Cosmetics brand Bluemercury, acquired by Macy's for $210 million in 2015, will open about 55 new stores through 2019 –maintaining  the chain's pace of expansion. The plans underscore how Bluemercury has become a key part of the department store's strategy to defend its turf from online competitors and the rise of chains such as Ulta Beauty Inc. and Sephora. The growth will bring Bluemercury's store count to about 215. Most of the new standalone stores will be in areas where the brand doesn't already have a presence, according to Bluemercury co-founder Barry Beck. Bluemercury's comparable sales growth is in the high-double digits and the company wants to use technology to maintain that pace […]. It's [also] developing phone-recognition software to identify customers as they enter a store and then sending them product suggestions based on recent purchases.

After Macy's outgoing Chief Financial Officer Karen Hoguet said earlier this year that the beauty division "was a business that needed to be rethought," the company has made some progress. It said cosmetics sales gained traction in the first quarter, helping revenue beat estimates.

Full article by Bloomberg "Macy's Plans 55 New Bluemercury Stores"

Casper and Nordstrom launched a pop up, available through Aug. 26, in select Nordstrom stores across North America and online. Sleep-In@Nordstrom features the original Casper mattress, the ergonomic Casper Wave mattress, Casper's pillow and sheets, and a dog bed. The shop also exclusively launched Casper's newest product, Casper Airy Linen Sheets, designed for hot summer nights. In addition to offering Casper's products, Sleep-In@Nordstrom features an assortment of home and wellness products for morning, evening and sleep such as skincare, pyjamas and accessories, curated by Nordstrom's team.

press release "Sleep-In@Nordstrom Featuring Casper"

Against a widespread view that department stores are in decline, an article in "The Conversation" looks at some of the department stores around the world who are doing it right. It mentions in particular Galeries Lafayette, Selfridges, Bon Marche, Mitsukoshi (see picture of roof garden), Liberty, Fortnum & Mason, and emphasises experience, community, social shopping, uniqueness, and brand.

see article "Department stores are not doomed"

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According to Global Retail News, the top shopping centres in Europe were those in the table. Ten out of the fifteen belonged to Unibail Rodamco Westfield and showed an increase or relatively stable traffic. It is worth noting that Westfield London (in sixth place) has opened an extension recently and can therefore be expected to show a big increase in the next figures.

(click on the pic for a clearer view of results)

David Jones is spending big to deep dive into luxury and excitement. spending tourists. The A$200m refurbishment of its Elizabeth Street store in Sydney will include a wider range of luxury products from high end boutique brands. The redevelopment, funded by the A$360m sale of the chain's Market Street store in 2016, will see it expanding from eight floors to 12, with the offering grouped across six product 'worlds'. A key part of the redevelopment will convert the seventh and eight floors into a champagne and dining room overlooking a luxury shoe department that will be the biggest in the country. Three floors of womenswear will also be mixed with hairdressing salons, blow-dry bars and pop-up stores. Two levels of menswear will also feature a whiskey bar and a barber shop. It's part of a wider plan to reinvent the 12-storey store, which will also upgrade its beauty offer, accessories and food and wine assortment. The two lowest levels will be converted to a combined homewares, food and dining area, based on the food concept rolled out at its Bondi Junction store. David Jones chief executive David Thomas said the widened luxury offer was designed to make the 50,000 sq m department store a global tourist destination, similar to Harrods in London and Galeries Lafayette in Paris. Upgrade works started end of 2017 and should be completed late 2019. David Thomas reckons he will start to see a return on the A$200m investment from 2020.

