The cyberspace is an increasingly interlinked web where risks are exacerbated by rising geopolitical tensions, speedy adoption of emerging technologies, and regulatory requirements. The growing elaborateness of value chains combined with the lack of oversight into the security levels of suppliers has been identified as the leading cybersecurity risk for organisations by the World Economic Forum's Global Cybersecurity Outlook 2025. The report also concluded that the widening cyber skills gap is fuelling increased cyber inequity among industries and scales of organisations.

The retail industry accounted for about 24% of all cybersecurity attacks in 2020i and faced more data breaches than any other industry.ii As of 2024, ransomware attacks on the retail industry have increased by 22%iii. The rise of e-commerce has created new opportunities for cybercriminals to target retailers given the wealth of payment information as well as personally identifying characteristics that retailers possess. As the harnessing of data-driven technologies by retailers grows, cybercriminals have a larger target surface area to attack.

Several brands and department stores have been targeted in recent years. In March 2025, IADS member El Corte Inglés faced a data breach involving sensitive information, including identification and contact details, as well as credit card numbers used for purchases. More recently, in April 2025, Marks & Spencer was cyberattacked by teenage hacker gang Scattered Spider that led to a GBP 700 million loss in valuation and an estimated impact of GBP 300 million on its profit followed by Harrods and the Co-op. In mid-July, Louis Vuitton reported a data breach of over 400,000 customers' personal information that triggered an investigation by Hong Kong's privacy watchdog. According to Grant Thorton, less than half retail businesses have a cyber-strategy in place which is below the global average (52%) for all businesses.iv Given that large retailers collect immense amounts of data from their customers, cyberattacks pose operational and reputational risks.

i:  2020 Trustwave Global Security Report

ii:  6 ways hackers are targeting retail businesses

iii: Europe Retail Threat Landscape 2024

vi:  Cyber security concerns in the retail sector

IADS Exclusive: Fortifying the value chain: cybersecurity strategies for retail

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Depending on countries, there are different ways of sharing company ownership, whether it's through partnerships, worker cooperatives, ESOPs (Employee Stock Ownership Plans, collective pension trusts in which employees do not have to put up their own money) in the US, or employee stock purchase plans, which allow employees to buy company stock at a discount. Company ownership can also be shared with customers.

At a time when younger generations look for more meaningful jobs and a sense of belonging in responsible companies, shared capitalism in its different forms is interesting to consider. Taking the opportunity of the IADS welcoming John Lewis & Partners department store among its members, the article reviews three other retailers with different shared capitalism models besides the partnership model: System U supermarkets in France, Walmart, and outdoor retailer REI in the US. How do these models work? What are the benefits for the stakeholders and the limitations for companies?

IADS Exclusive – Partners for richer, for poorer: from John Lewis to REI, the good and the bad of shared capitalism 

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It took IKEA a long time to open stores in city centres. Set to develop from 2002, the first city-centre stores only opened in 2014 in Hamburg and 2019 in Paris, followed by many more. At the heart of this transformation lies a core question: what should an IKEA store look and feel like in the centre of a global city? Beyond simply shrinking its footprint, IKEA seeks to redefine the role of retail within urban ecosystems, from a warehouse to a hub for inspiration, interaction, and services.

With its first store opening in 1987, IKEA is already present in the UK, where it operates 22 stores and employs nearly 12,000 staff. The retailer has five locations in London, adding a sixth one with the much-anticipated London Oxford Street IKEA City store which opened on 1 May 2025, 18 months later than planned. Requiring huge investments, the new store demonstrates the company's faith in the success of high street outlets. Even London Mayor Sadiq Khan praised the store and considers it a "vote of confidence in London, in our economy and in our plans to rejuvenate Oxford Street".

The store is the brand's most significant investment in a single site to date, and most probably its most high-profile store. Announced with much anticipation and fanfare, the store promised to signal a new chapter for IKEA in the heart of London. But does it deliver on that ambition? And how far does it really depart from the IKEA playbook?

IADS Exclusive: IKEA's new Oxford Street flagship store - efficient, yet unremarkable

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In an industry where information is plentiful but time is limited, retail professionals are seeking ways to make ideas more digestible, shareable, and memorable. This is why the International Association of Department Stores (IADS)  has decided to evolve from static formats to dynamic audio content, with the launch of [IADS Retail Park*](https://iads.substack.com/s/iads-retail-park), an AI-powered podcast series. Importantly, we have not abandoned our static formats; instead, we are embracing this new approach alongside them.

