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It's here!

Suspense was on almost until the D-day. The long-awaited reopening of iconic Parisian department store, La Samaritaine, is finally here after sixteen years out of business and a total investment estimated between EUR 750 million and EUR 1 billion.

Closed in 2005 for safety reasons, the initial renovation plan was aiming for a reopening in 2010. Renovation plans were only unveiled in 2012, with, at the time, a target opening date set for 2016. After some blockages from local authorities (before and during the course of the renovation), works didn't begin until the end of 2014 and, later on, the opening was announced for April 2020. But due to the Covid pandemic, the opening was postponed to June 2021, although the precise date changed several times while getting closer to the date. After many changes and an official pre-opening event with French President Emmanuel Macron, La Samaritaine Paris Pont-Neuf – finally – opens its doors on 23 June. Luxury takes time as Bernard Arnault always says.

A little bit of history

La Samaritaine was founded in 1870 by Etienne Cognacq and his wife ‎Marie-Louise Jaÿ. Both came from modest families, he was a hawker and she was a sales person at Le Bon Marché. Believing in innovative selling methods (fixed prices, clear price information, possibility to try on garments, easy in-store circulation …), the couple is a remarkable example of the social climbing that was linked to the rise of department stores at the end of the 19th century. Growing through the years, they ended up with a four-building store completed in 1932.

Having acquired Le Bon Marché in 1984, LVMH bought La Samaritaine in 2000 with the ambition to transform them in modern and trendy department stores, on both sides of the Seine River. However, the approach for La Samaritaine significantly differed from le Bon Marché (which is a LVMH entity), as it would be managed by DFS, the Hong Kong-based tax-free shopping division of LVMH.

(Chinese) tourists vs. locals

A first Duty Free Shoppers store opened in Hong Kong airport in 1960. In 1972, the company launched its first DFS Gallerias in Honolulu and Hong Kong. In 2013, DFS announced their intention to expand outside of Asia, by looking for a few European locations (France, Italy, Switzerland). The strategy was to rely on DFS' brand awareness among Mainland Chinese shoppers and company's understanding of Asian consumers to capture their spending when travelling to Europe. For DFS, at the time, "Chinese customers will continue to account for more than half of our revenue in several years to come". In 2016 they opened their first European duty-free business in Venice, combining luxury and curated local products. While it still remains unclear if it is successful or not, DFS claims it has been attracting 3 million visitors in the first year. La Samaritaine is their second European outpost.

For LVMH, tourists (especially Chinese ones) were supposed to account for half of the department store's customers. In 2019 alone, nearly 1 million Chinese tourists visited Paris, spending over EUR 1 billion in tourism revenue. The average amount spent in stores is EUR 1,128 per day and per person. In that sense, department stores are an important crossing point for such spending (Galeries Lafayette is the second place to be visited after the Eiffel Tower and the retailer now has a dedicated store across from the flagship Boulevard Haussmann, just for Chinese tourists). Before the pandemic, and comparing La Samaritaine with the results of the Galeries Lafayette's Haussmann branch in Paris, French trade magazine LSA estimated that the revamped department store's annual revenue could potentially exceed EUR 500 million. For comparison, Le Bon Marché turnover is estimated to EUR 550 million, with 50% more retail space than La Samaritaine. But Le Bon Marché is not known for attracting that many Chinese tourists.

Needless to mention that Covid changed the game and La Samaritaine has, at least for now, to rely on Parisian, French, and hopefully European customers. For the time being, the opening marketing campaign is very much French-oriented (if not to say Parisian) and features the real store employees, using a very French and girly tone.

But Bernard Arnault has a long-term perspective on DFS' new venture and the current situation is not making much of a difference to him: "In the short term, there are very few tourists. […]. The question is not whether things will return to normal or not. Clearly, they will return to normal. The question is when? We don't know, and everything depends on that. But we've waited 15 years, an extra year won't make much difference."

