Shoppers Stop, one of the leading retailers of fashion and lifestyle products in India, is adopting a new store design concept for its department stores across the country. A German architecture and design, store branding and communication firm, Schwitzke, has worked on the new concept and the first store has been opened a couple of weeks ago in Ambience Mall Vasant Kunj, New Delhi.

The new design concept is restricted to the retailers' department store format as all its other outlets are brand stores and come with their own concept. The new format is meant for all the new department stores that will be opened going forward. The group opens between 5 and 7 department stores every year. Seven existing stores will also get renovated annually to upgrade the shopping experience.

Shoppers Stop has earmarked a capex of between Rs 140 crore and Rs 150 crore for the current fiscal year (€18m). A third of this will go in setting up new stores and almost a similar amount for upgrading and renovation of existing stores. The balance will be for IT systems and other expenses.

Partnerships could address the very real need to a) reduce the cost of returns and delivery for the retailers, b) drive traffic to locations receiving the returns and c) make life easier for the consumer.

PayPal announced an undisclosed investment in Happy Returns, a service that places Return Bars in malls and inside retailers such as multi-unit PaperSource and independent boutiques.

Happy Returns is trying to solve for some of retailer's most pressing problems – consumer's frustration at the returns process, the mounting costs of online orders and declining foot traffic.

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The Neiman Marcus Group, in another maneuver to fix its debt-laden capital structure and focus on core businesses, is considering selling Mytheresa, the Munich-based luxury web site purchased by the company four-and-a-half years ago. Neiman's disclosed that it has "commenced a process to explore and evaluate strategic alternatives," but said no decision has been made to pursue any specific transaction or other strategic alternative. "There can be no assurance that the exploration of strategic alternatives will result in the completion of any transaction," the company said.

Neiman's purchased the Mytheresa.com online luxury business in September 2014 from founders Christoph and Susanne Botschen and Acton Capital Partners. NMG also acquired the Mytheresa flagship store, located in the heart of Munich, from the Botschen family.

Mytheresa, for the nine months ended March 31, had $311.5 million in sales and $17.4 million in operating EBITDA.

full wwd article on Neiman Marcus Group considering selling Mytheresa

Following the introduction of its men's store last year and the opening a seven-story flagship store this fall in New York, upscale department-store chain Nordstrom will open two small Nordstrom outposts in the city in September. Located in the West Village and on the Upper East Side, they are part of the new Nordstrom Local chain. The two smaller stores will not carry merchandise, they will be hubs for online pickups and returns, as well as services like tailoring and personal styling. The company's research showed that many Manhattanites don't particularly want to leave their neighborhoods if they can help it, a crucial reason for adding the hubs. "We want to use this as a way to complement our footprint, not double down, where we know we have customers" Shea Jensen, Nordstrom's senior vice president of customer experience, said.

The new locations add to the ambitious push that the Seattle-based Nordstrom has been making in New York. By the end of 2019, there will be six Nordstrom locations in Manhattan: the flagship, which will include women's merchandise; the men's store; two Nordstrom Racks; and the two Local hubs.

Nordstrom Local was introduced in 2017 in Los Angeles, where it now operates three shops. Some offer individual services, like manicures or shoe repair, based on their location. But their biggest appeal seems to be the convenience they provide for online orders and alterations. The company said customers who visited a Local spent on average two and a half times what other Nordstrom shoppers did and made returns earlier, which allows the retailer to turn its inventory faster.

Nordstrom local visit will be part of the Retail Study Tour organised by the IADS from 10-12 June 2019. Registrations are still opened!

registrater to the iads retail study tour in los angeles

Fortnum & Mason Plc, the London retailer known for its Christmas gift hampers and royal warrant to supply groceries to the queen, is opening its first overseas store later this year in Hong Kong. The 312-year-old brand will sell tea, biscuits and other British goods from a 650sqm store at Victoria Dockside, a new $2.6 billion waterfront development.

While rival department stores in North America, Asia and Russia stock Fortnum products, this will be the chain's first stand-alone store outside the U.K. It's a departure from current trends within the sector, with U.K. retailers scaling back their physical presence as customers increasingly do their shopping online. "We have seen significant appetite for the Fortnum's brand and products in the region, with impressive year-on-year sales growth," Chairman Kate Hobhouse said. "Our latest expansion in Asia is an important next step for us, as we extend our reach further across the world."

