What: Morioka Shoten is a tiny bookshop that offers one product for sale, a single title that changes every week.

Why it is important: The bookstore proves the power of a simple idea in a crowded market.

Inspired by the success of book launch events, the owner of Morioka Shoten realized he could make a business by just selling one book.

Each week's book is presented on a table in the front window of the store and on the counter at the back of the shop.

Authors and photographers are also invited to the space to deliver talks or sell products to accompany the launch of new publications.

The store has seen success, as the store is a blend of a shop, gallery, and meeting place, giving readers and authors the chance to gather and share their passion for literature.

Morioka Shoten in Ginza

Morioka Shoten in Ginza Article

What: Burberry has reopened its New Bond Street flagship store with a refurbished space that reflects a more modern and minimal design concept.

Why it is important: The space targets and caters to high-end customers as the brand looks to develop its elite customer base, stressing the importance of spending time with customers and providing a premium experience.

The store is bright with open floor space and the store design and fixtures put the focus on merchandise.

The space spans nearly 22,000 square feet across three floors, focusing on elevation, service, and luxury due to the location and being Burberry's anchor store.

Burberry intends to target big-spending customers and use the store as a space to host clients as the brand looks to develop its elite customer base. The brand's CEO argued that in-store traffic is becoming less important and spending time with customers is becoming the focus.

The store highlights Daniel Lee's new designs with products being front and center in the store and also focuses on underdeveloped categories such as footwear.

Accessories are featured on the ground floor, while the upper level is dedicated to womenswear and the lower level is features menswear. Both the men's and women's sections have plush VIP areas that can be closed off.

A trench library can also be found in the store, showcasing the brand's broad offer and bespoke options on tall, shiny racks that pull out vertically.

Burberry's five-star flagship on New Bond Street

Burberry's five-star flagship on New Bond Street article

What: The world-renowned photography brand has opened a store in Singapore, unveiling its Retail 2.0 design concept.

Why it is important: The store demonstrates the importance of physical retail as it goes beyond being solely transactional and creates an immersive environment for customers to connect with the brand.

The store has 60 square meters of retail space and also features the Leica Akademie where technical and artistic courses, masterclasses, workshops, and photo walks are held.

The company wanted to create a space that was warm, calm, and inviting and offers an immersive experience into the world of photography.

The in-store photo gallery allows customers to browse local and international photographers' exhibits and also features a curated collection of books.

Customers can also have their products maintained or customized by the customer care service and attend a variety of planned activities.

Leica believes that physical retail will continue to play an important role in delivering an outstanding experience to its customers as it allows them to connect with customers and anticipate their needs.

Leica's Retail 2.0 store concept

What: Dries Van Noten has opened his first beauty boutique in Paris.

Why it is important: The designer is pioneering a new perspective on merchandising, showcasing beauty, alongside leather goods, jewelry, and other accessories which demonstrates how Dries Van Noten's beauty products blend seamlessly with his other designs.

The store is the brand's first beauty boutique and aims to show how Van Noten's products are a unified project and share the same vision.

Handbags, small leather goods, jewelry, scarves and other small accessories are features in the store as well as perfumes that are exclusive to the store, as well as combs, a mirror and a lip brush.

The store is located on the same street as the brand's men's and women's boutiques, sharing similar facades but separate entrances.

Van Noten wanted the store environment to fit into the neighborhood which is in the middle of art galleries and antique dealers. The store features alabaster, Calacatta marble velvet, and a chandelier composed of different kinds of Venini glass.

Dries Van Noten blends beauty and accessories in new Paris boutique

Dries Van Noten blends beauty and accessories in new Paris boutique article

What: Tiffany's historic Fifth Avenue 10 story, 110,000-square-foot store has reopened following a four-year renovation.

Why it is important: The store is the most expensive single-brand store ever by LVMH and the is thought to be the largest jewelry store in world.

Interior architect Peter Marino led the renovation, inspired by the frivolity of the jewelry world and how it was portrayed in the movie "Breakfast at Tiffany's."

Visitors enter the "The World of Tiffany" on the first floor which includes Tiffany's top selling products with a design reflective of the caseline seen in "Breakfast at Tiffany's" and CGI footage of Central Park of the Manhattan skyline that's broadcasted on floor to ceiling screens that replace windows.

The second floor hosts Landmark's internal headquarters and a restaurant where the staff of more than 150 associates will get their own restaurant.

Dedicated to Love and Engagement, the third floor houses Tiffany's engagement rings with gold and copper tone caselines and four private rooms that couples can use for a more intimate sales experience.

