The LVMH-owned travel brand is opening a store in Soho featuring a "passport studio", promising customers luxurious passport photos. The store is designed in partnership with architecture firms MA-MA and Mass Studio.

The studio fits into Rimowa's location-based retail strategy, where locations offer city-specific merchandise like stickers designed for each store. The brand will put up wild posting advertisements around the neighbourhood, as well as target places like metro station boards.

Given the international foot traffic Soho receives, the space will act as a global testing grounds for the experiential offering. The brand hopes the passport station will make people stay even longer, especially to see new products and understand its shift from identifying as a "travel" brand to what it calls a "mobility" brand with a recent expansion into soft, everyday-use products like backpacks and purses, a driver for bringing in aspirational buyers who aren't quite ready to purchase expensive luggage.

SPOTLIGHT: THE RIMOWA PASSPORT STUDIO IN SOHO, NYC

Rimowa opens first experiential store in NYC flagship

What: A holistic approach on both the instore experience and the waiting time to enter the store

Why it is important:  Queues are somehow a deterrent for many customers, and distributing catalogues or flyers might not be enough to make this experience enjoyable.

Skincare brand SK-II has launched a pop-up stores campaign in China, with a special attention given to queue management, with their "The Line is the Ride" operation. Given the fact that visitors in the store can have their skin scanned and receive personalised proposals, which can take time, SK-II decided to also make sure that waiting to enter was enjoyable.

This is the reason why during the waiting time, visitors can access a WeChat Mini program, where they can watch a movie made by the brand, or play an augmented reality game.

This helps making the waiting time shorted, while immerging the customer in the brand environment even before entering the store.

skii makes the line part of the experience at chinese pop ups

SK-II and the art of dealing with queues

What:  A bank in Georgia has redesigned its flagship into a lifestyle space designed to align with its customers' needs

Why it is important: Just like for retailers, other services area need to carefully think about what to do with their real estate and what purpose their available premises should serve. This bank has made a clear choice to integrate its retail space in both its customers' lives and the city itself, with a smart approach that could be inspiring for some stores.

Georgian bank TBC has opened their new flagship in the capital city Tbilisi. The space, spanning on 4 floors and 2,400 sq.m, proposes new usages to the bank's customers, in order to align with their needs: exhibition spaces, library, café, and co-working spaces.

Regarding the open office space, customers are able to stay there for a few hours but also to rent on a long-term basis some rooms. In the library, they are able to access educational literature, podcasts and videos, on a range of professional topics, and they can buy trade publication and stationery at the Newsagents store, a "newsagent-meets-stationer" shop. TBC bank will also host events in this space, including book launches.

The goal of the bank is to create a space where people want to spend time, and also be a creative and educational centre in the city of Tbilisi.

TBC Concept opens first Flagship Space in Georgia 

Retail, reinvented… in a bank (pictures)

Little more than two years since it opened, experiential concept store ENG has become one of Shanghai's must-see stores. More importantly, with its futuristic spaceship interior and buzzy atmosphere, the store has proven a hit with Chinese Gen Z consumers. According to Bain, Gen Z currently make up 13% of global luxury spending, but account for 23% of ENG's customers. In 2020, ENG generated RMB 8.9 million (USD 1.4 million) in turnover

For its opening, back in May 2019, ENG invited visual artists to transform the 500-square-metre floor space into a backdrop for British rapper Lancey Foux. The store hosted some other 20 events over the following seven months alone, driving an estimated 30% of monthly sales.

TX Mall, where the new store is located, includes exhibitions, restaurants and nightclubs and was created to target young Chinese consumers. It has quickly developed into a favourite destination for Gen Z.  In a palette of silver, white and electric blue, ENG has a spacious shop floor featuring holographic projections and 24/7 vending machines mostly selling sneakers. The fashion offer, which includes Mugler, Ludovic de Saint Sernin, Martine Rose, Ottolinger, Telfar and Helmut Lang, is divided by brand rather than gender. The second floor of the store is a "playful area" where consumers can relax with books and archive magazines.