The Kroger Co. launched OptUP, a data-driven app designed to help shoppers make more informed, healthier purchase decisions about food. The new app is part of the grocery giant's recently launched "Wellness Your Way" initiative around providing customers more information about nutrition, medication and lifestyle. OptUP lets consumers "score" their groceries based on health knowledge of each product. Then they can assess the overall score of their cart for a higher-level look at the health of their purchases. Other app features include personalized product recommendations, scan-and-search features to find nutrition facts and product alternatives and the ability to connect to digital carts for curbside pickup or delivery.

press release "Kroger Launches OptUP App"

John Lewis will launch its largest own-brand label, called John Lewis & Partners, this autumn, in the retailer's "most significant fashion investment to date". The 800-piece womenswear collection will feature 300 designs created in-house by the John Lewis & Partners Design Studio team. John Lewis & Partners features clean, simple styles in bold, bright colours, alongside tonal neutrals, that shoppers can mix and match. Key pieces include statement outerwear, cashmere jumpers and all-leather bags and footwear. The first autumn collection will be released beginning of September.

press release "John Lewis reveals largest fashion collection in its history"

Moreover, John Lewis is set to undergo a radical overhaul of its stores in a bid to combat falling sales and profit decline. The department store retailer is planning to turn 15 of its existing shops as "pilot stores" from this September. These stores will experiment with events, classes, personal stylists and front-of-house concierge services. For its Oxford Street flagship in London, this includes plans for a rooftop bar and pop-up cinema, as well as major refurbishment of its womenswear floor and a new shoe room in partnership with Kurt Geiger. John Lewis is also mulling a rooftop bar and pop-up cinema space at its Southampton store – one of its 15 pilot shops.

H&M has launched a line of rainbow colored and LGBT pride inspired clothing titled "Love For All", including t-shirts, jackets, shorts and socks for men and women. Slogans like "pride", "united", and "equality" are featured on several items. Ten percent of the retail sales from the collection will be donated to the United Nations Free and Equal campaign against homophobia and transphobia. The H&M Love for All collection is available online since 31st May and in selected stores.

Hudson's Bay Co. plans to shutter its Manhattan Lord & Taylor flagship after announcing last year it had sold the Fifth Avenue real estate to coworking startup WeWork and initially planned to open a downsized Lord & Taylor store in its place. Additionally, the department store retailer plans to close up to 10 Lord & Taylor stores through 2019 to balance its physical presence with its digital efforts.

This news comes at the same time of the announcement to sell Gilt to Rue La La.

press release on hudson's bay closing lord & taylor

Iconic crayon company Crayola  has launched Crayola Beauty, a line of eyeshadows, blushes, mascaras, and more, in conjunction with beauty and fashion brand ASOS. The products are sold exclusively at the retailer's website. The 58 product-line is available in 95 shades and range from $15 to $40. Every product is vegan, cruelty-free and the crayons can be used on your eyes, cheeks or lips, making them multi-tasking make-up products. The collection also include brushes, palettes and mascara.

The US paper, Women's Wear Daily (WWD), has published an interview of Nicolas Houze, CEO of Galeries Lafayette and IADS president. He talks about the international plans of the company (20 stores by 2025), its digital growth (now 10% of sales of the Galeries Lafayette stores), the recent and planned stores (Prado in Marseille and the forthcoming Champs Elysées store with architect Bjarke Ingels). The department store is not dead. Its future rests on three pillars: modernisation, digitalisation, and internationalisation.

interview of Nicolas houze from WWD

Debenhams has issued its third profit warning of the year, saying that annual pre-tax profits would be between £35m and £40m, below previous estimates of £50.3m. Management pointed to "exceptionally difficult times in UK retailing". Like-for-like sales from stores fell by 1.7% in the 15 weeks to 16 June. Digital sales grew 16% over the same period. There has been speculation about Debenhams selling a small printing firm it owns called Magenta. Other sales may be on the cards.

Press release on debenhams third profit warning

Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group have announced the launch of a new "family entertainment centre" concept designed specifically for malls. Called CREACTIVE, the retail-forward attraction is being described by the company as an "immersive, creative and participative family experience, where people can stretch their imagination, flex their muscles, explore newfound circus skills, and take a bow on the virtual Cirque du Soleil stage." The first indoor CREACTIVE family entertainment centre is scheduled to open t a Toronto-area mall in September 2019, in a partnership deal with real estate firm Ivanhoé Cambridge. The centre will be about 2,200 square metres (24,000 square feet), enough space for Cirque du Soleil to teach circus-inspired activities such as bungee jumping, aerial parkour, trampolines, mask design, juggling, dance and more. Discussions are ongoing for additional locations in Canada.

