South Korean retail giant Shinsegae Group has opened a mega duty free store in downtown Seoul, offering a combination of shopping, K-pop, plus art and cultural references. Located in the top five floors of the Shinsegae department store in Myeongdong, the tax-free store carries more than 600 brands ranging from beauty to watches and jewellery, household goods and food.

But Shinsegae Duty Free's CEO Sung Young-mok said the store was positioned as a key place for tourists to experience South Korea's culture and traditions through art, as to differentiate from other duty free stores in the area. At the entrance of the store is a gigantic carousel made of mirrors and light bulbs, around which panoramic images of Seoul's attractions are displayed, part of Shinsegae's effort to create a museum-like environment in the store. Other value-adding services include a VIP lounge, a wine tasting area and personal service for high-net-worth customers.

Of the 600 brands, about one-third are beauty-releated which have become one the most sought-after product categories for Chinese tourists. Entertainment is another focus in the store, including a YG Entertainment shop-in-shop which represents K-pop acts including Psy and Big Bang. Line Friends and Kakao Friends, which sell character goods from messaging apps Line and Kakao Talk, respectively, also aim to attract young tourists familiar with Korea's pop culture.

Selfridges has scooped an inaugural sustainability award at the Global Department Store Summit held in Zurich. The inaugural World's Best Sustainability/CSR Campaign by a Department Store award was handed to Selfridges for its "Buying Better, Inspiring Change" campaign. As part of the Selfridges campaign, environmental initiatives included removing plastic bottles from its food halls and restaurants. In addition, the retailer's Bright Young Things project showcased ethical fashion designers. The store was also commended for reducing carbon and water in waste management and recognized with the Carbon Trust Triple Standard.

The limited-edition footwear collaboration between Rihanna and Manolo Blahnik showcases a limited number of 400 pairs were stocked within each of the London, New York and Hong Kong units. The denim-driven collection, Rihanna x Manolo Blahnik, features sequins and embroidery influenced by Rihanna's hand tattoos. They appear on designs including thigh-high boots and an open-toe sandal.The limited-edition capsule collection includes six styles, a selection of sandals, pumps and boots. Prices range from 650 pounds, or $940, to 2,950 pounds, or $4,265. Looking ahead, the brand plans to open a shops-in-shop in London at Selfridges, and is focusing on expansion into Asia.

Brackish, a four-year-old Charleston, S.C.-based men's accessories brand, will introduce its first capsule collection for summer, which consists of four limited-edition bow ties inspired by co-founder Ben Ross' passion for the South Carolina waterways. The bow ties are created from peacock, rooster, guinea and pheasant feathers that are used in their natural state providing golden yellow, red, cerulean blue and deep green hues. The ties come packaged with care instructions in a wooden storage box wrapped in burlap. They retail for $195 each. They will be carried in Neiman Marcus, Harrods and on the brand's web site.

Founded in 2014 by actor Luca Calvani and branding strategist Olivia Mariotti, both lovers of spirituality, Inspiritu is a fragrance brand.

The brand, which made its U.S. debut at Barneys New York's Chelsea and Beverly Hills stores, has four scents and candles based on the cardinal virtues of fortitude, temperance, prudence and justice (Fortitudo, Termperantia, Iustitia and Prudentia), and a fifth scent and candle called Lux, the Latin word for "light." The eau de parfums are priced at $210 for 100-ml. bottles, and the 14-oz. candles designed to last 100 hours are $130.

In addition to the Beverly Hills and Chelsea locations, Inspiritu has entered Barneys New York on Madison Avenue, and is set to roll out to the department store's San Francisco and Chicago units in about a month. In Europe, the brand is available at Printemps and the Four Seasons Hotel George V.

South Korean conglomerate Lotte Group will increase its investment in Indonesia to $4bn later this year, particularly to expand its retail and entertainment businesses.

Lotte plans to expand its Lotte Mart hypermarket business in five major cities, increase investment in cinemas and amusement parks, as well as exploring opportunities in the credit card business.