On the fourth floor, guests can find Tiffany's gold collection and three environmental breakout boutiques – one room for watches, another for Paloma Picasso, and the third for Elsa Peretti.

The fifth floor is dedicated to the house's famous sterling silver designs and "jewelry concepts" as well as onsite engraving and "The Audrey Experience."

The renovated Blue Box Café can be found on the sixth floor, where guests can enjoy breakfast, tea, or an all-day menu during operating store hours. Tiffany's homewares can also be found on this level.

The seventh floor is home dedicated to high jewelry sales, Tiffany's most expensive pieces. The level is fully open to the public but also includes a glass-paneled glittering cube that is headquarters for VIP events and clientele activities.

Floors eight and nine are combined to create a two-story event and special exhibition space, featuring an L-shaped terrace.

Finally, the tenth floor is reserved for Tiffany's top clients, with four VIP selling salons and a private dining room that can host up to 60 people.

Tiffany & Co.'s Fifth Ave. Landmark store

Tiffany & Co.'s Fifth Ave. Landmark store Article

What: Kith has opened a store in Miami's Design District featuring a Sadelle's restaurant and KITH Treats ice cream parlour.

Why it is important: The store mirrors Kith's signature retail designs while also featuring elements of Miami's aesthetic, creating a unique shopping experience that's reflective of the location's environment.

The two story space features the brand's signature color palette with vibrant shades of green, marble floors and structures, wavy fluted plaster, birch wood, brass, and painted gypsum.

A circular structure separates the men's and women's sections with the upstairs featuring a circular shoe room with ribbed fabric walls and the popular Sadelle's at KITH restaurant, the first location in the US.

Additionally, KITH Treats can be found directly across the street, its first permanent standalone space. Here, customers can find exclusive 'Signature Specials' and the brand's global inline apparel capsules.

KITH Miami

KITH Miami article

What: The street-meets-luxe concept store has opened a three-story men's and womenswear space in Milan.

Why it is important: The three-story unit is the British retailer's first international location.

The new space spans 1,700 square feet and is decked in marble and maple wood, in addition to locally sources materials such as terrazzo marble and Portofino timber. The store also features a central escalator as well as an airy triple-height atrium.

The ground and basement floors display a wide selection of menswear labels and a dedicated sneaker corner, as well as a section dedicated to beauty and lifestyle products. While the retailer is traditionally menswear-leaning, the top floor features a strong assortment of womenswear.

End. Milan Flagship

End. Milan flagship article

What: Nike has opened its second basketball-focused retail concept in Tokyo.

Why it is important: The space features a Content Studio which is the first of its kind for the Nike Jordan brand.

The store was designed by Nike's in-house design team and occupies 9,200 square feet across three floors featuring new offerings and experiences for customers.

Located in the Jingumae Media Square Building, customers can find a dedicated SNKRS area where they can pick up their purchases from the Nike app, relax in The Flight Lounge and learn more about the brand history and basketball culture, and even use the Content Studio to film unboxings and reviews and create content to share on social media. The store also has a workshop where guidance and tutorials are given on shoe lacing, care, and preservation.

Jordan World of Flight stocks men's, kids', and women's Jordan footwear and apparel as well as a range of customizable products that can be found in The Workshop.

Tokyo Jordan World of Flight

Tokyo Jordan World of Flight Article

What: The bálancing, which targets the fashion-savvy Gen Z demographic with a tightly curated range of high-end brands, has opened a new store in Shanghai.

Why it is important: With pandemic restrictions being lifted, the bálancing's new retail space is part of a number of interesting new stores that are emerging as China's local retail scene adjusts.

The store occupies an irregularly shaped, 372 square-meters on the second floor of an upscale complex that features two residential towers and a shopping centre in the Xujiahui area of Shanghai.

The brand collaborated with All Design Studio, a Shanghai-based architecture and design studio, to tackle the challenging dimensions of the new space. Taking inspiration from abstract painter, Vassily Kandinksy, they created a fitting retail setting that returns to a two dimensional way of reconstructing spatial balance and gives geometry a three-dimensional expression. This is reflected throughout the store design, from a triangular window display and central display island, to a three-part cashier counter, and a circular grid on the ceiling.

The boutique has a grey and silver backdrop, allowing the merchandise to pop. Splashes of color are also feature throughout the store, on an LED screen that suspends across the premises, the furniture, and a colorful sculpture called Fashion Cocoon.

The Bálancing Shanghai

The Bálancing Shanghai article

What: Ecoalf's retail space at Las Rosas Village shopping centre in Madrid has a 3D-printed interior made of 100% recycled plastic.

Why it is important: The store embodies the retailer's commitment to sustainability and showcases how the brand itself is taking action to mitigate its own role in impacting the environment.