So, La Samaritaine's strategy towards Chinese customers has not changed despite Covid crisis, and DFS will just have to wait for them to come back. In that sense, just looking at the store loyalty program says a lot. Using a QR code, you can get your digital card directly and instantly while in the store: what you get is not a Samaritaine card, but a Loyal T Card by DFS and an email from them, informing you about "What's happening In Hong Kong This Month"… To say the least, it will be confusing for Parisian customers who don't know anything about DFS. In itself, the loyalty programme includes the usual: exclusive offers, free alterations, exchange without receipt, free delivery from EUR 200, and reward points coming with each purchase.

A closer look at the store

The original state-of-the-art "Art Nouveau" and "Art Deco" architecture and decor are amazingly restored and completed by a new and controversial Rue de Rivoli wavy glass facade by Japanese architecture agency Sanaa, which was also in charge of the department store project. Depending on the store sections, interior design was handled by Yabu Pushelberg, Agence De Création Malherbe Paris and Studio Ciguë.

The whole project occupies 2 buildings out of the 4 original ones, represents 70,000 square-metres splitting in different parts, and will employ 3,000 people. Non-retail parts are offering offices, 96 social housing apartments and a childcare centre. For the business parts: a LVMH Cheval Blanc 5-star luxury hotel (72 rooms, some with private pools, scheduled to open on 7 September 2021), and 20,000 square-metres dedicated to the department store itself including 12 food vendors (before closing the selling surface was 30,000 square-metres). As a comparison, Le Bon Marché surface is 30,000 square-metres, BHV is 38,000 and Galeries Lafayette Haussmann is 70,000.

The relatively small surface implies choices and, as it was originally designed for an international customer base, the store is exclusively dedicated to fashion and beauty. As opposed to competitors, local customers won't find kid's wear, nor homeware or groceries. In terms of taste, feeling and brand mix, La Samaritaine is meant to be about lifestyle, discovery and experience, "at the intersection of Avenue Montaigne and Le Marais […] where they can treat themselves to a luxury purchase and sip an espresso made by an expert barista", according to Eléonore de Boysson, DFS' President for EMEA.

More than 600 luxury and premium brands (including 40 exclusive ones) can be found under the renovated store, mixing big names and independent labels in all departments. Basically, the store splits in 2 sections: a luxury one (Pont-Neuf side, throughout the 6 floors) using materials such as state-of-the-art mosaics, light wood and gold finishing, and a streetwear one (throughout the basement, ground and first floors) featuring graffiti, concrete and raw materials. The latter is shrewdly located on the "high-street" Rue de Rivoli side (an Oxford Street Parisian version) to attract Millennials and Gen Z customers.

Wandering through the floors

From the main entrance on Rue de La Monnaie, the ground floor is dedicated to leather goods and accessories such as sunglasses and costume jewellery. The organisation is quite the usual with concession stands all along the walls, smaller stands and multibrand areas displayed in the middle. A relatively small part of the floor is dedicated to "La Boutique de Loulou", an elevated gift shop, gathering 1,500 small objects, tech objects, stationery, books, souvenirs, accessories... Being self-service, metallic baskets are available to customers to easily shop. On the Rue de Rivoli side, the ground floor offers a young take on women's and men's fashion with a "Designers Lab". Also, on this side of the store, and for the next 5 months to come, famous contemporary art gallery Perrotin has a 200 square-metre pop up store offering cultural goods such as art books, artists' limited editions, goodies and decorative objects. It's worth mentioning that La Samaritaine boasts about highlighting French creative talents in the "Factory", a space for free expression.

The first floor is dedicated to luxury and contemporary women's fashion, mixing concession stands and multibrand areas. When strolling towards the Rue de Rivoli side, the floor is transitioning to a genderless streetwear, outdoor and athleisure area complemented by a Shinzo Paris sneakers shop-in-shop.

From Tiffany to Cartier, the second floor is entirely dedicated to jewellery and watches and should appeal to Chinese customers when they are back. The third floor is for men's fashion. The fourth floor is for women's shoes displayed in a boudoir style. It's worth mentioning that there is no men's shoes section per se, but only a sneakers wall on the men's floor in addition to the offer available at Shinzo's shop-in-shop.