Despite their upbringing as digital natives, most Gen Zs like to shop in-store. According to the Vogue Business Index, 71% of Chinese Gen Zs inform their luxury purchase decisions in shopping malls, among the highest percentage globally. Compared with other Chinese age groups, Gen Z is the most highly committed to the physical retail experience.

Starting from scratch made it easier for ENG to shape itself around its young consumers. This is inevitably more challenging for luxury brands, which are likely to to preserve long-established traditional aspects of their marketing. ENG's futuristic aesthetic, for example, taps into Gen Z's fascination with Y2K fashion and digital landscapes, metaverses and gaming. Playful tech add-ons like holographic projections, QR codes and the store's vending machines further blur the line between online and offline experience.

Events are a well-known marketing play for brands to attract new consumers and launch new products. But ENG takes events to another level, making them a central part of the shopping experience, connecting with a generation that looks for emotional value and experiences to share with peers. Some of their most successful events have involved beloved local celebrities and popular international brands like Mugler and Misbhv. They often include the launch of exclusive pieces, limited-edition collaborations, access to the designers and exclusive brand content to be projected in-store.

Inside Shanghai's coolest concept store

Chinese fashion retailer ENG is opening a second store in Shanghai's Youth Energy Center (pictures)

Nestled in the heart of the city's San Marco neighbourhood, the store features floor-to-ceiling windows that show off its special décor, which includes sculptures and bullet hole prints.

The store relegates its shelves and racks to either side, leaving the centre largely open. This marks Supreme's first retail location since Supreme San Francisco opened in October 2019 and Supreme Brooklyn opened in October 2017.

This is the 13th retail store for the New York-based brand which was acquired by apparel and footwear company VF Corporation (also parent company to Vans, The North Face and Timberland), for $2.1 billion.

Supreme opens in Milan

The brand opened its fifth U.S. location. Designed by James Dyson, the format is engineered to encourage visitors to pick up, test and experienced Dyson products hands-on. Each space is focused on education and experience, with Dyson experts available to demonstrate and/or explain each item — in-person or via live video chat.

The location includes a dedicated space offering appointments for professional hair styling, including blow-outs. Five styling stations and one wash basin are featured. The stylists utilize Dyson's hair-styling tools. Customers can customize select purchases via complimentary debossing of initials.

The store also puts Dyson's latest cord-free vacuuming technology through its paces, with different types of debris and dust spread across three different floor types. Visitors can also learn about local air quality and how to manage the pollution within their homes. Dyson's full line of air treatment products is on display and brought to life with Dyson-engineered demonstrations.

Dyson has recreated its store experience online. Customers can also learn about the brand technologies through a fully interactive, virtual tour of the company's London, Los Angeles, Paris and Guangzhou stores. Augmented reality filters are available to simulate the at-home experience of a Dyson product and experts are available for live video demonstrations of any Dyson machine or styling tool.

Dyson puts its tech prowess on display at its newest 'demo' store

The multibrand retailer is continuing its expansion in Asia, where it already counts doors in Macau and Hong Kong. Cofounders are eying Shanghai as next destination.

Covering a 5,382-square-foot surface, the store was designed by Italian architect Vincenzo de Cotiis, who conceived the interior concepts of all the retailer's doors worldwide.

The space, dominated by essential lines and enhanced by contrasting textures, metal elements and a juxtaposition of shiny and matte finishes, is flanked by a pop-up area dedicated to accessories.


What:  A recent retail concept for kids, launched 2 years ago in the US, with 5 locations

Why it is important:  By rethinking what they bring to customers (time to spend together in family, rather than products to buy for kids), they have also reoriented their business model with additional revenue streams. The partnership/sponsorship of space is interesting to look at, as it could be applicable in department stores too.

Camp is a toy store with 5 locations in NY, Texas and Connecticut, with the first one opened in NYC in 2019 (see the NYTimes review). What sets it apart from the competition is the full staging of the offer, proposing activities to children and their family, before selling them products. In clear, their purpose is literally to be a theme-park or a holiday-like destination for families looking to spend time together in a fun environment. It translates into their slogan: "a family experience company".

How is this achieved?