The concept store will also feature a Fortnum restaurant overlooking Hong Kong's harbor, where they'll serve English afternoon tea.

Embattled UK department-store chain Debenhams was taken over by its lenders earlier in April, and now plans to close as many as 22 stores next year and reduce rents on others in a bid to stay afloat.

The retailer is seeking to shut the outlets as part of a previously announced plan for about 50 closures, while the initial shutdowns will affect about 1,200 jobs. Debenhams is also in negotiations with landlords to reduce rents and with local authorities to cut property taxes.

Debenhams is struggling under more than £700 million ($903 million) of debt and expensive leases agreed to years ago across its 166 stores in the UK.

Debenhams' statement

Macy's is  launching a dynamic fragrance experience in partnership with Pirch Interactive -read the interview of Trevor Sumner, CEO of Perch Interactive, below.

macy's: interview of Trevor Sumner from Perch interactive

video: macy's x pirch

The retailer is also investing on beauty and its EVP and General Business Manager for Beauty Nata Dvir has a lot to say about it -read the interview below.

macy's: interview of Nata Dvir, EVP & General Business Manager for Beauty

Printemps Nation is the main décor of latest videoclip by French artists Jenifer and Slimane. The two spend the night locked up in the department store, going through the several floors of the store, trying on clothes and playing with toys, like kids on a playground.

check out video clip shot at printemps nation

19.04.19: Debenhams said on 18 April 2019 its chief executive Sergio Bucher had decided to step down, nine days after the ailing British department store group's lenders took control. The group's non-executive chairman Terry Duddy will assume the role of interim executive chairman until a permanent replacement is found.

Bucher, a former Amazon executive who joined Debenhams in October 2016, said that with new financing facilities in place it was time to move on.

Administrators were appointed to the group, which had been hit by a sharp slowdown in sales, high rents and ballooning debt on April 9.

Harrods, the famous London department store, recently commissioned Dynamo LED Displays to install a total of 27 LED ticker displays in nearly all of its windows along Brompton Road and Hans Crescent. The Harrods design team incorporated the LED tickers into their window display design alongside white LED lighting in the windows. The logo of each designer that is showcased in the windows is scrolled slowly across the p3mm LED tickers 24 hours a day. Installed over three nights, the tickers have been placed horizontally on Hans Crescent and vertically on Brompton Road. Dynamo LED was offered the opportunity to have its logo placed on the windows on Brompton Road .

Harrods is the largest department store in Europe and even boasts its own postcode SW1X 7XL.

The IADS Academy Seminar is a unique opportunity for high-potential people to come together to work on topics which challenge the traditional department store business and act as a trigger for change. It develops young talents through business insight, exposure to different international markets, ways of working, communicating, and developing ideas into practical proposals.

This year, two groups composed of high-potential executives from Beijing Hualian Group, Breuninger, El Corte Inglés, Galeries Lafayette, Magasin du Nord, Manor, El Palacio de Hierro and Stockmann have been working hard on producing an original, fresh and useful perspective on the chosen topic: "Simplifying the department store model".

Module 3 of the IADS Acadademy Seminar program represents seven days of team-work experience, consultations with this year's mentor, Tove Westermarck, a store visit as well as a beta presentation to Galeries Lafayette management team.

Follow their intensive journey in France through our selection of pictures.

Click here for more pictures of the Academy seminar of 2019

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One year ago, Macy's bought Story, a New York retail store that curates merchandise around a theme or set of ideas and where experience matters more than the products. Now Macy's has incorporated its Story retail concept into 36 stores nationwide in 15 states. The concept features a rotating set of merchandise based on a theme, which for the national debut is "Color." Brands of this go-round include more than 70 small businesses and more than 400 products.

Except at the department store's Herald Square flagship, where Story occupies 7,500 square feet on the main floor and mezzanine levels, the Story spaces average 1,500 square feet. It is part of the retailer's strategy to use some of its real estate and fill what's now excess space, with more shopping moving online. Macy's hopes the new spaces, which will rotate inventory every two months and bring in different local brands through the course of the year, will encourage shoppers to keep coming back to stores.

