Conceived in 2013 as a business run by women for women, Josefinas’s partners were brought together through a network of entrepreneurs in Portugal.
Josefinas Portugal by Christian Lahoude Studio
Stores Are Not Town Squares
Without the budget or political support to create new public spaces in cities, it’s no surprise that corporations have stepped in.
Inside The L.A. Mall That’s Defying The Retail Apocalypse
As malls across the country succumb to declining foot traffic and the lure of online shopping, a development in Los Angeles’s artsy Culver City neighborhood is proving that it’s still possible to draw customers in person—if you design the right experience. Called Platform, the year-and-a-half-old space is a cluster of boutiques, workout studios, offices, and restaurants by up-and-coming chefs, all housed in an Instagram-worthy refurbished industrial complex.
How Manhattan Got Vertical Retail Right, Again
After building a few duds in the late 20th century, architects and developers are giving New Yorkers a better multi-level retail experience with a mix of new ideas and lessons from the past.
Architecture’s increasing role in branding and advertising
Tokyo opens ‘Good Design’ store designed by Jasper Morrison
The beige-dominated shop was designed by famed British industrialist designer Jasper Morrison—known for creating economic, efficient, and tasteful designs in an era of fashionable flamboyance.
Under Armour opens new Brand House in Detroit’s historic Kresge Building
Photos Courtesy Michael Samsky
Detroit is now home to the newest Under Armour Brand House. The multistory sports-apparel showroom and store is housed in the historic 1917 Kresge Building in downtown Detroit. Local Kraemer Design Group (KDG) worked as historic consultant and architect of record on the project, and Sachse Construction was general contractor. Working with Bedrock, the building owner, KDG worked to maintain protected historic features throughout the project including the original marble walls and the brass handrails in a monumental staircase.
SITU Studio crafts a uniquely flexible display system for a New York City vinyl record and audiophile store
Despite the recent resurgence in vinyl record sales, brick-and-mortar music retail remains a challenging business. New York City’s Turntable Lab—which sells vinyl, high-end audiophile equipment, and merchandise, catering to professional DJs and casual listeners alike—had successfully graduated from its small starting location near the Cooper Union to a larger, 1,200-square-foot space nearby.
Opportunity Knocks
Department store closings continue to raise concerns about the long-term viability of shopping centers, but maybe the doomsayers have it all wrong. Shuttering failing anchors and recapturing under-utilized space could unleash the opportunities needed to revitalize retail mixed-use development and improve profitability now and in the future.
Why Apple's new in-store experience aims to fuel creativity in everyone
I'm humbled to be considered an “influencer" by the LinkedIn community. Though, truthfully, I consider myself more perpetual student than expert (evidenced by my ever-growing pile of reading material). I look to the many thinkers, leaders, and culture-makers who’ve crossed my path in life and work for inspiration, and they feed my curiosity and reinforce my ideas. And of course I continue to be blessed by the sustaining influences in my life— my parents, husband, kids and friends.
Retail Design Through the Trade Show Lens
The U.S. retail sector continues to evolve radically, with over 8,600 stores across multiple brands set to close in 2017, the fastest annual rate of closure ever seen. However, retail behemoths like Ulta and Target are opening stores at a rapid clip, and Wall Street can’t get enough of digital natives turned bricks-and-mortar purveyors Bonobos and Warby Parker. Even Amazon is getting into the storefront arena with select physical store sites opening across the country to sell curated-by-customer assortments of category favorites.
Retailtainment: The New Shopping Experience
Innovative diversification and mixed-use programming strategies are creating hybrid retail and entertainment development as traditional, anchor department stores continue to shutter locations and more shoppers take to the web. Many malls are already expanding programming in response to generational consumer trends—and are thriving. In the process, they’re exploring new technologies and incorporating different types of anchors to drive traffic, which is defining new paradigms for the future.
A New Breed of Fast Fashion Experience in Asia
From H&M to Zara, the fast fashion sector has enjoyed rapid growth over the past few years, largely driven by consumer demand for affordable, on-trend clothing. In a world where the retail experience is as important as the product, consumers are craving a more elevated, curated shopping environment, with brands seeking to remain relevant and engage in new ways.