See press release on 'cirque du soleil launching in canadian malls'

Alexander McQueen, who took his own life at the age of 40 in 2010, has already had a hugely successful exhibition about him and his work in London and New York, "Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty". He is now the subject of a highly-praised film documentary by Ian Bonhôte and Peter Ettedgui, McQueen. It is the moving story of a working-class boy from East London with an original talent, who started as a tailor's apprentice in Saville Row before getting mentored into the big league fashion world. As one reviewer has put it, "the hysterical intensity of his work, publicity and the loneliness of command took its toll, childhood memories of abuse were never entirely expunged, he was deeply depressed by becoming HIV-positive and by the deaths of Blow (his mentor) and his mother to whom he was utterly devoted".

Released in June in the UK, to be released , in July in the US.

Ocado of the UK has signed a deal with Kroger groceries of the US to build 20 customer fulfilment centres for the second largest US food retailer. The latter will take a 5% stake in Ocado for $183m and have exclusive access to the technology in the US. Ocado was founded by three former Goldman Sachs traders in 2000 as an online grocer and has been transforming itself into a global provider of logistics technology. Kroger reported a 33% rise in online sales in its first quarter.

See article onOcado Kroger deal

See article on Kroger acquisition of mealkit Home Chef

Digital sales at Neiman Marcus already account for 36% of the total sales of $4.7bn in the last fiscal year. CEO Geoffroy van Raemdonck claims that this figure can quickly be increased to 40% and says that he can imagine that the balance between digital and brick and mortar sales will eventually reach 50-50. Neimanmarcus.com is currently being "re-architectured" to be finished by July. The aim of the company's Digital First strategy is to bolster luxury services online so that they emulate the in-store experience; achieve greater product innovation and differentiation; and re-platform Neiman Marcus Group's websites to deploy different kinds of software for greater flexibility interacting with customers. All four sites (neimanmarcus.com, bergdorfgoodman.com, mytheresa.com and Horchow.com) experienced double-digit gains during the last quarter.

At a time when pollution caused by plastics is a growing problem, there is also a growing need to increase efforts to find effective alternatives. That's why UK brand Lush has unveiled its first ever 'Naked' store on Via Torino in Milan, which only stocks products that do not use any packaging. Indeed, the "naked" products include solid shampoo bars, naked shower gels, and packaging-free soaps. The store is 100-square-meters and split across two levels, and will feature events, workshops, and even film screenings with the goal of educating customers and opening up a dialogue about a future where we do not need plastic.

In addition to the naked store launch, Lush is commemorating World Oceans Day (8 June) with the launch of a campaign that highlights how single-use plastic products are impacting our oceans. It is also launching a new product alongside the campaign: the vegan-friendly Turtle Jelly Bomb. When dropped in water, skin softening agar agar seaweed strands emerge, floating to the top as a reminder of the threat sea turtles face.

Since Lush launched 23 years ago, the company has been dedicated to different ethical causes, including fair trade, animal rights, equality, and protecting the environment.

While IKEA has been known to launch some pretty cool collaborations, their latest came as a bit of a surprise. IKEA U.S. has released a limited edition collection designed with Los Angeles based fashion designer Chris Stamp, of West Coast streetwear label, Stampd. The SPÄNST capsule collection is geared towards the younger, design-driven consumer living an active, urban lifestyle, with everything from storage pieces, lighting, a skateboard rack, a basketball hoop, hoodies, and IKEA's inaugural skateboard, among others. Prices range from $7 hats and $10 T-shirts to $25 for a hoodie. The items are available in the U.S. for a limited time.

See pictures of Ikea's SPÄNST collection

Selfridges of London has teamed up with Yorkshire Sculpture Park to present works in the store. Every six months, new works will be unveiled on a marble and steel monolith designed by UK architect David Chipperfield as part of his commission to create Selfridges' new accessories hall. The Art Block will be curated jointly by the Park and the store. The opening commission entitled Phyllis until 31 October is by UK artist Holly Hendry. Selfridges is investing heavily in art with a number of projects with partners, even outside the store.