What started as an experiment to convert written exclusives into human-like audio stories has matured into a repeatable system that mimics the ebb and flow of honest conversations. This model bridges language gaps, compresses production timelines, and leverages AI not just for speed but for simulated connection.

This Exclusive aims at sharing the key learnings made so far with our members.*

IADS Exclusive: From page to podcast - How AI is transforming retail storytelling at IADS

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Japan's retail performance has been buoyant in recent quarters, driven by rising wages, strong inbound tourism (especially from China), a competitive currency making prices attractive, and ongoing digital transformation.

Total retail sales peaked at 15.6 trillion yen in December 2023 (USD 105.6bn), then reached 14.2 trillion yen in November 2024 (USD 96bn), and 14.06 trillion yen in March 2025 (USD 85.5bn), indicating performance is cooling. However, Q1 2025 still grew year-over-year (+2.9%) and quarter-over-quarter (+1.5%). Overall growth is expected to moderate, with projections of 1.6% to 1.8% YoY for 2026 to 2027.

Japan's luxury retail market is flourishing. The luxury goods market was estimated at USD 34.9 billion in 2024, with a projected compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.42% through 2033. The luxury fashion segment alone was valued at USD 6.5 billion in 2024 and is expected to reach USD 10.7 billion by 2033, marking a CAGR of 5.3%. Tokyo, particularly the Ginza and Shinjuku districts, saw a surge in luxury flagship store openings: 24% of all new openings in 2024, up from 20% in 2022.

The IADS had the opportunity to visit Tokyo and review the iconic Isetan Shinjuku and the Ginza Six mall. Another standout location during the visit was Parco Shibuya. Below is a review of these store visits, focusing on how Japan animates stores by playing with adjacencies and brand associations.

IADS Exclusive: Toying with brand merchandising in Tokyo

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The IADS attended the 2025 VivaTech conference in Paris to spot interesting startups and key technology trends relevant to the retail sector for our members. This year, the conference welcomed over 14,000 startups, 180,000 attendees and 3,600 investors. Being Europe's largest start-up and tech event, VivaTech connects startups, technology leaders, large companies and investors.

At VivaTech 2025, Jensen Huang, co-founder and CEO of the semiconductor company NVIDIA, emphasised the necessity of digital sovereignty for countries and companies alike in his keynote speech. With AI technology driving results and becoming increasingly central to firms' operations regardless of sector, NVIDIA announced collaborations with beauty conglomerate L'Oréal Group and French startup [MistralAI](https://www.actuia.com/actualite/mistral-ai-et-nvidia-vers-une-infrastructure-souveraine-dia-en-europe/).

Addressing a wide range of tech topics, spanning mobility, retail, defence, climate and finance, among others, startups and established companies provided a comprehensive overview of the key issues in the technology space across sectors. Two takeaways were clear:

*-    Every company is looking at enhancing its AI and technology usage as a performance driver in real terms.

-    The significance of technological self-sufficiency was highlighted throughout various talks at the conference.*

IADS Exclusive - VivaTech 2025: Key technology trends for retail in 2025

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Ah, New Jersey—the land of reality stars, endless highways, and the eternal debate over whether Central Jersey exists. But beyond the clichés of big hair, bad drivers, and diners on every corner lies a state where malls are not just shopping destinations but cultural landmarks. One of the smallest states in the country, it is also the most densely populated (410 inhabitants per sq km), logically leading to a high concentration of retail centres, which explains why New Jersey has long been known as the "Mall State".

Two modern retail and entertainment icons stand out: the American Dream Mallin East Rutherford and the Westfield Garden State Plaza in Paramus. Both destinations showcase the evolution of U.S. shopping malls and highlight the unique character of New Jersey's retail landscape.

The American Dream Mall, a sprawling 278,000 sqm complex, redefines the mall concept by blending retail with world-class entertainment. From an indoor ski slope and water park to luxury shopping, including a Saks Fifth Avenuebranch, and family attractions, it offers an immersive experience that caters to visitors of all ages. Meanwhile, the Garden State Plaza, New Jersey's first major shopping centre, has remained a cornerstone of the state's retail scene since its opening in 1957. Constantly reinventing itself with high-end stores and modern amenities, it exemplifies resilience and innovation in changing consumer habits. It also houses three department stores, Macy's, Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom, all very differently positioned.

These two malls represent different facets of New Jersey's mall culture: a futuristic entertainment hub and a timeless retail institution. Together, they provide a glimpse into why New Jersey remains central in shaping the mall experience in America. The IADS visited both last January.