• Every space is staged, according to universes likely to appeal to children, but also to adults, and make sure they want to spend time with their kids in such premises,
• Some spaces are sponsored and branded, giving brands opportunities to stand out of the crowd, but also generating an extra stream of revenue to Camp,
• Product selection is special and unique,
• Regular events, both online and offline, are held in order to keep traffic returning. For instance, a Secret Santa game was proposed both in store and online, where 20,000 people joined the game,
• Online offer is reproducing the activities proposed in store, with categories such as "summer camp", "build your bookshelf", making sure that the purpose also appears online on the web store. As a consequence, parents might be tempted to let their kids browse the website (including games) when they can not come to the store, thus contributing to the brand's awareness within the family.

In terms of revenue, it is threefold: products sold on site, partnerships with brands (online and offline), F&B and experience.

A similar concept emerged in the Middle East, Kidzania, in the wake of the mall culture, quite specific to this region. It is interesting to see that Camp brings a similar approach to central New York, and proposes to turn shopping into another kind of activity, making it interesting and desirable.

As a result, 57% of customers come at least once a month, 25% come more than once a month, and 16% come at least once a week.

This Toy Store Invites Children to Play. But Will It Sell Anything

The Future Of Retail Is In This Store

Camp toy store

What:  DFS opens the second phase of its new store in Hainan, while completion is due in 2 years

Why it is important:  The new store is entirely based on experience for Chinese tourists unable to travel internationally.

DFS has opened the second phase of "The World in a Day", its experiential store in the Times DF x DFS Haikou Mission Hills duty free complex in Hainan.

The completion of the store is expected in 2023 and will occupy a total surface of 50,000 square meters.

It aims to reproduce the wonders of the world for Chinese customers unable to travel internationally due to Covid-19 pandemic, with attractions based on Venice, Paris, Sydney and Macao themes.

DFS unveils stage 2 of its Hainan experiential store 

DFS unveils the second phase of its experiential store "the world in a day"

What:  Two new stores opened in Jakarta reflecting the new strategy from the brand

Why it is important:  Instead of trying to catch all customers with one store, Adidas has made the choice to open fully dedicated stores for each type of customer: the technical addict, and the fashion fan, with the hope to create a local community and fandom.

Adidas has partnered with a local player to launch 2 'hyperlocal' concepts  in the Pondok Indah Mall 3:

• the Stadium Evolution store on 350 sqm, displaying the complete lineup of technical products (running, sportswear, training, football, bastketball) in a sports stadium environment. This is a first for adidas, as it uses digital displays and sensors to complement the information provided to customers
• the Collection store on 340 sqm, aiming at streetwear fans, and acting as a hub for Adidas Originals products.

They are co-conceived with local artists and aim at fostering a physical community around the values promoted by Adidas: express one's personality and fortify one's true self. At the same times, those two radically different stores allow the brand to address all customers from both ends of the spectrum.

More and more brands go hyper local in order to create and nurture a local community, and be able to identify and cater for their needs through the usage of collected data.

Adidas opens hyperlocal stores in Indonesia

Adidas Launches New Concept Stores at Pondok Indah Mall 3 in Jakarta

Adidas opens hyperlocal stores in Indonesia (pictures)

Swiss retailer Migros opened its new Bridge supermarket in Zurich. Bridges defines itself as a new meeting place for food culture. The 2 000 sqm concept is blurring lines between retail and catering, with an emphasis on culinary experiences and on-site manufacturing.

Focusing on sustainability, only FSC-certified materials were used to build the interior of the supermarket. Furniture is 100% modular allowing Bridge to multiply pop up stores. It also has a Food Lab and a mobile stage for concerts, movie nights, etc. The decorations are inspired by street art that give the supermarket an urban look.

Bridge supermarket in Zurich

Hermes has transformed its flagship store in the China World Trade Centre in Beijing with a focus on sustainability.