"Think about a magazine or digital media company. Our version of editorial is merchandise curation ... and event programming," said Shechtman, now Macy's brand experience officer. "One thing that was important, and that we learned over the years at Story, is to create a model that is relevant. ... We are doing something that will appeal to 5-year-olds ... and 40- and 50-year-olds."

The first version of Story, called Color, will be live in 36 Macy's stores from 10 April until 26 June.

press release: Macy's debuts 'Story' in 36 stores nationwide

Swiss department store Manor, member of the IADS, has opened a new store in Bern, Switzerland, on 25 April 2019. See the pictures of the opening below!

press release: manor opens in bern (in german)

Barneys New York will reportedly reduce the size of its Madison Avenue flagship in New York City, vacating five of the nine stories it occupies. The move would see Barneys join a list of retailers who are rethinking their flagship strategies, as the stores remain costly while they lose importance amid shoppers' changing habits.

Elizabeth and James, the contemporary brand launched by Ashley and Mary-Kate Olsen, has entered into a licensing agreement with department store Kohl's after shutting down its store and most in-house operations last fall.

Kohl's future collections will be managed out of Kohl's New York design office and will include apparel, handbags, accessories and beauty products. It will be sold only at Kohl's stores and website.

Elizabeth and James will continue to operate as an independent business, led by founders and co-creative directors Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen. They will continue to serve as creative directors of Elizabeth and James, leading the design and development of its seasonal collections.

read more on Elizabeth and James to relaunch at Kohl's

After its journey through bankruptcy, Sears is getting ready to open its first batch of smaller stores that won't carry clothing but will instead focus on appliances, mattresses and home services. The move comes after Sears has shuttered hundreds of stores in recent years. The first three stores called Sears Home & Life will open at the end of May and are a fraction of the size of the company's traditional stores. They range in size from about 900 to 1,400 sqm. The average Sears is about 14,400 sqm. Each of the new stores will sell both major and small kitchen appliances. Customers can meet with experts to explore how new appliances will look in their home. They will also have kiosks where shoppers can order items available online from Kmart and Sears and have them delivered to the store or home.

The initiative come nearly two months after a bankruptcy court judge approved the sale of Sears' assets to company chairman and largest shareholder Eddie Lampert for $5.2 billion in a bankruptcy auction. With the deal, the newly formed company, which doesn't have a name, kept 425 stores open and saved roughly 45,000 jobs.

The new smaller stores will be located in Overland Park, Kansas; Lafayette, Louisiana; and Anchorage, Alaska.

Toronto-based luxury retailer Holt Renfrew announced in 2013 plans to merge its Montreal operations with Ogilvy. The partnership results in the expansion of the current Montreal Ogilvy location on Saint Catherine Street, while Holt Renfrew Montreal is closing; it is re-branded as Holt Renfrew Ogilvy. Alongside a new name, the new 23 200sqm luxury space is the largest of its kind in Canada and will include new store features such as the Apartment, a private shopping environment, and a personal shopping program for men and women as well as Holt's Café, valet parking, and concierge service.

Now the new beauty and menswear halls are open while renovations at the luxury department store are expected to be completed in 2020.

The 3700sqm menswear hall is located on the fourth floor and features many of the world's leading luxury brands, in a environment that includes 25 vendor shops. There is a multi-brand men's suiting area, a footwear salon and a men's grooming area. The space has blond wood floor, high ceilings, pillars and white walls.

The concourse-level beauty hall, which was relocated from a department on the store's street-level, is now the largest beauty department in the entire eight-store Holt Renfrew chain. About 2300sqm of the store's basement level now contains some of the world's leading beauty brands, as well as the store's sunglass department. In total, 30 skincare, fragrance and colour brands have vendor shops in the new beauty hall. It also include a dedicated 'Clean Beauty area' with brands and pop up event spaces throughout the floor that will feature regular beauty animations, to make the the beauty hall experiential.

Neiman Marcus Group has bought a minority stake in Fashionphile, a 20-year-old business specializing in the buying and selling of used luxury handbags, jewelry and accessories. The purchase price and the percent of Fashionphile now owned by Neiman Marcus was not disclosed.