The retailer's latest coup for its 5F contemporary floor touches on one of the season's leading trends — the off-the-shoulder top. For the third consecutive year, Bergdorf's has tapped Tibi to create a limited-edition capsule collection based on a single silhouette — last year it was the label's culottes, and the year prior, it was a full skirt — that includes three of Tibi's best-selling cold-shoulder blouses. The offering features the tops in exclusive fabrics and colorways from Tibi's archives and ranges from $295 to $345. The collection launched on May 5 and runs for a limited time.

When it comes to kids, spending in the Gulf is limitless. Dubai-based Chalhoub Group, the region's leading luxury retailer, has decided to invest heavily in this lucrative segment, launching this month what is the world's largest dedicated children's department store. Spanning 107,000 square feet of retail space spread across three floors with 200 brands and 50 shops-in-shops, Level Kids offers a comprehensive selection of children's wear, shoes, accessories, toys and specialized services under one roof for children aged from 0 to 12.

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Macy's wants more shoppers to say "I do" to its wedding business.

The department store chain is stepping up its nuptials game in the hopes of winning a bigger slice of the $60 billion U.S. wedding pie. Among other moves: Macy's is adding higher-end bridal jewelry to its assortment and training its army of personal shoppers to advise anxious couples. While Macy's has long served people who are getting hitched, its offerings have traditionally revolved around gift registries. "We have an opportunity to service the couple throughout the entire wedding journey, not just at the point of registry," Shawn Outler, the Macy's senior vice president overseeing the wedding strategy. The effort is aimed squarely at millennials, many of whom are now in their late 20s, currently the typical U.S. age for marriage. "This is one part of the couple's life you can't mess up on," Outler says. "We want this to lead to first anniversary shopping, the first baby, the first home. We want these customers for life." Macy's started that "I Do" test at 55 stores and is rolling it out to 150 of its 750 stores this year.

Royal Ascot has collaborated with milliners on an eight-piece collective. The designs are priced from 425 pounds, or $619, for a hat by Cathcart to 1,625 pounds, or $2,637, for a style by Ibbotson and are available for purchase at Fenwick of Bond Street.

"[…] This year Fenwick celebrates our 125th anniversary on Bond Street and we have always been the destination for hats, but in the last few years there has been a really exciting new energy in millinery" said Mia Fenwick, head of buying at the Fenwick department store.

Galeries Lafayette has appointed Matthieu Caloni as strategy and transformation director of its Galeries Lafayette and BHV Marais department stores. Caloni, whose nomination took effect April 18, reports to Nicolas Houzé, chief executive officer of parent Groupe Galeries Lafayette's department store division. He is a member of the executive committee and was most recently director of strategy and development for French jewelry retailer Thom Europe. Prior to that, he was a principal at Boston Consulting Group and also held various positions in the wine and spirits division of LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton. His mission is to "anchor the ongoing transformation process in the management of the company," Galeries Lafayette stated.

On May 12, the retailer will unveil the worldwide exclusive of the Marcelo Burlon x Tyga capsule collection. The limited-edition line of T-shirts, hoodies and shorts will be sold only at the retailer's New York flagship and online.

"Marcelo Burlon is now part of the Saks family," said Eric Jennings, vice president and men's fashion director of Saks, "so we commissioned to have the exclusive for this in the States." He said only 100 units of each style will be produced and the brand has created 50 iPhone cases that will be a gift with purchase.

Malaysian retailer Parkson Group has closed its department store in Ho Chi Minh City after five years of operation. The department store, Parkson Paragon, was a 7,500 sq m space in a multi-functional complex with offices, an entertainment facility and a conference centre. Parkson was brought in to manage the shopping space in 2011 by the previous owner Kim Cuong Joint Stock Company due to its poor performance. The company invested $5m then and signed on as the operator for 19 years.

