British department store Liberty will launch its clothing line under its own-brand umbrella, Liberty London Collection. It will comprise of four collections each year and is set to debut this month with a runway show for buyers and press.

Liberty has sold its own brand of goods under the name Liberty London Collection for decades, selling bags, scarves, homeware and stationary. It dived into apparel in October 2017 with the launch of sleepwear, and it debuted swimwear and travel apparel in May this year.

There are long-term plans to branch out into adjacent categories, including menswear and childrenswear, before opening Liberty brand-focused retail outlets internationally. The first collection is due to arrive in stores in October, with most pieces ranging between £395 and £995. It will be stocked at Liberty flagship on London's Great Marlborough Street and at luxury retailers around the world.

Sales for the year ending 2019 were up to £133 million from £123 million the previous year.

full article on liberty lauching its fashion line

Turkey's Boyner Holding and Qatari investment company Mayhoola have decided to end their financial partnership. The Qatari form held a 54% share in Boyner Retail and Textile, while Boyner held a 42.8% share. This will now change with Mayhoola raising its stake in the Beymen luxury fashion group to 97%. At the same time, Boyner will focus on multi-brand retailing with the Boyner stores as well as e-commerce and some apparel production activities.

A piece in the Business of Fashion examines several department stores and their large beauty departments in the light of the remodelling by Harrods of its beauty floor. This will be finished in December and will cover around 9000 m², 50% bigger than the old one. In January, Bloomingdale's updated and expanded its own beauty department, and last year Saks did the same. Three years ago it was Harvey Nichols. They all share an expanded size and many are trying for some exclusivity. Department stores remain the main destination, according to BoF, for fragrance, but have been losing out on skincare and makeup.

see full article

Under recently appointed JC Penney CEO Jill Soltau who came from JOANN Stores to replace Marvin Ellison last year, several new people have been named in key posts at the company. Former Target executive Michelle Wlazlo has become the new chief merchant; former Michaels executive John Welling has been named to lead planning and allocation; Mark Stinde becomes senior vice president for asset protection; and now former Guess executive Victor Ejarque Lopez has been appointed as senior vice president and general merchandise manager for women's apparel.

Earlier this year, JC Penney announced that it will stop selling home appliances and will limit its furniture sales to jcp.com. This move is part of an effort to refocus the business, cut down inventory and optimise the retailer's store space.

Neighborhood Goods will open its second location in Manhattan's Chelsea Market this coming autumn. The concept, described by some as a department store, will have its own restaurant concept adapted to its location and an ever-changing selection of brands and products relevant to the New York market.

Neighborhood Goods started in late 2018 in Plano, Texas, with a 14 000 sq ft store offering a changing selection of brands, products, events and services. It has since expanded its line-up to feature over 35 brands including Rothy's, Taschen, Stadium Goods, Buck Mason, Draper James, Primary and others. The New York partners will be revealed over the coming months on its social channels.

A group of Hudson's Bay shareholders led by the chairman Richard Baker have announced plans to take the company private in a C$1.74bn cash deal. The consortium of investors which owns 57% of the business is offering 48% premium on the current share price. Hudson's Bay has been divesting non-core assets while continuing to say that they believe in the group's long-term potential, and looking for alternatives for its Lord & Taylor department stores.

The flagship was sold to WeWork in 2017 for $850m. Since 2915, the Hudson's Bay share price has fallen by nearly 80% with a series of strategic moves including international expansion, and the acquisition and disposal of off-price Gilt Groupe.

A special committee of the board has been created to consider the offer which, if accepted, would be only the first step in a long process. This process might involve selling off more assets, closing more stores and moving towards a smaller revenue stream. Right-sizing might involve a number of measures which would further impact margins such as clearing excess inventories and phasing out unprofitable categories. Hudson's Bay has also announced that it would sell its 50% stake in its German real estate joint venture, all that is left of its Galeria Kaufhof chain acquisition in 2015.

Neiman Marcus has integrated Alipay into the payment system of all Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman and Neiman Marcus Last Call stores across the US. It will also be offering Alipay online. Alipay is being deployed as a way to offer a convenient payment option for its luxury customers.

Over two thirds of Chinese tourists use their smartphones to make purchases while travelling. According to one survey, 60% of retailers said sales and foot traffic increased after they started offering Alipay as an option. It is also the case that alternative and flexible payment options are being embraced by Millennials globally.

Nordstrom has announced six food and beverage concepts for its New York flagship to be opened in October.

Wolf by Ethan Stowell will be on the third floor offering a Pacific Northwest menu, open after store closing.

Jeannie's contemporary pizza and Hani Pacific will be on the lower level. There will be a Broadway Bar on the second level, Bistro Verde on the fifth floor, and the Shoe Bar for cocktails on the shoe floor.

See details in press release

Our colleagues at SM in the Philippines have managed to win three awards at the APAC Stevie Awards.

These were the Golden Award for Innovation is Social Media Marketing for the campaign SM Style Stories that ran for two seasons and featured celebrities.

