Massive retailer Hudson's Bay Co. says it will showcase 12 new and established homegrown talents at a pop-up showcase this September curated by the Toronto-based fashion management firm, The Collections. Hudson's Bay president Alison Coville says the three-month project is meant to give a national platform to Canadian designers who otherwise struggle to break through. The pop-up launches Sept. 4 at five locations across the country, including two stores in downtown Toronto, and one each in Montreal, Vancouver and Calgary.

While shoppers seem increasingly headed to e-commerce, Coville expects this showcase will entice shoppers back to brick-and-mortar Hudson's Bay stores. "There's entertainment value to see what's new and see what's exciting," she says, adding that a strong patriotism will also help encourage shoppers to buy Canadian.

All five stores will feature designers Mikhael Kale, Pedram, S.P. Badu, WIL Studios, WRKDEPT, Hilary MacMillan and Sid Neigum. The Vancouver and Toronto Queen Street location will also include Atelier Guarin, Markoo and New York-based Daniel Gregory Natale, and accessories by Biko and Cuchara. Their wares will also be available online at www.thebay.com.

After a focus on Brooklyn and on Italy, Le Bon Marché is planning a storewide exhibition this fall devoted to Los Angeles. The Paris department store will welcome some 200 brands across fashion, cosmetics, food, accessories and homewear, with special guests including skater Scott Oster, who has designed a mirrored full pipe structure, to be suspended above the beauty department, that will host demos by professional skateboarders. Experiences also include Le Bon Marché's first-ever yoga studio, as well as West Coast tattoo artist Dr. Woo who's bringing his studio to Paris for two weeks in addition to designing a capsule clothing collection for the store, alongside a shoe collaboration with Converse and a mini-collection with MadeWorn.

The exhibition is divided into dedicated spaces reflecting the sun's trajectory through the California sky, three times of day. Sunrise is a focus on well-being, spirituality, self-awareness, all this through natural beauty products and yoga leisure; sunlight: is a celebration of LA lifestyle and outdoor activities culture through casualwear, sportswear, beachwear and ready-to-wear; and sunset is a combination of Hollywood glamour and rock 'n' roll with denim and sunglasses. The event is running from 1 September to 21 October

The IADS is organising a Retail Study Tour in Los Angeles which will focus on the influence of LA lifestyle on retail and food; West Coast retailers and the US retail market among other key themes. The Retail Study Tour will take place from 10 to 12 June 2019. More information below:

IADS LOS ANGELES RETAIL STUDY TOUR

Click-and-collect programs may be a convenient service for customers, but the offering is becoming increasingly valuable for retailers. And it's OrderDynamics, providers of the world's most advanced, out-of-the-box Distributed Order Management (DOM) System, that announced it in its latest consumer study, "The Rise of the Click & Collect Superconsumer." The research was conducted in order to better understand North American consumers participating in omni-channel retail. More specifically, the research investigates click and collect, also known as Buy Online Pickup In-Store (BOPIS).

The OrderDynamics study specifically identified four types of BOPIS consumers, including:

• Superconsumer (used BOPIS at least two times in the past 12 months)
• Occasional Consumer (used BOPIS at least once in the past 12 months)
• Non-User (shop online, but don't pick up in store)
• Lapsed Consumers (used BOPIS previously, but not in the past year)

Key research findings include:

• 37% of all online shoppers made additional purchases they were not planning on when they came to pick up their item in store
• 51% of Superconsumers made additional purchases they were not planning on when they came to pick up their item in store
• Superconsumers spend, on average, $40 more on additional unplanned purchases when in store for click and collect pickup
• 78% of Superconsumers want to pick up their BOPIS orders within 24 hours
• 53% of Occasional Consumers want to pick up their BOPIS orders within 24 hours
• 70% of Superconsumers prefer to return items in store
• 58% of Occasional Consumers prefer to return items in store

"The term 'consumer' has been used in the broadest sense to include a more general demographic of retail shoppers," said Nick McLean, CEO of OrderDynamics. "But with significant investments being made to improve omnichannel operations, it is important to understand the preferences and needs of consumers most likely to use offerings like click-and-collect. Through this research, retailers can grow their business and remain competitive by understanding exactly who the 'superconsumer' is."