The retailer collaborated with design studio, Nagami, which specializes in the 3D printing of large-scale products to create walls, tables, and display shelves made of 3,300 kg of recycled plastic for the 90-square-meter store.

These installations resemble melting glaciers, serving as a reminder of the effect rising global temperatures have on polar ice caps. The pieces were also manufactured in Spain to reduce environmental footprint and can be fully recycled at the end of their lifespan.

Ecoalf 3D-printed store in Madrid

Ecoalf 3D-printed store in Madrid article

What: Gucci has opened a 9,000-square-foot boutique spanning two floors in New York City's Meatpacking District.

Why it is important: The boutique is the Italian luxury house's most unique store design to date with a strong emphasis on sustainability.

The store, which is Gucci's fourth location in NYC, features an extensive selection of men's and women's footwear, handbags, leather goods, and beauty on the ground floor, with the second floor houses women's ready-to-wear, menswear, and space dedicated to private shopping.

Influenced by both New York City and Florence, the store's design features grid-patterned metal mesh ceilings, a curved staircase made of shiny mirrored tiles, painted cement flooring that is inspired by Florentine marble motifs, and reflective metal columns that resemble classical Italian architecture.

The boutique also has a 70's-inspired aesthetic which is brought to life by décor with pop colors, mirrored surfaces, and vintage furniture from the midcentury era. The walls of the private area are also upholstered with a jade green carpet as a nod to the era.

Gucci's commitment to sustainability is seen throughout the store, with the store's furnishings including restored secondhand pieces and surfaces being decorated with more environmentally friendly fabrics like Demetra, which is an animal-free textile pioneered by Gucci.

Gucci meatpacking district

Gucci meatpacking district Article

What: Swiss running brand On uses a series of installations to tell the brand's story through movement.

Why it is important: The store is a great example of how brands can build a retail space around a focus and relevant theme to tell a brand story.

Located on Regent Street, the brand's flagship store draws on its technology-forward manufacturing and Swiss origins to create a customer experience around community and technology.

Upon entering the three story space, visitors are welcomed with a robotic arm that picks up sneakers and whirls them around through space.

The ground floor is dedicated to storytelling that installations that engage customers in the brand's ethos while the basement provides a space for the brand to host regular community events.

Another installation educates customers on the brand's circular running shoe subscription program where visitors are invited to pick up and interact with the shoes, see the raw materials that are used, and scan QR codes that link to further information.

The first floor features the brand's full range of apparel, accessories, and footwear with installations that feature installations demonstrating the properties of On's materials.

A reoccurring theme of the store is motion, allowing visitors to see the products in action and observe how the products behave when they're in use.

On Running's London Flagship

On Running's London Flagship article

What: Kith has opened a Williamsburg flagship store, its second location in Brooklyn.

Why it is important: The flagship store has Kith's signature elements with unique details that are a nod to the neighborhood.

The CEO of Kith designed this location with the industrial spirit of the neighborhood, featuring brick, concrete, white oak, Rose Aurora Stone, and stainless steel with a minimalistic atmosphere, greenery, and earth tones that soften the space.

The store will carry Kith's in-house and multi-brand ready-to-wear apparel, accessories, and footwear for men, women, and kids. It also features a Kith Treats location with signature specials, a Build Your Own menu, and global collections.

A massive round brick sculpture is positioned in the center of the store, displaying the retailer's footwear offerings with an oakwood dome interior featuring a circular custom chandelier.

The changing rooms are constructed with Venetian plaster and covered with the brand's classic logo wallpaper.

Guests can also enjoy Kith Treats cereal bar and to-go window, which is finished with Rose Aurora Stone and features stainless steel countertops and stools.

Kith Williamsburg Flagship

Kith Williamsburg Flagship article

What: Coach Play Chicago is the first in a series of concept stores designed to encourage customer engagement.

Why it is important: The store concept takes an interactive approach while building on the retailer's positioning of expressive luxury to create emotional connections and spaces where customers can express themselves.

The space features Coach Create, a customization program where local artists will host workshops where customers can create unique pieces by personalizing bags. Additionally, the store carries ready-to-wear, bags, and accessories that are gender neutral.

Coach wants to take the intimidation factor out of walking into a luxury store by encouraging customers to touch, feel, and play with merchandise while also allowing easy access to the product assortment.

The Chicago space reimagines Coach's heritage with local elements mixed into a one of a kind immersive experience, where customers can connect more closely with Coach and their neighborhood. The store features nods to New York with vintage subway and street signs while also incorporating Chicago's culture with a baseball glove installation and marquee screen.