Spanning two floors, and more than 900sqm, the store design is highlighted by a 11 metre-high façade inspired by a forest of bamboo which feature engraved double-glass panels. Designed by Parisian architecture agency RDAI, Hermes China World's interior embraces warm ambience and "a feeling of lightness and tranquillity". Most materials and interiors were created in collaboration with local craftsmen, including the nuanced terrazzo floors made of Chinese stone and pebble aggregate, the Faubourg Saint-Honoré mosaics, hand-fashioned furnishings and cabinetry.

The store features a full range of Hermes leather goods, silk, accessories, ready-to-wear for men and women, home collection. A men's made-to-measure salon and a VIP room for privacy and exclusive customer services are also among the store features.

Hermes puts sustainability on show in Beijing's China World store revamp

Lacoste Melrose Place, the new concept store by French heritage brand Lacoste, revealed the next chapter of its retail narrative: Lacoste Country Club. According to the company, Lacoste looked to its own rich tennis history to create an elaborate and thoughtful retail experience, transporting shoppers to a destination that evokes the spirit of a luxurious yet inclusive Southern California country club. Lacoste U.S.A. said, "As we emerge out of the pandemic, consumers are looking for connectivity and community. I believe we'll see more of a demand for physical interaction or experiences and cravings for in-person energy."

A celebrity table tennis event was held for the opening of the store. Lacoste said, "The idea of the table tennis tournament was to connect young Hollywood's cultural tastemakers and influencers with Lacoste's deep roots in tennis in a fun way, while remaining conscious of social distancing." Lacoste plans to balance out new brand collaborations with hero collections. Recently, Lacoste debuted the Lacoste X Ricky Regal collection co-designed by Bruno Mars.

The store will be reimagined about every six weeks with new product assortments and varying themes. Lacoste continues to reinvent itself as showcased by the new Country Club concept. Keeping both the tennis enthusiast and streetwear aficionado in mind, Lacoste Country Club will feature an updated modern assortment of casual wear alongside Lacoste's Tennis Sport collection.

In April 2021, the innovative Lacoste U.S. flagship store located on Broadway in the SoHo neighborhood of New York City was opened featuring a new store design including a customization area, new product offerings through creative collaborations, unique design features and a heightened customer experience.

Lacoste unveils new elaborate retail experience: the Lacoste Country Club

Related item:

• Lacoste unveils a revamped flagship store in New York's SoHo

Geely, a Chinese subsidiary of the Volvo car brand, launched a new car dealership concept  inspired by club houses. Opened in a historic building in downtown Amsterdam, where almost half of the trips are on two wheels, the choice of the city may seem strange but Lynk & Co is more than just a dealer. The club house is the promotional façade for a hybrid SUV.

The brand's strategy is simple: focus on car sharing through a subscription system and attract potential future customers through the range of services offered by the club house which includes a lounge area with a bar to host DJ sets, exhibitions as well as workshops, film screenings, etc…

These events are reserved exclusively for members. There are also 2 meeting rooms, 1 auditorium, 1 private cinema room and a pop-up shop-in-shop space. Here, the car is no longer the central element of the concept, it is discreetly displayed in a dedicated space, surrounded by metal screens.

Lynk & Co, an innovative car subscription concept

Moncler has opened a new Hong Kong boutique purely for its children's wear range, Moncler Enfant. The 140 sqm store, at Ocean Terminal in the Harbour City shopping centre, is intended to continue to strengthen Moncler's presence in the territory and the mall, complementing the brand's flagship which opened at harbour City in 2017. A small cable car imported from Italy will be displayed in the store – a nod to the brand's mountain heritage.

Moncler unveils Enfant boutique in Hong Kong

What: the new Browns store in London includes a club house for its VIP customers

Why it is important:  Initially launched in 2017 as the "store of the future", Browns, owned by Farfetch, was supposed to be a full digital showcase. By introducing zones of experience and human exchange, Browns aims at being a social destination before a digital experience.

GDR UK, a retail intelligence agency based in London, released some information about the new Browns flagship in London. Browns, owned by Farfetch, opened its new four-storey store as an omnichannel retreat, merging experience and technology. The flagship includes a restaurant (specialized in zero-waste food), a courtyard, and a club house, only opened to VIP customers, where they can chat with stylists at the bar.