IADS Exclusive: Planning to shop in the city? Fuggetaboutit, hit the Jersey malls instead!

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Generation Alpha, born between 2010 and 2024, is emerging as a significant consumer group. With an estimated USD 5.46 trillion economic footprint by 2029, Gen Alpha's spending power is almost as much as that of Millennials and Gen Z combined. The demographic is now closer to working and shopping independently, requiring the retail industry's attention.

Caught off guard by Gen Z, brands and retailers are already implementing several strategies with "tweens" to effectively appeal to both Generation Alpha and their parents. Social media, climate change, and efforts in prioritising transparency and inclusivity shape Gen Alpha's world. They value authenticity, sustainability and brands that align with their social values. Similar to Gen Z, their loyalty to brands is not a given.

As a consequence, marketing to them requires a different approach, as they are strongly influenced by peer recommendations on social media and gaming platforms and expect stores to be amusement parks.

The below illustration shows how Gen Alpha differs from the others.


McCrindle – Decoding Gen Alpha

IADS Exclusive: Gen Alpha, the new retail powerhouse

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Department stores and big-box retailers have traditionally believed that larger spaces and inventory would make them more appealing to shoppers, which was true for many decades. For many reasons, including consumers favouring e-commerce and more convenience and the challenge of finding and supporting the cost of operating big-box locations, a significant shift is taking place as US department stores Macy's, Bloomingdale's and Nordstrom* open smaller-format stores. This approach isn't about scaling back, as these small stores are not about limiting customer options. Instead, retailers break away from the stereotypes often associated with big stores: overwhelming layouts and product selections offered in inconveniently located stores. The small format concept is designed to provide a more curated selection of products, focusing on convenience, services and localised shopping experiences, concepts that have gained traction since Covid.

Seen as an opportunity to get closer to where the customers are with a smaller investment, Nordstrom Local opened its first location in 2017, and Bloomie's in August 2021. Both companies have been expanding their footprint in these formats since then. Outside of the US, Magasin du Nord opened two small formats in 2024. This article will focus on these three companies' journey and efficiency.*

IADS Exclusive - Rethinking square meters: how department stores are betting on small spaces

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[This IADS Exclusive is the second part of a series of two dedicated to the Agile methodology]

Retail is changing faster than ever. Customers expect convenience, personalisation, and seamless shopping experiences, whether online or in-store. Technology is advancing rapidly, and market conditions are more unpredictable than ever. To keep up, retailers need to be agile, literally. Agile, originally created for software development, has become a game-changer in retail, helping businesses streamline operations, stay innovative, and improve customer experiences. This paper builds on [IADS Exclusive: Embracing Agile](https://www.iads.org/web/home-public/10432-iads-exclusive-embracing-agile.php), which introduced the core principles of Agile and its growing importance in retail.

For Agile to work, companies must rethink how they operate. It's not just about adopting a new system, it's about fostering a culture of adaptability, teamwork, and continuous learning. Leaders set the tone by encouraging experimentation and collaboration, while teams embrace Agile frameworks like Scrum, Kanban, and Extreme Programming (XP) to improve efficiency and spark innovation. Retailers don't need to completely restructure their organisations to adopt Agile. Instead, they can introduce Agile practices within specific projects, allowing them to gradually build a foundation for long-term flexibility and resilience.

Agile isn't a magic solution, and challenges will arise, but when implemented effectively, it helps businesses respond faster to market changes, keep employees engaged, and deliver better customer experiences. In today's retail landscape, agility isn't optional, it's essential.

IADS Exclusive: Agile implementation & benefits to reap

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*[This IADS Exclusive is the first part of a series of two dedicated to the Agile methodology]

What began as a methodology for software development, Agile is making waves across industries, like retail, driving a shift in how businesses approach innovation, customer experience, and streamline operations.*

Agile methodology, characterised by iterative development, collaboration, and responsiveness to change, has found fertile ground in retail operations. Unlike traditional project management approaches, it prioritises flexibility and continuous improvement, enabling retailers to adapt quickly to fluctuating market conditions and shifting consumer preferences. Its application spans product development, marketing, inventory management, and customer service, offering a comprehensive framework for retail innovation.

This transformation reflects a departure from static, linear strategies, in favour of a more dynamic and iterative approach to problem-solving. While retail companies will continue to evolve in parallel to advancements in technology, changes in management strategies, culture, etc.; their ability to adapt and respond swiftly (or not) will be the critical point of differentiation between success and failure a defining trait of success, now more than ever.