Fashionphile operates a web site as well as four physical showrooms, where customers can drop off their items and shop online. It primarily sells via its web site, Fashionphile.com. Neiman's will not be engaged in re-commerce, also referred to as resale, though certain Neiman Marcus stores will serve as drop-off points for Fashionphile.

That deal reflected Neiman's intent to greatly grow its online business, tap into customers around the world and go head-to-head with similar global online retailers.

full article "Neiman Marcus takes stake in Fashionphile" by wwd

The newly refurbished North Korean department store Daesong in Pyongyang has reopened. Catering to elite customers, it appears to be stocked with luxury goods that could be under international sanctions. The store which may be defying sanctions was opened on the same day that the regime was celebrating the 107th anniversary of the birth of North Korea's founder, Kim Il Sung.

Illustration 'Pyongyang department store reopens' (jpg - 0.06Mo)

Illustration 'Pyongyang department store reopens' (jpg - 0.07Mo)

South Korean department store group Lotte has launched a project to nurture future K-pop and TV stars in cooperation with Kiana Entertainment. The project is a bid to generate new revenue streams in a market targeting parents of aspiring child stars. The store will open Kiana Dance Studio by Lotte at one of its branches on 230 sqm offering various programmes ranging from acting an dancing lessons to camera tests. Apparently significant growth in the entertainment business in Korea is due to an increasing number of children dreaming of becoming K-pop stars or entertainers. Children aged between 4 and 19 can enroll in classes with monthly tuition fees of around $180.

Ira Neimark, who served as chief executive officer of Bergdorf Goodman in the Seventies and Eighties, died on 8 April 2019; he was 97. He was Bergdorf Goodman's president from 1975 to 1992.

Neimark landed his first retail job at 17 at Bonwit Teller in 1938 as a page boy, checking coats and mixing cocktails at the store's 721 Club. He took the helm at Bergdorf Goodman in 1975 and intended to re-establish it as New York's leading stage for global fashion. He made exclusive deals with Yves Saint Laurent, Christian Dior and Givenchy and reconfigured the store's second floor for what he called "European Collections." The New York Times in 1978 called him "the only American store president currently buying couture clothes."

Though Neimark formerly retired from Bergdorf's in February 1992, he never really left the fashion scene. He became an adviser to Oscar de la Renta as well as to Mitsukoshi, the Japanese retailer, and served as a director of Hermès International. He also devoted years to writing five books that included his memoirs, retail principles and philosophies on life.

Marks & Spencer and Ocado the online delivery service have signed a £750m deal which gives the retailer half of the online company's business. The business will continue to trade as ocado.com and operate from the Ocado Smart Platform, but will have access to M&S's brands, products and customer database from September 2020. This is the date at which Ocado's current agreement to deliver Waitrose groceries expires. Ocado brings to the partnership its Ocado Zoom same-day delivery service, which is first being trialled in London. M&S brings access to seven million members of its Sparks loyalty club and three million M&S Bank customers. In total, say the partners, the joint venture will benefit from access to more than 12 million M&S Food shoppers.

Levi Strauss announced its return to the stock market, jumping more than 30% in initial trading. The initial public offering raised USD623m through the sale of 36.7m shares at USD17 each, topping an indicated price range of USD14 to USD16 a share. They opened at USD22.20 and were trading at USD22.67 by midday, giving Levi's a market value of USD8.6bn.

The success of the IPO bodes well for a long line of companies hoping to go public.

article on the financial history of levi strauss

According to research by Coresight and reported by WWD, Amazon has overtaken Walmart as the largest apparel retailer in the US. Apparel has now pushed ahead of books, beauty and electronics on the Amazon site. The private label offer is partly responsible with the company now offering over 4900 private label products. Only Nike, Under Armour and Adidas rank higher than Amazon's private labels collectively. A large number of Amazon apparel customers have switched from department stores such as Macy's, JC Penney, and others like TJ Maxx and Marshalls in particular. On the other hand, the penetration rates for apparel shopping among Prime members may have peaked which means that Amazon will need to increase average spend and frequency of purchase.