There is also a pop-up space, "the Focus room", to push specific brands. The whole store is equipped with "augmented retail" technology, allowing customers to have more information, pieces of advice and additional pieces proposals, through RFID and screens all across the place.

The Browns flagship in London includes a clubhouse

The new 39 Brook Street address is within a Grade II* listed Georgian townhouse, a two-minute walk from Browns' original shop on South Molton Street. The move puts Browns further from the frenzied shopping of Oxford Street and nearer to the moneyed clientele of New Bond Street, which Browns hopes to woo.

The store is the newest manifestation of Farfetch's Store of the Future, which blends digital and physical experiences. Using the Browns app in-store mode, you can share your wish list with staff, so they know what you're interested in. In the dressing rooms, there are interactive mirrors that display the items in your wishlist, showing how the pieces have been styled, available sizes and other complementary products. Instead of ringing up items at a till, you'll receive a click-to-buy link so you can check out in-store, or at a later time and have the goods delivered to your home. You can also virtually try on watches and sneakers using the app, either in-store or at home.

The store, designed with Dimorestudio, features marble fireplaces, Flemish art and chintzy wallpaper contrasting with "contemporary" materials such as aluminium, stripped wood and fluorescent lights. One of the key parts of the store is the space for personal shopping and Browns' top spenders. The top floor is dedicated to serving these clients, with three private suites decked out in crushed velvet, a dining area and a beauty parlour. Browns is willing to encourage customers to hang out, rather than just shop.

Browns' new boutique in London looks to the future

Snow Peak opens a Japan-inspired hospitality-driven hybrid store and restaurant at its new U.S. headquarters in Portland

Designing a retail experience, restaurant and new headquarters all-in-one may seem like the equivalent of summiting a mountain for some, but the design teams at Snow Peak and Skylab Architecture (Portland, Ore.), met the challenges head on.

Set at 15,000 square feet, the retail/restaurant/office hybrid features ample amenities indoors and out. Guests step down into the main store from the street and are eventually beckoned upward to the showroom. The concept also features a restaurant, event space and an outdoor patio. The patio is key to the restaurant and an extension of the showroom, where customers can witness products being used.

Outdoor lifestyle retailer Snow Peak bets on customer experience

The new interior design of the Gentle Monster store in Beijing at Sanlitun is themed The Revolution, is inspired by a plant's journey through the evolution process, and infused with a solid dose of the brand's signature fantastical hi-tech.

Upon entering the boutique, shoppers encounter a gigantic installation revolving around two circular-shaped accelerators, rotating devices which stimulates the plant's evolution, followed by an installation featuring an old tree with newly grown hi-tech branches. One floor up, a different setting unfolds which sees the merchandise itself gaining the limelight. Shelving and displays are crafted from different metals and wood, but also in a variety of designs, creating a sophisticated visual layering.

The renewed Gentle Monster flagship store carries the full range of sunglasses and prescription eyewear, in addition to all collaboration collections. Gentle Monster is partly owned by LVMH.

Gentle Monster renovates its store in Beijing

What: An appliance manufacturer launches a new store mixing retail, DYI and experience

Why it is important:  Department Stores are usually strong both in kitchen appliances and capability to welcome customers in F&B areas. This new initiative could be easily reproduced and provide a new experience to customers while being potentially a new source of revenue for department stores.

Consumer electronics brand Miele has opened an 'Experience Centre' in Australia, letting customers host in-store dinner parties and allowing them to try the appliances. They are able to cook with their friends and family, and can have access to a remote chef via the M Chef technology. A third of the store surface is dedicated to this experience, while vacuum cleaners and washing machines are also sold there.

Letting customers host in-store dinner parties to try ovens

The revamped unit on Broadway, which is intended to centre around art, innovation and community, will be replicated in other U.S. stores as well as internationally.

The format reflects recent changes at Lacoste in general and is designed to showcase the identity of the brand. That includes drawing on the company's heritage but in a way that also appeals to today's customer.

The SoHo store also highlights the brand's entire product range instead of just the polo shirt and increases its focus on women's wear. Although Lacoste is a "men's dominant business, one of the goals is to continue to grow the women's business in the U.S.