The fifth floor is beautiful in itself with legendary Art Nouveau peacock frescos, from which the store communication takes its origin. It's also the place for Voyage restaurant and lounge coming along with an event space. Unfortunately, no rooftop, terrasse or spectacular views for the restaurant, such spaces being all taken over by Cheval Blanc hotel. Anyhow, food is an important part of the store, coming as a possible answer to the customer's current cravings for experience. The 12 food vendors available in the store are all exclusive concepts and are ranging from coffee to pastry shop and classic restaurants. Street Caviar run by Prunier and located on the Rivoli side, is certainly the most interesting one as it offers EUR 15 caviar sandwiches.

Last but not least, the beauty department, unusually located in the basement, is the store's main asset. Representing 3,400 square-metres and supposedly is the largest in Continental Europe, it should be a key driver for traffic and sales, for both tourists and locals. Two-hundred brands have been curated including 50 sustainable ones, plus niche and exclusive ones. They split in 2 different ways, a young and trendy self-service, and a more institutional space with concession stands. Interestingly and quite new, the majority of the beauty assistants are from La Samaritaine staff, not from brands. While all staff members are trained to be able to serve any customer need, customers can also shop by themselves as if at Sephora, thanks to baskets made available throughout the entire department. Services complement the beauty offer with a brow bar, a spa (Spa des Cing Mondes with hammam, sauna, and massage) and Studio de Beauté (run by Kure Bazar including nail bar, hairdressing and barbershop). Perfume is also emphasized with both an engraving station and one-of-a-kind editions ranging from EUR 3,000 to 300,000.

At your service

Besides "L'Appartement" VIP lounge available on the women's fashion floor, La Samariatine offers personalised, and sometimes, new services. To be booked at the "Conciergerie", personal shopping is developed through different options: directly in the store or in "L'Appartement" VIP lounge, but also at your home. In that case, a stylist will come to your place and show you ways to combine your pieces with new ones. La "Conciergerie" is also supposed to help any customer willing to book a museum ticket, a restaurant or a show. "Make my day" is a new service evolving around the idea of leisure and pushing customers to spend more time in the store. Offering them a "Samaritaine immersion", the experience ranges from 2 hours 30 minutes (including 3 culinary experiences and an hour with a member of the Rue de Rivoli team) to a full day pampering with manicure, brow, makeup and hair styling sessions, lunch at Voyage restaurant, 3 hours with a personal stylist and a photo shoot.

Hands-free shopping is available for customers to gather all purchases in one place and to pay for everything in a single transaction. A tax refund service is developed so that all store staff know how to proceed, making the refund seamless for an immediate refund in cash, credit card or by "Wallet Alipay".

As a conclusion, the IADS perspective

Times are difficult for multibrand retail and especially for department stores, competing to retain customers in store while being forced to develop their e-commerce and digital capabilities. Especially in Paris, retail suffered greatly with "Gilets Jaunes" social movement in 2018, massive strikes in 2019 and Covid in 2020. Meanwhile, Galeries Lafayette Champs-Elysees opened in March 2019 with results "below expectations," (after the first six months) company Chief Executive Officer Nicolas Houzé told BoF. More recently, Qatari-owned department store Printemps changed its management team and announced a new strategy.

So La Samaritaine is not a safe bet yet. While nobody knows when tourism will resume and allow the department store to fulfil its strategy, here is what we can keep in mind further to the opening:

• In a general way, La Samaritaine is not a store made for locals and Parisians will understand that in a minute, the loyalty program says everything about that.
• It might also be hard to attract big local spenders to this "high-street" Paris neighbourhood. Rue de Rivoli has never been their favourite and has recently transformed to a pedestrian way. For sure, people will visit this beautiful store and, while unable to splurge on a EUR 2,000 Loewe bag, will probably indulge with a EUR 15 caviar sandwich. That's not a lot of money at the end of the day, and it remains to be seen if they will come back for a second sandwich.
• There is no e-commerce and attached necessary delivery and click & collect services available.
• On the other hand, the beauty department is a real asset and could guarantee strong sales among locals, assuming they will be aware it exists.
• Food options are a lot considering the total footage. They are disseminated throughout the store, sometimes in debatable places, but will probably attract people looking for fun alternatives during their office lunch hours.