Three years ago, Groupe Arnault injected $40m into fashion platform Lyst. Now Lyst and LVMH are deepening their relationship with a new round of funding. Sources suggest that Lyst has raised between $50m and $100m, with an LVMH contribution of around 90%. LVMH chief digital officer, Ian Rogers, will join the board of Lyst. Lyst hit a gross merchandise value of $325m in the year to March 2018 and is hoping to approach half a billion dollars this year. Lyst takes a commission on sales generating around $21m in net revenue. The company is planning to use the funding to drive global expansion. It has recently launched a French site and will launch in Germany and Spain next. (Note: Chris Morton, founder of Lyst pictured here, spoke at the IADS omnichannel meeting in London in September 2014.)

Through its newly formed "Neiman Marcus Idea Factory," the luxury retailer begins to unleash an array of concepts, products and experiences — from piercing and personalizing of fashion products by graffiti artists, to candle-making, epicure and custom-mixing beauty creams of your own — not traditionally found in bricks-and-mortar department stores. Much of the phase one activity, rolling out in the coming weeks, involves bringing artists to the stores and enabling visitors to engage with them and have them personalize and customize sportswear, jeans, jackets and accessories, with artwork. For phase two, which ramps up in September, "We're identifying concepts in epicure, food and beverage, travel, personal and family wellness, and social consciousness," said Ed Burstell, Neiman's senior vice president, product innovation.

Burstell is leading the Neiman Marcus Idea Factory, essentially an incubator for rolling out fresh ideas, experiences and exclusives, and thinking about Neiman's as more than just a luxury store for designer goods and posh services. It's an effort to connect with a wider base of customers and increase traffic and relevancy in a world where people are shopping and spending differently.

Read full article on "Neiman's Idea Factory" from WWD

David Jones of Australia is celebrating its 180th birthday this year. Founded in 1838 by Welsh merchant and later politician David Jones, the company currently operates 45 stores around the country, as well as one in New Zealand after the acquisition of Kirkaldie & Stains in 2016. The store hosted the first ever showing of Christian Dior's collection outside Paris in 1948. It also held a special banquet for Queen Elizabeth II at the Elizabeth Street store in Sydney during a royal visit in 1954.  In 1974, David Jones acquired 12 stores in the US trading as Buffum's. These were eventually closed in 1991. After discussions of a merger with rival Myer, David Jones was acquired by South African group Woolworths in 2014. David Jones was briefly a member of the IADS in 1979, and then again from 2001 to 2004.

Alibaba of China has announced that it will invest 100 billion yuan  (€13bn) to build the technical backbone for a smart logistics network. Alibaba operates its own logistics business, Cainiao Network, in which it acquired a controlling stake last September for ($800m). Plans were unveiled to open five new global Cainiao hubs in Asia, Europe and the Middle East: Dubai, Hangzhou, Kuala Lumpur, Liege, and Moscow are among the first batch of cities being considered. Currently processing 100 million packages a day, cross-border shipping time has been brought down in some countries from 70 days to 10 days. The founder and chairman says that in the future, it aims to process one billion packages a day. Alibaba and Cainiao recently led a group of investors to acquire a 10% stake in Chinese delivery company ZTO Express to further support the group's ambitions.

See video of automated DC 

Struggling Canadian retailer Hudson's Bay Co. (HBC) agreed to sell Gilt, a flash-sale, e-commerce company it bought two years ago that has become one of its worst-performing businesses. HBC had hoped Gilt would accelerate its online sales, but failed to revive it even after combining inventories with its other discount business, Saks OFF 5TH. HBC will now focus on its core business of running department stores.

Gilt was acquired by off-price online retailer Rue La La. The combined company, operating under the newly formed Rue Gilt Groupe, joins two complementary lifestyle brands into a multi-brand growth platform. After merging, the companies are slated to reach $1 billion in sales. Both brands will continue to operate independently, retaining their unique identities and serving distinct customer segments.

press release on hudson's bay selling gilt