The Silver Award for Cross-Media Marketing for the company's FashionisSM campaign.

A Bronze Award was also given for the store's holiday campaign It's Christmas at SM, a full 360 campaign.

The Stevies is the only business award programme that covers all 22 nations of the Asia-Pacific region.

Hudson's Bay says it is considering strategic alternatives for its Lord & Taylor brand, including a possible sale or merger.

The news sent the stock sharply higher. Lord & Taylor, like other department stores, has struggled to adapt to a changing retail environment. Earlier this year, the brand closed its iconic Fifth Avenue location.

Saks-owner Hudson's Bay Company said Monday it is exploring strategic alternatives for its Lord & Taylor brand, including a possible sale or merger.

The news sent the stock sharply higher, up 3.4% by late morning.

Like other U.S. department stores, Lord & Taylor has been struggling as customers shop less at malls and more online. As a result, many department stores have been shuttering locations rather than opening them.

Lord & Taylor's footprint has fallen to 45 department stores as of Feb. 2, down from 50 a year ago. Among its store closures is its iconic Fifth Avenue location, which went dark earlier this year after the building was sold to WeWork.

Lord & Taylor's parent company has been trying to simplify its organization, strengthen its retail operations and improve its cost structure.

"This review of strategic alternatives for Lord + Taylor is another example of how we are exploring options to position HBC for long-term success," Hudson's Bay CEO Helena Foulkes said in a statement.

Last month, Hudson's Bay reported that fourth-quarter same-store sales for Lord & Taylor, Home Outfitters and its namesake brand declined by 5.2%. Its luxury department store brand Saks Fifth Avenue reported same-store sales growth of 3.9%.

The company announced Monday May 6 that it has retained PJ Solomon as its financial advisor for its review of the department store brand.

M&S group revenue fell 3% to £10.4bn in the 52 weeks to 30 March 2019. Preliminary results also show a fall in pre-tax profit of 9.9% to £523.2m. While food sales were down 0.6%, the company's clothing arm posted a 3.6% decline in sales which, it said, was impacted by store closures. Like—for-like sales were also down 1.6%.

In May 2018, M&S announced that it would close more than 100 clothing and home stores by 2022. In the last financial year, it closed 35 stores as part of its shake-up and opened 48. Between now and 2024, it expects to close another 85 and open 20. In these latest results, the company revealed it now also plans to close 25 smaller, low-volume, high-cost food stores and open 75 new and bigger food outlets.

Marks and Spencer Group Plc Full Year Results For 52 Weeks Ended 30 March 2019

Grace Beauty, set to launch this year, aims at facilitating the life of beauty consumers with disabilities thanks to its easy-to-use products. The company is based online and is set to launch three different mascara handles with wands attached. Compatible with any mascara tube, the products include the Ring Grip, which gives a secure hold on the wand, the Square Grip, which allows for easy hold and opening, and the Safe Grip, which gives a wide angled grip and ensures better control. "Anyone, regardless of ability, should be able to use any beauty product they want to," states the brand's site. "To help this cause, we're making accessories for people with disabilities." Because it's not the makeup that's the problem, but the packaging it comes in.

With the site also having a community area, Grace Beauty offers users a chance to tell their story as well as give feedback.

The electronics retail chain Bic Camera that recently opened one of its branches in the connecting Odakyu department store Machida, has transformed its elevators to make them look like it is an underground train. Warning signs, lanes for queuing, sliding doors, even the windows have been designed to look like a train.

The only giveaway is the floor indicator above the doors. The inside of the elevators pursue the illusion with perspective views of the inside of a train carriage.

Sports Direct boss Mike Ashley, whose retail group bought House of Fraser out of administration last year, is preparing to invest millions of pounds in turning up to seven of House of Fraser's 50-plus stores into a new luxury mini-chain to be called Frasers. He has told suppliers he wants to divide the group into two divisions, with Frasers stocking more designer labels and House of Fraser catering to a more mass market audience.

Sources said Ashley expected to invest tens of millions of pounds in the first stage of his plan to revive the ailing chain. Work is likely to start in the group's flagship Glasgow store, which already trades under the Frasers name. The group will start with three or four stores as a trial.

According to a report from the Local Data Company of the UK which regularly surveys retail locations across the country, there are now 235 empty department stores across the country with more to come following recent announcements of closures by Debenhams. One of the issues mentioned is business rates which hit department stores hard because of their locations and large amounts of floor space. The business rate is an element which can make the deciding difference between a viable and a non-viable store. Reduced margins, changing consumer habits and increased uncertainty have led to an average of 16 shops closing every day last year in the UK.