One fast fashion retailer is offering such an “experience centric” approach. Gensler collaborated with 8Seconds (a brand under Samsung C&T fashion) to develop a prototype for 8Seconds’ new store that aims to be the destination for everything related to Korean fast fashion. Recently, 8Seconds celebrated the opening of its new locations in Shanghai and Seoul. The Shanghai flagship marked the brand’s first step outside Korea, while the redesigned Seoul store expands 8Seconds’ local presence. The new stores are more than a place to shop: they offer an immersive lifestyle experience.
Why Starbucks And Apple Are Embracing The Big-Box Mentality
Starbucks has announced a store that’s more than twice as large as any Starbucks that has come before—a roastery that will open in Chicago in 2019.
Starbucks opened its first store of this type in Seattle in 2015. Built to roast beans on site, it was then the world’s biggest Starbucks. We called the 15,000-square-foot hipster mecca of brass and mixed woods both “monstrous” and “gorgeous.” But perhaps the wildest conceit of it was this: It was no loss-lead flagship. Starbucks planned for it to break a profit–and it has, giving Starbucks a four-times return on its investment to date.
Apple to roll out “gathering space” concept in global store redesign
Apple is launching a new global store concept that will see every Apple store become a “modern-day town square” and events space for the general public.
The initiative will see almost 500 Apple stores around the world host free events, workshops and training sessions for the public on subjects such as design and coding.
Beyond Retail: Part 1
In part one of a three-part series, CallisonRTKL Vice President Kyle Jeffery examines how blurring the lines of retail can have enormous impact.
In the past, retail was a space that relied on transaction rather than interaction. But now everyone—and I don’t just mean millennials—wants more than that. To compete with online shopping, we have to think beyond classic retail and design a place infused with social activities and unique experiences. Shopping can no longer just be a transaction; it must be infused with interaction, emotion, education, entertainment and social and community growth. It must be a place that supports commerce but through experiential places and a community connection. Detached malls and strip centers are vestiges of the past. Today, retail centers must be linked with living, working and lifestyle amenities.
Moving forward, three elements will provide a platform for a thriving retail experience: blurring the lines of program, inventing innovative alternatives to retailers and providing a platform to let the program flex and change.
Herman Miller Broadens Consumer Reach with New York City Retail Store
Global design manufacturer Herman Miller, Inc. today announced the opening of a Herman Miller-branded retail store anchoring the company's New York City flagship. Open to the public as of Tuesday, November 22, 2016, the store occupies 6,000 SF on the ground and second floors of Herman Miller's multi-level presence at 251 Park Avenue South in Manhattan. The store is part of Herman Miller's transformation into a premium lifestyle company, and will offer consumers the opportunity to connect with Herman Miller through a new channel.
Three design trends redefining how we shop
The retail sphere has been the focus for exciting design and technological advances in recent years. Retailers are understanding that shops need to be a physical expression of what they stand for and are using design to bring their brands to life.
The end results are the many permutations of a customer driven strategy, including “neighbourhood” events and work from local artists in Adidas Originals stores; an eco “Spa” in the Oxford Street flagship of cosmetic brand Lush; interactive maps inspiring holidaymakers in travel specialist Thomson; the ability to shop directly from the Instagram feed of frame specialist SimplyFramed.com and virtual reality headsets that give consumer’s a Fashion Week front row feel in TopShop.
ARCHITECTURE MEETS RETAIL IN THE NEXT GENERATION OF POP-UP SHOPS
Megan Berry’s innovative retail pop-up company "by REVEAL" packs a lot into a 6-by-6-foot space: Carefully chosen items from a number of inventive brands. Dressing rooms. Portability. Angled shelves that heighten curiosity and drama from the exterior.
Each boutique — known as "a REVEAL" — even powers itself, is waterproof and lockable and can be set up or taken down in 20 minutes.
This article was published in the October 2016 issue of STORES Magazine.
Microsoft’s First Flagship Store Debuts on New York’s Fifth Avenue
Last week, on a chilly October afternoon in New York, a crowd gathered for the opening of Microsoft’s first flagship store. Located between 53rd and 54th streets on Manhattan’s bustling Fifth Avenue, the Seattle-based company’s newest retail space is just five blocks south of the glass-cubed Apple Store designed by Bohlin Cywinski Jackson.