It seems that David Jones in Australia will be linking up with Walt Disney Australia and New Zealand when it launches its A$200m redevelopment of its 12-storey Sydney flagship and will be introducing what's almost a mini theme park. It is clear now that experiences are important for modern retail and David Jones certainly seems to be doing that. Opening in November, customers will be able to shop in a number of separate 'neighbourhoods' such as 100 Acre Wood from Winnie the Pooh, a Brooklyn-inspired loft storytelling area, a Disney princess enchanted world of castles and magic mirrors, and a Star Wars-themed galaxy. But the kids' floor won't only be about toys : there'll be an events space that will showcase fashion brands alongside other kid-focused products such as toys, books and games, while also heavily pushing upcoming Disney releases. Other feature will be a nursery design service.

David Jones CEO David Thomas and Walt Disney Australia and New Zealand's Kylie Watson-Wheeler.

Chile-based retailer Falabella revealed it would buy e-tailer Linio for $138 million to boost its online footprint. At the same time, the firm said it will launch an $800 million stock offering to finance the acquisition and accelerate other logistic and technological expansions. Part of the funds will also back the roll out of Ikea stores in Chile, Peru and Colombia. "Linio will boost Falabella Retail, Sodimac y Tottus," the retailer said, becoming de facto the site for marketing the group's department-store, home improvement and supermarket divisions, respectively. The units will continue to operate their own online stores.

Linio has 107,000 fashion products, most of which appear to be private label goods. It also stocks a range of local and international brands, for men, women and children.

Falabella, with 491 stores and 49 shopping malls, posted e-commerce sales of $769 million in 2017, up 36 percent.

Emojis drive consumer engagement and even boost revenue from marketing messages

Mobile engagement specialist Leanplum has analysed emoji usage in push notifications and e-mails and found that including them can drive open rates and even revenue up radically. In a follow-up to a study released last year, it looked at as many as 300m e-mails and push notifications worldwide in the 12 months to June 1. And it found some companies were seeing a massive impact.

The report also found that emoji usage continues to rise. The average number used per message and the percentage of messages including at least one emoji have both doubled in the past year. The report said e-mails with emojis are opened 66% more than e-mails without them. And push notifications with emojis are opened 254% more than those without. That's as much as three times higher than in last year's report, which could mean that consumers are becoming more emoji-aware but also that businesses are learning how to use them much more effectively. Joyce Solano, SVP of Global Marketing at Leanplum, said this is happening because "emojis convey emotion and personality from brands, which help marketers deliver in-the-moment engagement and build long-lasting user retention."

Starbucks has announced that it's going to be opening its very first "Signing Store" in the US for customers that are deaf or have hearing impairments. [Starbucks launched its first-ever "Signing Store," located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, two years ago.] Approximately 20 to 25 of the partners who will be hired to work at the Signing Store will have partial or complete hearing loss, and all of the employees will be required to know how to converse using American Sign Language. Deaf baristas will don aprons with the company's name embroidered in ASL. Hearing employees capable of signing will wear an "I Sign" pin. If a customer doesn't speak sign language, they'll have access to directions for making and receiving an order.

The branch of the coffee chain will be launched in October this year in Washington DC, close to Gallaudet University, which educates students who are either deaf or hard of hearing. Businesses surrounding Gallaudet have taken steps to be inclusive of deaf and hard-of-hearing residents.

press release "Starbucks to Open First U.S. Signing Store"

C.banner, an international retailer, had agreed in May to buy a 51 percent stake in House of Fraser but on 1 August it cancelled a planned share placing that would have funded the deal and announced a profit warning. "In light of C.banner's announcement... House of Fraser is in discussions with alternative investors and is exploring options to obtain the required investment on the same timetable," the 169-year-old retailer said in a statement. House of Fraser had agreed to close stores as part of the rescue deal, and in June creditors approved a restructuring plan which would see 31 of its 59 stores close early next year and pave the way for the loss of 6,000 jobs.