The store was designed by the local architectural firm Design Republic, which worked in tandem with Lacoste's in-house architectural design team in Paris to create a "New York-meets-Paris spirit," the company said.

The store includes an art-inspired exterior, a polo wall and a customization area. There's also a dedicated footwear pop-up at the entrance and the dressing rooms draw inspiration from a canister of tennis balls. Customers can also have their shirts and other products personalized by selecting from among the brand's assortment of rotating digital services and designs.

Although e-commerce business has been very strong, especially in the past year, the company's investment in its stores reflects its continued belief in physical retail. The store is seeking to create a sense of community by partnering with brands and cultural institutions in food, fashion and beauty, as it strives to become a destination for local shoppers.

Wholesale, with partners such as Macy's, Amazon, Bloomingdale's, Saks Fifth Avenue and others, remains a well-developed and very important part of Lacoste's total business. And although the company's direct-to-consumer channels represent a larger percentage of the total, wholesale continues to be meaningful.

Lacoste unveils a revamped flagship store in New York's SoHo

What: Versace unveiled a flagship and showroom dedicated to its home line with furniture in Milan.

Why it is important: The flagship introduces the first furniture designs created in partnership with Luxury Living.

Located in a design district, the 5,400 square foot store designed by Vudafieri Saverino Partners, known in fashion circles for designing concept stores. The flagship features the first furniture designs created in partnership with Luxury Living, part of Lifestyle Design Group, a licensing agreement inked last fall.

Rather than feeling like a furniture store, the unit is structured like a luxurious home, with an entrance hall, a dining room, long corridors and a master suite. A subtle graphic Greek pattern runs throughout the space in reference to Versace's signature motif.

Versace is planning to further expand its home line, previously manufactured internally.  With the new license, Versace is introducing three key designs in the store — the Venus armchair, the Goddess sofa and the Stiletto cabinet, which all pay tribute to Gianni Versace's lifestyle.

The Milan flagship is the first of at least 5 stores expected to launch in London, Miami, Paris, Los Angeles, and New York. Versace was one of the first fashion houses to launch home interiors in 1992, focused first on textiles, but now the collection has grown to include clothing for the bedroom and bathroom, furniture, wallpaper and accessories.

Versace unveils new home flagship

Like other Kith's outposts, the location will do triple-duty, housing a Kith retail, Kith Treats and Kith for Sadelle's restaurant.

From the ground floor, visitors will ascend a restored Carrara marble staircase to the apparel level, which includes men's, women's, kids and footwear suites. The ceiling above the staircase is adorned with a bespoke chandelier crafted with resin-cast Nike Air Max 1s; with each new flagship continent, KITH highlights a different legacy sneaker. The Sadelle's restaurant occupies the courtyard space and will serve a unique brunch menu. The Kith Treats is adjacent to the restaurant on the ground floor of the building. In the basement level, you'll find a rotating gallery space that will host a variety of immersive programming in line with KITH's latest collaborations and drops.

Founder Ronnie Fieg enlisted Snarkitecture company to design the store located close to Champs-Elysées.

In order to both ensure Covid-related safety measures and create excitement over the opening, the store is to be visited by appointment only.

Kith opens its first European location, an opulent flagship store in Paris

What:  a new concept for a beauty store in Mumbai, India

Why it is important: it includes novel ideas and processes that could be reproduced by department stores

GDR UK, a retail intelligence agency based in London, spotted the new store opening by MyGlamm, an Indian beauty brand, in Mumbai. It is centred on safe product trial, social media and co-creation on 300 sqm:

• Safe product trial: each customer is given a sanitisation kit to clean products before and after trial, in addition to virtual tutorials and try-on apps,
• Social media: customers find content creation booths to use products and take selfies
• Co-creation: a secret lab, only open to members of the brand's community, allows them to test crowdsourced innovations.

In this store, retail merges with digital to appeal to Gen-Z customers in a very efficient way.

mumbai beauty store focuses on co creation and social media

Co-creation and social media in Beauty Store (pictures)