If Paris is still very much impacted by Covid, the city positions itself for a rebound. La Samaritaine will be part of it anyway, as well as IADS member Galeries Lafayette Haussmann that just completed the renovation of its historic and stunning "coupole" dome. On the cultural side and under global corporation umbrellas, art foundations (among them the Pinault one located very close to La Samaritaine) recently opened adding new and noteworthy attractions to a city now expecting life to go back to normal.

a closer look at la samaritaine

Credits: IADS (Christine Montard)

Nordstrom SPACE and Dover Street Market Paris (DSMP) partner to highlight emerging global designers in curated concept shops. The collaboration features all seven individual brands under the Brand Development branch of DSMP, who introduce their Spring/Summer 2021 collections in select Nordstrom stores and online at Nordstrom.com. The brands launching at Nordstrom SPACE under the collaboration include Vaquera, Rassvet, Weinsanto, ERL, Liberal Youth Ministry, HFD and Youths in Balaclava.

This is the first time Dover Street Market Paris has partnered with a retailer for a shop-in-shop experience. For six weeks, the specially curated edit of the seven brands will live in dedicated SPACE concept shops. In addition to in-store build outs in New York, Los Angeles and Vancouver, the Nordstrom SPACE team have created a physical and digital Zine to introduce the collaboration and brands to customers with unique editorial content.

Nordstrom SPACE is an in-store and online boutique dedicated to advanced and emerging designers. The shop features a cross-category offering of seasonal collections of apparel, shoes, handbags and accessories from designers including Comme des Garçons, Jacquemus, Marine Serre, Simone Rocha, Cecilie Bahnsen, Meryll Rogge, Wales Bonner, Chopova Lowena and more.

Nordstrom SPACE and Dover Street Market Paris (DSMP) partner

What: K11 opens a second store in Wuhan

Why it is important:  There is a race to growth and size from major operators in China. K11 is going fast, while staying strong on its ultra experiential positioning.

K11 opens a second location in Wuhan in Art Mall I, within the planned framework of 40 new stores across Greater China in the next 5 years. As usual, the experience is designed to be new and surprising to customers, including a giant music box design, a rooftop garden and a musical urban farm. The store comes with the usual array of Western brands willing to be part of such a new shopping concept, such as Gentle Monster, Alexander Mc Queen, Stella Mc Cartney or Zadig & Voltaire. Interestingly, there is also a whole new offer in terms of F&B experiences, including Korean and Chinese new concepts.

Newest K11 Art Mall opens in Wuhan, featuring music-box theme

K11 opens a new store in Wuhan, featuring music-box theme

Built in September 1975, SM Makati City in Philippines is a 13 000 sqm, 5 storey flagship store. It is a department store and not a mall, although the department store itself carries numerous local and imported brands. The completion of the project is due in 2022.

SM is renovating its Makati City department store

Breuningerland in Ludwigsburg in Germany regroups a Breuninger department store as well as 120 stores. The 40 000 sqm shopping centre renovation and modernisation will be completed in 2022.

Breuningerland renovates in Ludwigsburg

Part of the retailer's strategy to invest in its store existing estate, the St James Quarter shop will offer a variety of new services and experiences including a beauty studio, personal styling services and  'All Things Baby' nursery appointments for new and parents-to-be. It also includes s a 3,000 square foot World of Design hub where home stylists will offer free drop-in appointments to help customers design a home makeover.

The beauty studio will include the retailer's Beauty Society offering which is a free, concierge-style service with beauty experts. Aiming to deliver a "fun day out shopping for all the family", the store also features interactive and colourful play areas.

The shop also pays tribute to the city of Edinburgh with features such as two life-size model stags, an Edinburgh Gin pop up shop, an interactive Hornby Flying Scotsman model in the toy department and John Lewis's very own Greyfriars Bobby statue.