Following the opening of the Chicago store, the next Play concept stores will be opening in Singapore, Tokyo, and Salt Lake City.

coach play chicago

coach play chicago article

What: The new Adidas flagship store in Sanlitun, Beijing chooses to completely immerse visitors in a series of highly interactive and immersive installations.

Why it is important: Design teams at YSP and OUTPUT have completely redesigned the shopping experience, pulling out all the stops in an effort to draw customers back into stores. It's a full-on sensory experience that looks to engage visitors on many levels.

The store feels almost like an exhibition, blending virtual and physical realities with a totally fresh approach to visual merchandising. A giant interactive cube offers a lottery giving shoppers a chance to buy limited-edition items. Elsewhere a robotic arm plays Adidas products as if they are musical instruments, creating a soundtrack to the shopping experience.

Adidas' immersive flagship store 

Adidas' immersive flagship store article

What: Supreme has relocated to a truly spacious domain on the buzzing Sunset Strip.

Why it is important: Similar to a select number of other Supreme stores, this retail space emphasizes experiences by featuring a skate bowl as well as art pieces.

Occupying a low-rise structure built in 1970, the building has been renovated and remodelled, and now features 8,500 sq.ft. (790 sqm.). The interior design, created by London-based design practices Brinkworth and Wilson Brothers, and architect Neil Logan from New York City, includes a trophy feature. Similar to a select number of other Supreme stores stateside, this retail space was voluminous enough to install a skate bowl, and a seemingly floating one at that, created by Steven Badgett of American artist collective Simparch.

Against a backdrop of art pieces by various artists, including longtime collaborators Mark Gonzales, Josh Smith, Neck Face, Fuck This Life and Nate Lowman, clothing racks and shelving units line the walls, while a sales counter sits right next to the skate bowl.

Supreme in LA

Supreme in LA article

Taking the opportunity of the NRF/FIRA meetings, the IADS visited a selection of stores in order to update its knowledge of the market. Given the fact we performed extensive visits last year, and that only a limited number of actual innovations took place on the market since then, the list of visited places was kept on purpose limited. In the report, you can find a visit to Solana Spaces in Hudson Yards, Ferragamo on 63th Greene street, Hypebeast New York, 41 division street and Saks 5th Avenue.

IADS Retail Review : New York store visit

What: The Richemont Group's jewelry house Van Cleef & Arpels built a five-story flagship store in the chic Gangnam-gu district of Seoul. The design was entrusted to the Jouin Manku studio, which brought nature into the building, whose facade is covered in the brand's rhombus shapes.

Why it is important: Studio Jouin Manku has designed a space that echoes the mountains surrounding Seoul. A monumental garden is revealed to visitors. The latter is the result of a collaboration with Seo Ahn - a Korean landscape architect - who will change its composition each season. The rest of the shop's decoration remains sober and neutral to let nature take centre stage.

Van Cleef & Arpels Maison in Seoul 

Van Cleef & Arpels Maison in Seoul ARTICLE

What: The Canadian high-performance outerwear brand wanted to position its store as the beginning of a great adventure. Working with design studio Still Young, a symbolic 'campfire in the snow' creates a flow of interaction between people and the brand.

Why it is important: Only one-third of the space is used for sales as brand engagement is the priority.

The store is situated on a ground-floor corner that, with its blonde-wood cladding, seemingly protrudes as a separate entity from the multi-storey building. The wood's rich tan hue is an immediate visual contrast to the icy surroundings.

A circular veranda is the transition point between the exterior and interior, and a place where people can gather for a break, storing their equipment against the façade. Yellow lighting bathes the store in a welcoming glow that emanates outward. Inside, solid triangular structures punctuate the space, referencing licks of fire. The most notable is a glacier installation made from acrylic that incorporates a bar for gathering. Modular cabinetry facilitates new configurations in line with the light conditions. Meanwhile, three-dimensional folding ceiling elements and pale-hued fabric curtains simulate the sensation of being inside a tent.

In the back of the store is a mountain skills training zone dressed in dark grey stones and wooden panels. Mechanical pulleys repurposed from cable cars and a hanging fireplace make another area for customers to come together and interact.

Arc'teryx's store at the Beidahu Ski Resort in Jilin, China

Arc'teryx's store at the Beidahu Ski Resort in Jilin, China ARTICLE

What: Skin care is big business across the planet, and especially in Asia where many of the latest innovations come from. A new generation of innovative Chinese beauty brands has emerged, and one of them is Super Seed founded in 2020.