C.banner, a major retailer of mid-range to premium footwear brands in China, bought famous London toy shop Hamleys in 2015.

Target has developed a secret, by-invitation-only app to connect Target designers with the customers who are the potential end-users of the merchandise. Membership in the service is limited to roughly 600 people (0.002% of Target shoppers), each personally invited to join, chosen from respondents to online research and satisfaction surveys generated at the checkouts. Participants are encouraged with points that can eventually be redeemed for discounts or gift cards, but those involved tend to be just as interested in being part of the company's design feedback loop. For example, the app has helped Target advance its new private label line of housewares, Made by Design.

M&S has become the latest retail giant to dive deep into incubator-land and has partnered with Founders Factory to launch Founders Factory Retail, a joint venture partnership focused on discovering and developing start-ups. M&S will be Founders Factory's exclusive UK retail partner, and will invest in a number of start-ups, sourced through Founders Factory's global network, "which will expose the business to new technologies, business models and entrepreneurial thinking, as it seeks to put digital at the heart of its transformation strategy." The retailer will also be the majority shareholder within the JV which "will build a portfolio of investments in fast growth start-ups, which it will seek to grow and scale." It's a bold move for the company and the retailer's CEO Steve Rowe said the deal "gives M&S access to a global network of start-ups and entrepreneurs which will provide disruptive thinking and questioning to the way we work at a time of critical transformation within the business. Founders Factory has a great track record in creating successful businesses and by investing in new innovative technologies and products we hope to change the way we work and operate."

The retailer also recently announced a strategic partnership with Microsoft, which is testing the capabilities of technology and artificial intelligence in a retail environment.

press release "MARKS & SPENCER PARTNERS WITH FOUNDERS FACTORY AS EXCLUSIVE UK RETAIL INVESTOR"

Marks & Spencer has announced that it is entering into a partnership with Microsoft to develop artificial intelligence which will improve customer experience in stores. According to management, this could be a "game changer" for the UK retail industry. Microsoft is reportedly working on technology that would eliminate cashiers and checkout lines from stores in a challenge to Amazon's automated shop. M&S announced a five-year transformation plan last year which would "restore the basics" and shift its culture towards a faster, leaner, and more digitally focused business. The company recently saw its second straight year of falling profits.

Woolworths of South Africa has announced that the managing director for clothing and general merchandise is leaving its Australian department store company, David Jones, just one month after its country CEO was also dismissed. Another 15 jobs at its head office have also been cut. According to management, the changes will provide a flatter, more customer-focused structure. Woolworths is still making strategic investments in the company such as adding food halls. Some commentators on the other hand, say the changes will make the business more difficult to manage. The debate is over whether the company is managing decline by cutting costs or whether it sees a future for the business.

According to a study published by GartnerL2, Macy's earned a "genius" rating on the firm's annual Digital IQ Index, above Nordstrom. It was praised for its site performance and traffic (it was recently named the top US apparel retailer with 55.9 million average monthly visitors); omnichannel features such as in-store availability on product pages; social media engagement; mobile performance; and tailored search capabilities. It also scored high in digital marketing. JC Penney dropped from third to sixth place, ousted by UK companies Asos, Marks & Spencer, and John Lewis.

From 5 to 7 July 2018, Alibaba rolled out a pilot FashionAI concept store on the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) campus pairing GUESS' retail knowledge and latest collections with advanced Alibaba AI and other technology.