In January 2015, Parkson closed another department store in the Southern Vietnam city of Hanoi due to consecutive losses in its three years of operation. Parkson had been facing fierce competition in Vietnam from rivals such as Trang Tien Plaza, Lotte Department Store and VinMart. Parkson currently operates nine shopping malls and department stores in the country including six in Ho Chi Minh City and two in Hanoi.

Hudson's Bay Co. Inc. is expanding further into Europe — and taking its Hudson's Bay and Saks Off 5th nameplates with it. The Canadian retailer revealed that it plans to open up to 20 stores in the Netherlands for the two formats over the next few years, beginning in summer of 2017. The company said it is finalizing long-term leases for "select, sought after locations. The first store will be a flagship for Hudson's Bay in Amsterdam. Hudson's Bay is combining three existing buildings to create the new property.

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Le BHV Marais will be the first Paris department store chain to open on Sundays, beginning in July, after a deadline for union negotiations expired with the majority of labor representatives favorable to the measure. Other department stores, including Galeries Lafayette, are still negotiating terms with unions following the collapse of collective talks earlier this year. The issue is seen as crucial to enhance the French capital's attractiveness for tourists, who are coming in smaller numbers since last year's terrorist attacks.

Sirivannavari, the women's label founded by Sirivannavari Nariratana, the Princess of Thailand, is debuting a pop-up shop at Milanese department store La Rinascente. Opening from May 18 to June 14, this will be located on the store's fourth floor dedicated to women's wear. The pop-up shop will carry the latest collection of the luxury Thai label, which was founded in 2005. The collection is focused on the combination of rich graphics and details with sculptural shapes. It includes a tulip dress; a blazer with rounded shoulders; a gown with a bodice embroidered with 3-D flowers, as well as a bolero jacket showing gooseberry-like embellishments.

The UK BHS chain of department stores has collapsed into bankruptcy in the biggest such event since UK Woolworths closed in 2008. The chain, founded in 1928, became part of the Conran retail empire together with Habitat and Mothercare, before being acquired by Philip Green in 2000. Green sold the chain for £1 in 2015. BHS which operates over 160 stores in the UK employs some 11 000 people. The company's pension fund is in deficit by £571 m which is leading the UK Pensions Regulator to consider forcing Philip Green to contribute.

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For the first time a department store is considering appointing a humanoid Artificial Intelligence computer to its management board. The AI machine, developed by Deep Mind which beat the world Go champion recently, is apparently able to deal with the complexities of department store management, which are beyond the capacities of the IBM chess computer Deep Blue. The overall cost to the company is comparable to that of a top manager but without the stock options and pension provisions. The computer also improves as it learns and cannot be poached by another company. The department store, believed to be based in Korea, says it will gain huge competitive advantage worldwide. The new computer board member, named Cadie, can also be counted as a woman to help reach the required quota of female board members.

Beyoncé is launching an active wear line for women. The singer collaborated on the 2016 spring/summer collection with Sir Philip Green, of the retail giant Arcadia Group. The collection, dubbed IVY PARK, features more than 200 pieces, including cobalt blue logo-emblazoned sports bras and matching leggings with a "flip-to-low-rise" waistband, honeycombed reflective print jackets, sleek and polished bodysuits with mesh trim, and cheeky over-the-thigh varsity socks. The line will be available on April 14 at Topshop, Nordstrom and Zalando among others.

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Welcome to the jungle! Fuelling the anticipation for the reboot of animated classic The Jungle Book, the Parisian house Kenzo has teamed up with Disney to create a sizable ready-to-wear capsule of cheeky pieces for men and women. Marrying archival Kenzo florals with art from the beloved 1967 original movie, the styles are right in step with the runways' current taste for tropicalia—and the new life the Hawaiian shirt has enjoyed in recent months. Bearing heady, Technicolor prints of Mowgli, Baloo the bear, and co., styles like silk twill dresses and poplin buttondowns, capture a bit of the magic that made the animated feature so beloved. Among the favorites of the collection is an insouciant riff on the Kenzo tiger logo sweatshirt featuring Shere Khan the tiger.