Why it is important: The rectangular main floor of the store sees a system of suspended cubes which are initially meant to provide ample lighting, but when independently lowered, they become displays and counters, allowing a wide range of configurations. On one side, the main floor is flanked by five different showrooms laden with the brand's many products. At the far end, on the opposite side, sits a laboratory room, which is used to interact with shoppers through product workshops, and an adjacent V.I.P. treatment room.

Combined with modern branding, Super Seed has quickly garnered a cult following among young and savvy Chinese consumers. Further expanding its retail operations to the next level, Super Seed has recently opened a second store at Kerry Centre, an upscale shopping centre in Hangzhou. Occupying a 300 sqm. unit, the store features an interior design by F.O.G Architecture, an architecture practice with offices in Chongqing, Shanghai and London, which is inspired by the brand's hi-tech product range. In fact, the nifty aesthetic taps right into the technology vibe, laboratory design, and specifically, the seed extract procedures which form the base of the Super Seeds products.

Super Seed in Hangzhou

Super Seed in Hangzhou ARTICLE

What: Ecoalf, a sustainable fashion brand, has opened its first CO2- neutral store in Madrid.

Why it is important: Ecoalf is committed to reaching zero emissions by 2030 and taking necessary actions by putting the planet at the center of every decision they make.

Ecoalf worked with interior designer Lorenzo Castillo and bioclimatic architecture experts, MVN Arquitectos to open its new brick-and-mortar in the Madrid retail space, Caleido.

The shop is characterized by the use of sustainable, recycled materials that can be reused or recycled at the end of their life cycle. The furniture is made from oak wood and covered in natural raffia, the tables have a white clay insert, and the terracotta ceilings and walls are decorated with wooden beams sourced from Spanish forests. Additionally, the cushions, curtains, and furniture are upholstered with 100% recycled polyester fabrics that give plastic bottles a second life.

Ecoalf has also collaborated with Emovili, a Spanish solar panel installation company to reduce its energy consumption. The shop has 15 solar panels made from silicone that are almost entirely recyclable, have an average lifespan of 25 years, and prevent 2.95 tons of CO2 from entering the atmosphere each year.

Ecoalf opens its first carbon-neutral shop in madrid

Ecoalf opens its first carbon-neutral shop in Madrid ARTICLE

What: Axel Arigato ticks off another leading European capital city with the inauguration of its newest flagship store in Berlin.

Why it is important: Axel Arigato's new Berlin flagship is housed within a former hospitality space that the brand intends to keep alive by creating regular in-store events for the community of Mitte.

The interior design, crafted by Stockholm-based architect Christian Halleröd, brings a uniquely Scandinavian aesthetic sensibility to the displays with several monolithic travertine podiums of different sizes and heights, wrapped around massive pillars dipped in a high-gloss pastel yellow hue, as well as various settings framed by matching travertine flooring and a pristine white ceiling adorned by rows of linear lights. Large floor-to-ceiling mirrors and an equally sizable LED screen displaying creative content boost the immersive shopping experience.

The new Axel Arigato store carries the brand's full range of men's and women's footwear, apparel, accessories and a quirky assortment of objects.

Shien opens Christmas pop-up in London

Axel Arigato opens flagship in Berlin ARTICLE I

Axel Arigato opens flagship in Berlin ARTICLE II

What: Shein continues its physical retail strategy with a Christmas pop-up in London.

Why it is important: Located at The Stables, 25 Shelton St, West End, London, the two-storey pop-up showcases curated picks of the season, and features a hot chocolate station, manicure bar and a nail machine that can print designs directly onto the nails, both of which customers can enjoy for free.

Like Shein's other pop-up locations, each piece of clothing features a SKU number to enable omnichannel shopping and a 360-degree photo machine for customers to use and post their clips on social media. The space also features a dedicated area for SheGlam, Shein's makeup collection.

The pop-up will be open only for a limited time, from December 2 to 4.

Shein opens Christmas pop-up in London

Shein opens Christmas pop-up in London ARTICLE

What: Showfields opens a location in Georgetown, Washington, D.C.

Why it is important: The three-level building is taking over the former site of Brooks Brothers and showcasing its unique retail format in the 20,000 square-foot space with over 70 brands and additional lines to be added in the coming months.

The ground floor showcases several Black-owned brands spanning a range of categories. Skincare and body care products include a handcrafted, small-batch skin care line called East Sound Lane; sustainable Jeunera Skincare, and Flamingo body, hair and care tools.

The new Showfields store reuses a lot of the existing infrastructure of the previous store reimagined into a colourful and engaging retail experience. Similarly to the House of Showfields location in Brooklyn New York, the Georgetown location is also organized into departments that represent different rooms in a house.

Showfields opens in Georgetown

Showfields opens in Georgetown ARTICLE