IADS Exclusive: Embracing Agile

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La Rinascente, a member of the IADS for 49 years until 2008, was purchased by Central Retail Corporation in 2011. It remains the only European department store company under Central Retail (also including Central Department Store, Robinson Department Store, Supersports, CMG), as the other companies in the European portfolio belong to the Central Department Store business unit.

Since the acquisition, it has followed an active strategy of going upmarket, not only to differentiate from the only other Italian competitor (Coin) but also to take advantage of the specificities of the Italian market, especially its strong tourism basei : the flagship store in Milan, which accounts for more than half of the group's turnover, is a must-see for any foreign visitor.

Now, with nine stores across Italy, the company is doing well: it announced record 2023 sales, reaching 1bn€, a hefty +14% increase from the previous record set in 2019. After conducting an extensive campaign of store openings and renovations across its store fleet between 2017 and 2023, the company announced at the end of 2024 the acquisition of "Odeon", a former 3,000 sqm cinema in Milan, to be refurbished and host the Duomo flagship store cosmetics offer by mid-2027

Taking the opportunity of a partner visit in Milan, the IADS visited the store last Christmas to assess the current situation.

i: This is a synergy Central Retail plays with Thailand, which explains why La Rinascente is included in its "The 1" loyalty program.

IADS Exclusive: La Rinascente Milan gets ready for a change

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IADS consolidated 2025 Spring and Summer window displays from around the world in the latest Spring window report. Have a look at how IADS members and other department stores are capturing the upcoming new seasons through their artistic and inspiring interpretations.

DEPARTMENT STORES WINDOWS, IN-STORE INSTALLATIONS, VISUALS & SOCIAL MEDIA SPOTS

IADS Exclusive: Department Stores Spring Windows 2025

IADS provides its members with a weekly in-depth analysis on retail-oriented topics. This is an example of the themes the Association regularly addresses, and the topic of an article from the IADS members-only newsletter date 24 May 2023.

*IADS Exclusives are for members only. You can subscribe to our Substack to recieve our weekly exclusives here.*

Indonesia, the largest economy in Southeast Asia and the fourth most populous country globally, with 289 million inhabitants, consistently maintains robust GDP growth, often hovering around 5% annually in recent years. Economic indicators such as stable inflation, manageable public debt ratios, and growing foreign direct investment reflect a healthy macroeconomic environment. The country's strength lies in its abundant natural resources, diverse manufacturing base, and rapidly expanding service and digital sectors, supported by a large, youthful population driving domestic consumption.

And yet, the retail market remains relatively unknown to foreigners. Retail contributed 10.7% of the national GDP and is expected to reach a total sales value of USD 242bn by 2024. E-commerce, which represented 11.5% of total retail sales in 2022, is expected to reach 21.8% by 2027, following the COVID-19 pandemic-induced acceleration. Thanks to an increasing omnichannel approach, retail is expected to grow at a 4.7% CAGR through 2030, opening many opportunities for national and international players. This IADS Exclusive is the first about Indonesia. It aims to provide a preliminary understanding of one of the leading national players, Metro Indonesia, following a one-day IADS market visit in June 2024.

IADS Exclusive: How Metro is becoming a household name in Indonesia, after Singapore

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Every IADS event is designed to allow the Association members to learn from each other or from inspiring leaders. In early 2025, IADS CEOs gathered to exchange with Javier Goyeneche, the founder and CEO of ECOALF, one of the first genuinely sustainable fashion brands in history. The purpose was to explore the brand's specificities, the company behind it, and what it takes to "be sustainable" in periods of uncertainty, which 2025 certainly is.

Born in Madrid, Javier Goyeneche founded Fun & Basics after graduating in 1995, specialising in contemporary fashion handbags and accessories. Within 10 years, the business grew to 350 points of sale and 70 retail stores, and he was awarded Best Young Entrepreneur of Madrid in 2005.

However, he gradually grew frustrated with the amount of waste produced by the fashion industry, so he embarked on a mission to create a concept combining design, an understanding of the fashion consumer, and the latest recycled materials. This led to the launch of ECOALF in 2013.

The company now produces a fully sustainable lifestyle collection of outerwear, swimwear, casual apparel, yoga, footwear, and accessories. Brand distribution has strategically expanded to include prestigious department stores, speciality retailers (with over 1,800 points of sale), and a worldwide roster of retail stores.