Kenzo and Bergdorf Goodman, the collaboration's exclusive U.S. retailer, will fete the movie, as well as BG's forthcoming Jungle Book windows, with an intimate cocktail and screening.

Kenzo x The Jungle Book is available from April 1 exclusively at Bergdorf Goodman, and from April 7 at kenzo.com.

Neiman Marcus is doubling down on the Jenner girls and their Kendall + Kylie collection, first with the contemporary line's debut spring 2016 collection, which the Dallas-based retailer is selling, and also with an exclusive, elevated nine-piece collection, part of the #OnlyatNM program.

Inspired by favorite vintage pieces and their current closets, the sisters created the nine pieces in an effort to bring shoppers one step closer to emulating their much-documented personal styles.

Pieces include a long, red cutout dress retailing for $575 and a black-and-white striped V-neck wrap top for $245. Other items include a black silk jumpsuit and leather short, allowing the sisters to use finer fabrics and details than in their regular line.

This is the sister's most elevated fashion project to date. In 2012, they launched a junior's collection with PacSun and in 2015 theycollaborated with Topshop to create a series of California-inspired capsule collections. Hoping to develop a more mature image in the fashion world, they launched the Kendall + Kylie ready-to-wear and shoe collections for spring in major department and specialty stores.

The clothing ranges from $200 to $1,000 in price and is availables in Neiman Marcus stores since April 7.

Ikea is changing the structure of the company put in place by its founder Ingvar Kamprad in the 1980s. Since then, IKEA has been divided into InterIKEA based in Lichtenstein which owns the patents and charges IKEA for the use of its brand and processes. The other part of the company is Leiden-based INGKA Holding which manages stores, design, manufacturing, procurement and logistics. It is generally agreed that the division is based on reducing the overall tax bill. Now InterIKEA will take responsibility for design, manufacturing, procurement and logistics, as well as processes in order to be better able to respond to customers' desire for city-centre stores, for example, and buying online with pick up from drop-off points. The future is closer to that of InterIKEA as franchisor and INGKA a huge €32bn franchisee.

Reed Krakoff launches his budget Reed collaboration in Kohl's stores in the US today following an online debut on April 15. The man who put Coach bags on the map is offering affordably priced bags from $59 to $129, plus ready-to-wear, and a selection of mini bags scaled-down from his now-discontinued upscale Reed Krakoff label but at less than a tenth of the price of the originals.

More than a limited-time designer collaboration, this is a full spring collection that isn't expected to sell out in a few days. Developed in a deal with Global Brands Group, there's talk of further seasonal collections head, although no concrete deal has been signed.

The promotional campaign kicked off with Krakoff giving a series of interviews and with a pop-up shop in Grand Central Terminal's Vanderbilt Hall in New York City, a location that sees 750,000 people passing by each day.

Krakoff said he feels there's a major gap in the market at low prices for designer accessories and bags, despite the price level being crowded as far as ready-to-wear is concerned.

Kohl's, which has been struggling of late, has high hopes for the launch and Krakoff said that the online debut saw 5,000 bags sold on day one.

Irish fast-fashion retailer Primark is opening its first Italian store in the newly developed shopping center "Il Centro" in Arese, northwest of Milan. The mayor of the city, Michela Palestra, will inaugurate the store with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

The two-level space covers 54,766 square feet and features 63 dressing rooms and 46 cash registers to keep the traffic flowing. In addition to the men's, women's, children's, beauty and home collections, the store will have a selection of stationery, travel items, tech accessories and gifts. Customers will also have free Wi-Fi connection and be able to take a shopping break in a relaxation area. Primark will hire 400 employees.

A Primark store is also set to open in Florence in 2017 at the mall I Gigli.

There are more than 300 Primark banners in the world. The first unit in the U.S. opened in 2015.