John Lewis unveils newly refurbished Edinburgh department store

What: Renovation plans include the addition of a new entrance from Karl Johans gate, one of Oslo's main shopping street.

Why is it important: The relaunch, betting on a conjunction of physical and digital commerce, is set to bring the iconic 224-year-old department store into the future.

The department store is divided into 7 floors from the basement to the 6th floor encompassing:

•    Food and Restaurants

•    Beauty (with featuring the first Dior Beauty boutique in the Nordics) and Accessories

•    Menswear

•    Womenswear

•    Unisex Contemporary Fashion

•    Childrenswear and Home Lifestyle

•    Events & Service

The retailer also unveiled a new name, logo and visual identity.

Check out the detailed plans below!

STEEN & STRØM detailed plans

Steen & Strøm reopens after revamp with new name

Defining itself as a game-changing new store, it aims to be an inspirational place to meet, explore and shop.

The store is located in Wolverhampton. The firm's overall 60,000 sq ft development also includes other key chains owned by the company (Flannels and Sports Direct, each with a separate entrance).

Frasers is opening brand-new flagship stores in some of the U.K.'s biggest cities, but is also investing in smaller towns like Wolverhampton setting the benchmark for regional retail. This new lifestyle proposition means residents of Wolverhampton no longer need to travel to Birmingham to seek the best luxury, fashion and beauty brands.

Customers will enter Frasers through a marble façade and see a "beauty playground" offering 120+ brands. This area also features a Trend Marketplace, "a dynamic space bringing together an ever-changing roster of emerging beauty, tanning, hair, bath & body brands, alongside beauty tools and accessories.

Meanwhile, the all-important women's ready-to-wear fashion collections in the store include a comprehensive mix of hundreds of brands, such as Coach, Mario Valentino, DKNY, Michael Kors, Barbour, Polo Ralph Lauren Calvin Klein, Kitri, Faithfull the Brand, Agolde, Sleeper and Cult Gaia.

And the company said that "in response to the ever-growing demand for activewear and leisurewear", the store will carry lines from "game-changing brands" including Les Boys Les Girls, Rotate Sunday and Sporty & Rich, and luxury high-performance sportswear from PE Nation, Victoria Beckham x Reebok, Adidas by Stella and more. There are also extensive women's lingerie, footwear, loungewear and denim destinations.

On the first floor, menswear includes CP Company, Barbour, The North Face, Polo Ralph Lauren and Tommy Hilfiger. There are areas dedicated to men's loungewear, denim and footwear all offering a cohesive edit of wardrobe solutions. And the store also has a luxury kidswear area.

Frasers Group opens its first brand new store

What: the freshly renovated Holt Renfrew Ogilvy department store in Montreal

Why it is important: Holt Renfrew, part of the Selfridges group, bought the location in 2011 when Ogilvy was purchased by the group. They decided the keep the historical name, a true landmark in Montreal, when the location was reponed second half of 2020.

The historical "store of light" in Montreal, Ogilvy, had a second youth last August when it reopened, 100 years after its foundation, under the name Holt Renfrew Ogilvy (an interesting case of co-branding based on historical DNA and geographical location).

VMSD goes through the architectural specificities of the new store, documented with pictures.

You can see more pictures by clicking here.

Pictures of the Holt Renfrew - Ogilvy location in Montreal

What: the new biggest mall in Korea with 15-storey and 9,000 sqm retail surface

Why it is important: It opened in March 2021, during the pandemic and, to differentiate itself, the mall dedicates a third of its retail surface to the "Sounds Forest'", an artificial green space with 30 trees, flowers, natural grass and a 12-metre waterfall

In order to counter Covid-19 fatigue, the mall provides to its customers a relaxing experience through an artificial forest, with 30 trees and natural sceneries. This non-retail space is to be added to an art gallery at the 6th floor.