IADS Exclusive: How ECOALF offers a truly sustainable fashion alternative

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In November 2024, the IADS had the opportunity to visit Belgian department store chain INNO in Brussels. Founded in 1897, and having changed hands many times over the years, 'A l'innovation' was a founding member of the IADS in 1928.

INNO moved its headquarters earlier this year from the iconic Rue Neuve location to its newer Avenue Louise space. IADS' last visit in 2022 (reported here), soon after CEO Armin Devender took over, set expectations for INNO's revamping across the digital and physical verticals. Two years hence, the IADS conducted a second visit to both locations in Brussels, the original Rue Neuve and the posh Avenue Louise, to gauge the headway made by the Belgian department store.

The strategic transformation plan, which aimed to renew the store's image and increase sales, seems to have garnered positive results. With fresh branding, physical store makeovers, and a new online marketplace, INNO has revitalised not just its storytelling but also its connection with various groups of consumers. This is visible in younger shoppers crowding the dedicated giftable sections and in the orientation towards Belgian families.

IADS Exclusive: INNO's unfinished business 

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Over the past decade, the retail market has undergone a profound transformation fueled by technological innovation, evolving consumer habits, and shifting employee expectations. While many analysts predicted that the rise of e-commerce and omnichannel strategies would mean the death of brick-and-mortar stores and department stores alike, the opposite happened past the closures accelerated by the pandemic. Nowadays, physical retail tends to thrive, with a renewed demand for immersive in-store experiences (this has been recently exemplified by the many customers queuing to enter Louis Vuitton x Murakami pop-up stores in January 2025).

Beyond store concept spectacles, the true differentiation from one brand to another lies in the quality of the sales staff in delivering exceptional service, especially with the growing importance of VICs. According to BoF, 75% of shoppers are likely to spend more after receiving high-quality service from store personnel. This is truly important for luxury brands as top-spending luxury customers are expected to create 65 to 80% of global market growth by 2027, as mentioned by BoF. Sure, this evolution can create tremendous business opportunities for those brands. However, it also comes with significant challenges in understanding how to upgrade the customer experience and redefine the profile, role and tools of retail teams, as well as the strategies to attract and retain top-tier talent.

IADS Exclusive - Beyond sales: how brand ambassadors redefine in-store luxury

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The French department store Printempsis making a bold leap into the U.S. market by opening its first American outpost in Manhattan's Financial District. After four years in the making, the 2-story, 4,000 square meter location at One Wall Street opened last 21st of March (on Spring Day, which means Printemps in French). Interestingly, it is not advertised as a store but as an immersive luxury experience, blending fashion, gastronomy, and hospitality.

With around one-tenth of the Paris Haussmann flagship store surface, Printemps aims to challenge the traditional department store model by focusing on experiential retail, offering visitors a space to linger, discover and indulge. Also, the opening of Printemps, a new retailer name for US consumers, is expected to contribute to the renewal of the Financial District, introducing a new luxury shopping option in NYC. Advertised as "not a department store" on local cabs and billboards, Printemps is a very ambitious project. What is it all about? Many retailers have bit the NYC dust in the past. What is Printemps' plan to differentiate, in a crowded market, to oversollicited customers?

IADS Exclusive: What should New York expect from the new Printemps store?

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*The IADS Global Department Store Monitor was originally launched in May 2021 by Dr. Christopher Knee as the 'IADS 100 Report' after realising that comparable department store data was either unavailable, poorly understood, or not exploited by analysts. This was characteristic of an ever-evolving industry, making it difficult for outsiders to understand, including events such as privatisation, mergers, change in ownership, or simply not categorising numbers by business uniti.

Since then, the report has been renamed and rebuilt into a new format to enable dynamic comparison among department stores over a specific period and a series of years. To track and compare sales and profits from companies worldwide while accounting for fluctuations in exchange rates, the renewed version of the monitor includes current (as of today) and fixed exchange rates (as of 2021) to isolate the impact of sales growth from the effect of exchange rate changes.

Also, given that accounting standards across countries are not uniform, the fiscal year is referred to as FY 2023-2024 throughout the monitor to compare results across the occurrence of the same world events. This uniformity helps maintain a baseline in the events that have occurred throughout the year to draw fair conclusions. The conception of this monitor was driven by the need to juxtapose pre- and post-COVID-19 results. The 2025 edition of the IADS Global Department Store Monitor reviews 59 department stores with publicly available information to create a benchmark for global department store stakeholders regarding the 2023-2024 period.

This report attempts to capture the global economic retail scenario post-COVID-19 and whether pre-COVID-19 numbers have been regained or are faltering.*

[i] And a reason for international analytic platforms such as the International Association of Department Stores to exist in the first place.

