants, obtain an affiliate link, and promote products without the need for individual partnerships often managed by middlemen or agencies. Creators can search and categorize products, identify brands favored by their followers, and earn high commissions on sales.

This comes in response to a booming creator economy, estimated to be worth over USD 100 billion. Merchants maintain control over who promotes their products and benefit from reduced customer acquisition costs.

Shopify launches a tool helping content creators