See full report by the Local Data Company

According to WWD, citing digital marketing intelligence company Similar Web, Macy's is the number one apparel website with more than 55.7 million monthly visits. Of the top ten retailers analysed, Macy's accounted for 30% of the total traffic. The runner-up was Nordstrom with 25.8 million monthly visits. The ranking included also gap.com with 12.5m, Zappos with 15m, victoriassecret.com 12.5m, Teespring 12m, forever21.com 10.5m, Adidas.com 10m, dsw.com 9.6m and asos.com 9.1m. They are all characterised by strong brand awareness with the majority of traffic driven by direct visits and organic search. Social visits are most heavil driven by YouTube and Facebook. Mobile visits now account for 54.9% of the total.

According to research compiled by industry analysts at GlobalData along with architects Sybarite, the 170-year-old British retailer Harrods, owned by Qatari royal family, is the strongest performer by sales per square foot. Harrods raked in sales of £2.1 billion in the year ended February 2018, a 6.8 per cent uptick on the prior year. Fellow London retailers Selfridges and Liberty were also named in the top five, while Fenwick was in the top 10.

The second best-performing department store on the ranking was China IADS member SKP.

IKEA opened its first store in the heart of Paris on Monday, its latest step in developing a new range of shops designed to meet changing customer habits.

IKEA, the world's biggest furniture retailer, is known for its vast self-service out-of-town stores, but it is adapting its business model in the face of mounting competition and customers who prefer the ease of buying items of furniture online.

Click to read more

A number of hotels are offering goods from the rooms for sale to guests. This can go far beyond the cosmetics lines or bathrobes and may include furniture, clocks, speakers, and more. Examples include the Shinola the Detroit-based brand which opened its first hotel last year, West Elm and its series of boutique lodgings, the Hotel Americano in New York's Chelsea which has partnered I fashion with Mr Porter. Indeed Airbnb rentals are cashing in on the trend and offering items for sale including art, or in one case any item in the room.

read article "Hotels: the new retail"

French department store Printemps will open its first department store outside of France, in Doha in 2021, as part of the multibillion-dollar Doha Oasis project, which includes a hotel, theme park, residences and a cinema. It also plans to unveil a smaller store in the center of Milan by early 2021, as part of a planned expansion to open five to 10 new units worldwide in the next 10 years in "exceptional" locations.

The Qatari-owned retailers is expanding overseas as part of an omnichannel strategy aimed at doubling the size of its business over the next decade, the chain's chief executive officer Paolo de Cesare said. In addition, Printemps said it was acquiring online homeware retailer Made in Design as part on a broader omnichannel push that will culminate in the launch early next year of its printemps.com luxury platform.

full wwd article on printemps' expension

After the opening of The High End by Barneys New York in Los Angeles, Saks Fifth Avenue is next to follow suit in the form of a dedicated space. The chain of department stores has launched The Salon Project by Joel Warren's CBD Beauty Corner at its New York City flagship on Fifth Avenue. The new "shop in shop" concept has debuted mid-May, bringing a curated wellness experience to the full-service, in-store salon.

The Salon Project offers in-chair CBD treatment upgrades like the "Going Back to Cali" CocoCanna hand massage and "Take Me Back to Woodstock" Salome Roll On by Highborn with a Mary's Nutritionals transdermal patch. Full-length services are also available in VIP treatment rooms, but the focus of the CBD Beauty Corner is to act as a vehicle for education. Guests are greeted by trained CBD beauty sales associates, who will issue surveys upon arrival to guarantee a customized experience. The salon will also host specialty consumer events to further inform and engage about the emerging world of CBD beauty throughout the year.

Beyond Barney's and Saks, big-box beauty stores like Sephora and Ulta are also now stocking CBD beauty brands on-shelf, signifying the category's unprecedented growth. Neiman Marcus also has an in-depth selection of luxury CBD skincare products available in-store and online.

JD.com,  the Chinese answer to Amazon and Alibaba's long-time rival, is looking to further automate its logistics network after agreeing to pour 376 million yuan (around $55 million) into Jiangsu Xinning Modern Logistics in exchange for up to 10 percent stake.

JD separates itself from its rivals by keeping a logistics unit and carrying its own inventory, a costly strategy which the firm markets as an assurance for better quality control and user experience. By comparison, Alibaba and ecommerce upstart Pinduoduo outsource their logistics needs to third-party partners.

JD's hefty spending on logistics has long tested investor patience, but in recent years the behemoth started to more aggressively monetize the massive infrastructure network it first constructed for its in-house business. In late 2016, JD opened its logistics service to third-party merchants and further expanded the offering to consumers who can now mail packages through JD as they would with FedEx.

According to HRC Retail Advisory, information from 30 North American retail chains with annual sales between $250m and $20bn, shows that most are facing major challenges in executing omnichannel. They found in particular that inventory inaccuracies ae leading to unreliability, that inefficient and costly freight practices create delays, that customer order systems which are not optimised also increase costs and split shipments, that inventory is not allocated to stores in alignment with demand, and that few are effectively integrating predictive tools into their operating practices. They offer five recommendations; read below:

HRC Retail Advisory 1

HRC Retail Advisory 2

The World Retail Congress took place this week in Amsterdam and just released the names of its award winners. Check them out below!

world retail awars: winners 2019