It was built around Alibaba's e-commerce platform Taobao. Users check in to the store with their mobile Taobao QR code and all the items displayed in-store came with corresponding Taobao product listings, so that users could add the items they would like to purchase directly to their Taobao cart. Within the store, each item came with an RFID tag. When a customer picked up a product, the smart mirror closest to the user registered the tag and displayed an image of the item as well as the product details on the screen. The smart mirror could also provide mix and match suggestions for items in the store and styling suggestions based on previous purchases made by the user. Taobao mobile virtual kiosks displayed items in sizes and colors that weren't available in stores, and check-out was done by scanning the mobile app.

For Guess, Inc., the FashionAI store is part of the company's ongoing partnership with Alibaba to expand the brand's presence in Asia. And Alibaba's partnership with Guess has allowed the retailer to "train and refine" its FashionAI system, according to Zhuang Zhuoran, vice-president of Alibaba. "[We have married] technology with fashion in a way that's never been done before," Zhuang said.

watch video of Alibaba's FashionAI concept

According to Reuters and other sources, Hudson's Bay is in talks with Signa of Austria over a joint venture with Karstadt, owned by Signa. Earlier this year, Hudson's Bay rejected a €3bn bid for Kaufhof. The joint venture would involve Karstadt acquiring half of Kaufhof's property company and 51% of its operating company with the option to buy the rest at a later date. In the meantime, labour representatives are in discussion with Kaufhof management on a restructuring deal.

John Lewis has warned that its 2018-19 profit would be substantially below the previous year's level. Although the group appears to have weathered a difficult environment better than rivals Marks & Spencer, Debenhams or House of Fraser, the department stores in particular have been a drag on profits. Several shops would be closed, including four Waitrose convenience shops and a small supermarket. The Waitrose in Camden, London, a wealthy neighbourhood, will be sold to Aldi, underlining what the group called a "period of generational change". The plan "It's your business 2028", announced three years ago, applies to the 353 Waitrose stores as well as to the group's 50 John Lewis stores. Bonuses to "partners", the 85 000 employees of the company, were drastically lowered last year and will probably be so again this year as the company expects to maintain investments at last year's level. John Lewis Partnership is to continue developing its strengths, quality own-label and quality service as these are fundamentals on which the competition is weak. To do so, however, it will need to maintain staff loyalty. In line with this aim, there will be a global rebrand with the divisions labelled "Waitrose and Partners" and "John Lewis and Partners"./nbsp]

Illustration 'John Lewis warns on profits 1' (png - 0.07Mo)

Illustration 'John Lewis warns on profits 2' (png - 0.05Mo)

The Financial Times has published another story on millennials arguing that this "generation" is challenging large groups to cater for their taste in local, natural products. Diageo, Danone and Unilever, for example, are chasing consumers aged between 22 and 37 who are more health-conscious than their parent were at the same age. Sales of food claiming to be organic grew by 10% last year in the US and an increasing number of consumers are demanding "adult non-alcoholic drinks".

read article "How millennials' taste for 'authenticity' is disrupting powerful food brands"

At a recent NRF conference, former White House CIO, TV star and company founder Theresa Payton argued that individuals and companies should be proactive about protecting themselves online. As we get better at it, attackers work harder to get in. After the breaches and leaks last year and this, she says that "a small investment in security can really go a long way". There are too many outdated systems and authentification methods being used, and combining investigative techniques with new technology can protect businesses without sacrificing convenience for consumers.

watch speech by Theresa Payton on cybersecurity

Macy's warned customers of its e-commerce sites that their data has been breached. The security incident involved "unauthorized access to personal information" from late April to mid-June, according to the notice from Michael Gatio, president of Macy's credit and customer services. Macy's did not specify how many customer accounts were affected. The retailer's cyberthreat alert tools identified suspicious logins to "certain" customer profiles on June 11. The company said an unauthorized third party gained access to customers' first and last names, full addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, birthdays and credit card numbers with expiration dates. After opening an investigation, Macy's blocked those customers' accounts until they could update their passwords.

r3440_9_iads_says_goodbye_to_liaison_officer.jpg

Last month, the IADS team said goodbye to a veteran Liaison Officer, Anne Lechiguero, who is retiring. Anne (third from the left), personal assistant of Galeries Lafayette's Merchandise Director, started as a Liaison Officer for the ACI (old IADS Merchandise Group), before it joined the IADS in Paris. Anne has been working for Galeries Lafayette for 40 years, and been a LO for roughly 20 years.