IADS Exclusive: Global Department Store Monitor 2023-2024

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Every IADS event is designed to allow the Association members to learn from each other, and the General Assembly is no exception. This is why the 2024 edition took place in Türkiye. It was the perfect opportunity for one of the IADS' newest members, Boyner Grup, to showcase the progress made since the COVID-19 pandemic and how it radically reinvented itself to adapt to the new market conditions.

The text below is a synthesis of two presentations made by Nurçin Koçoğlu, CMO, and Efsun Janset Yilmaz, E-commerce Deputy General Manager, to explain the extent to which Boyner's transformation process has challenged the company's structures and successfully reimagined every touchpoint with its customers.

It has been stripped of confidential information, including the Q&A section, which IADS members can find in the meeting recap related to the 2024 General Assembly on the IADS Website.

IADS Exclusive: How Boyner has holistically transformed itself

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The fastest growing major economy in the worldi, India has an unconventional approach to spending. Generally a saving economy, consumer spending around festivals in India is significantly boosted across categories like clothing, jewellery, groceries and confectionery, and luxury goods. The festival season in India refers to an approximately 45-day period starting in September with pre-festival sales and ending with Diwali, occurring usually at the end of October or the start of November. With a population of over a billion people, the consumer expenditure over this festival period is a key economic driver for the country.

Parallelly, the Indian retail industry is a major component of its economy (see our report following the Retailers Association of India presentation during the FIRA meeting in 2023 here). It contributes over 10% of the GDP and accounts for around 8% of employmentii. Combining a substantial middle class with increasing purchasing power and a largely unexplored retail market, India is a new favourite for global retail giants. This is evident with behemoths like IKEA, Decathlonand Sephorato name a few. Luxury brands have also garnered traction in the Indian market with the propensity of consumption for luxury goods in India rising with the expansion of the middle class. The advent of the Unified Payments Interface(UPI) transformed the Indian retail industry. UPI is a real-time digital payment system developed by theNational Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) and regulated by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). According to a PwC India report, UPI accounted for over 78% of total retail digital payments in India and expects that it will contribute 90% of total retail digital payments by 2026iii.

IADS Exclusive: What do retailers need to know about the Indian Festival Economy?

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Every IADS event is designed to allow the Association members to learn from each other, and the General Assembly is no exception. This is why the 2024 edition took place in Türkiye. It was the perfect opportunity for one of the IADS' newest members, Boyner Grup, to showcase the progress made since the COVID-19 pandemic and how it radically reinvented itself to adapt to the new market conditions.

The text below is a synthesis of a presentation by Yalin Ozcan, CEO of Hopi, the loyalty business unit within the Boyner Grup. In ten years, Hopi evolved from a points-based loyalty programme to a retail media offering and a fintech, offering a wide array of services to customers and other retailers.

It has been stripped of confidential information, including the Q&A section, which IADS members can find in the meeting recap related to the 2024 General Assembly on the IADS Website.

IADS Exclusive: How Hopi invented a new approach to CRM in Turkey

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A store fostering a community of customers

Established in 1881 in Stuttgart, IADS member Breuninger has long been a cornerstone of the city's retail landscape. It has evolved from a single department store located outside of the city's retail centre into the multi-faceted and lively mixed-use Dorotheen Quartier that has redefined urban shopping and leisure in Stuttgart. Attached to this 62,000 sqm project, Breuninger's flagship store plays an integral role, showcasing a curated blend of luxury goods, private-label success, and customer-centric services and experience. Together, these elements illustrate how Breuninger has managed to not only maintain its relevance as a modern department store but also lead the way in building an active community of local customers.

IADS Exclusive: Breuninger Stuttgart

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Every IADS event is designed to allow the Association members to learn from each other, and the General Assembly is no exception. This is why the 2024 edition took place in Türkiye. It was the perfect opportunity for one of the IADS' newest members, Boyner Grup, to showcase the progress made since the COVID-19 pandemic and how it radically reinvented itself to adapt to the new market conditions.

The text below is a synthesis of a presentation by Cihan Yildiz, Boyner's CTO, describing the company's journey into this field. Today, Boyner Grup uses AI in various use cases after taking the necessary steps to ensure the company structure was adapted.

It has been stripped of confidential information, including the Q&A section, which IADS members can find in the meeting recap related to the 2024 General Assembly on the IADS Website.

IADS Exclusive: NRF Big Show 2025

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