She has been, in many ways, an example of how to make the most of IADS membership by:

• Informing new managers in her company about the IADS
• Organising registrations for IADS meetings and activities
• Giving accurate information and news on her company to the IADS office
• Coordinating responses to questions from other IADS members and the IADS office

Her efficiency and organisation skills as well as her sensitivity and humour have made it a real pleasure to work with Anne over the years. The entire IADS team wishes her well in the future and welcomes her successor as Liaison Officer for Galeries Lafayette, Christine Le Flecher, HR Director and Head of Talent Management.

Apple is bringing its latest retail design to Italy for the first time with the opening of Apple Piazza Liberty. The flagship is designed to revitalize a piazza in the centre of Milan, complete with a public plaza and a store below; it is located just off the Corso Vittorio Emanuele. The entrance to the store is designated by a beautiful glass fountain and the adjacent plaza is open to the public 24 hours a day and will host events year-round.

'To work within one of Italy's historic piazzas is both a great responsibility and wonderful challenge,' Jony Ive, Apple's chief design officer explains. 'We combined two fundamental elements of the Italian piazza — water and stone — adding a glass portal that creates a multi-sensory experience as visitors enter the store through a cascading fountain that seems to envelop them.'

Apple Piazza Liberty features the updated Apple Store layout with areas that include Genius Grove, The Forum, and The Avenue, aka parts of the store dedicated to activities like support, classes, and shopping.

Milan, with its rich history of art, entertainment and creativity, is well-matched to Apple's commitment to learning, creativity and connection. Apple Piazza Liberty, with its focus on community cultivation, will provide a local backdrop to the Today at Apple programme, which offers free hourly sessions on photography, filmmaking, music, coding, design.

By selling affordable assemble-yourself furniture on mass scale, Ikea bears some responsibility for today's throw-away culture, where products can easily be chucked out and replaced with something new. But these days the company is leading the way on tackling environmental challenges. "Becoming truly circular means meeting people's changing lifestyles, prolonging the life of products and materials and using resources in a smarter way," Ikea Sustainability Manager Lena Pripp-Kovac said in the statement. "To make this a reality, we will design all products from the very beginning to be re-purposed, repaired, reused, resold and recycled." As part of its latest push, Ikea will remove all single-use plastic products from the Ikea range globally by 2020 and increase the proportion of plant-based choices in its food offering. The largest Ikea franchisee, with 363 stores in 29 markets, also plans to achieve zero-emissions home deliveries and expand its home solar-energy solutions offering to all its current markets by 2025.

Breuninger of Stuttgart, Germany, has announced that it has introduced two new Chinese mobile payment platforms, Alibaba's Alipay, and Tencent's WEchat Pay. It is the first German department store to offer the two in all its stores. Last year, 12.4 million East Asian tourists visited Europe, a figure forecast to increase to just under 21 million by 2022. For the company it is a logical step to improving customer shopping experience.

press release on breuninger launching Alipay and Wechat Pay (in german)

After the successful launch of its merchandise-free concept store in Los Angeles' West Hollywood neighborhood in October 2017, Nordstrom is planning to add two more such stores in the LA market. "Nordstrom Local is something that you're going to hear more about, and we think we have the underpinnings of something very special there," Co-president Blake Nordstrom said. The new stores, located in Brentwood and Downtown LA, would likely be similar to the current concept shop, which is focused squarely on services like buy online, pickup in store in addition to tailoring, stylist consulting and even nail services. Depending on its success, the concept may expand to other metropolitan areas like Manhattan.

press release 'Nordstrom Deepens Growth Strategy Through Local Market Focus'