In order to provide such a differentiating experience, Hyundai mentions that it costs USD 182 million worth of annual earnings by not using this space to retail activities. Time will tell if the investment translates into traffic.

hyundai seoul mall offers retail therapy via its indoor gardens

The Hyundai Seoul mall

El Corte Inglés unveiled a refurbished Castellana flasgship store in Madrid in December 2020. The remodelling was led by architect Lazaro Rosa-Violán, whose previous works include retail developments, hotels, and restaurants among others.

El Corte Inglés' changes include a major refurbishment of the Gourmet Experience.

Click below to see the remodel:

El corte inglés - Castellana remodels 2020

Breuninger spent several months renovating their Nuremberg store location into a modernized flagship. CEO, Holger Blecker, explained the strategic decision to invest in the brick-and-mortar location in a statement saying, "We firmly believe in brick-and-mortar retail and feel close ties to the Nuremberg location. Especially in challenging times like these, it is our job as retailers to work for the revitalization and attractiveness of the inner cities…"

The more than 700 square meter flagship features an exclusive shoe world in the basement featuring collections of designer brands such as Aquazzura, Balenciaga, Chloé and Givenchy. Leather goods can be found on the ground floor and women's fashion can be found on the second floor with a renovated and modern ambience. Other designer labels such as Valentino, Celine, Bottega Veneta, Saint Laurent and Loewe are featured among the space.

To connect the physical department stores with the online store, Breuninger has advanced their digitalization through innovative services. Customers have numerous service terminals that enable immediate product and assortment queries.  Digitally networked changing rooms facilitate stationary shopping with extended Click&Collection options that allow customers to reserve desired items in advanced and then try them out in the store. To enhance the physical experience even further, separate beauty rooms can be booked for exclusive treatments such as facials.

The location also offers gastronomy concepts through a cocktail bar on the second floo, serving an extensive drink menu and the popular in-house Breuninger Confiserie, a confectionery which celebrates its 70th anniversary in 2021.

Breuninger opens flagship store in Nuremberg

US retailer Saks Fifth Avenue has opened a men's store in Barneys New York former location on Copley Place in Boston. The two-storey, 4275sqm space offers ready-to-wear, accessories and footwear. The store includes a Fifth Avenue Club for personal shopping and a made-to-measure program, a Saks by Appointment for private virtual and/or physical shopping sessions, and a Saks at Home for stylists to visit customers' homes. Around 30 new brands, key accessory products and a dedicated grooming section were added to the store features. Marc Metrick, president and chief executive officer, said: "Our men's business is booming. For the past several years, men's has been a growing category for us across all channels and we have seen a consistently positive customer response."

Saks has an agreement with Barneys' owner, Authentic Brands Group, to open an undisclosed number of shops-in-shop within its stores.

article: Saks Opens Stand-alone Men's Store in Boston

Saks opens men's store in Boston

La Réserve is a new 1500sqm space dedicated to outdoor and sportswear, located on the 4th floor of the Printemps de l'Homme (Men's building), answering the need for a functional fashion their identified well before confinement. The space is divided into 3 parts:

• L'Héritage (legacy): major casual and upper casual brands such as Barbour, Armor Lux, and Lacoste (belonging to MF Fashion, owner of Manor), some of them having granted exclusivity to Printemps
• L'Outdoor (expertise & performance): expert brands such as Woolrich, Patagonia or Aigle (also property of MF Fashion), and a bunch of exclusive and more confidential brands (NN07, Forêt …)
• La Chaussure (shoes & accessories): more than 35 specialist brands (running, hiking)

During lockdowns, social medias were filled with dreams of space and a return to nature. Now that the lockdown is over, with the perspective of either spending holidays in the French countryside or, for the most daring ones, buying a house outside the cities, it is expected that overall demand for outdoor experiences will increase even more, as well as the demand for technical yet trendy clothing and accessories.

This is the reason why, in this new section, Printemps opened the first department store boutique of the iconic French chain Au Vieux Campeur. Founded in 1941, well known among chic Parisians, it is famous for offering equipment for outdoor activities such as hiking, diving, camping, skiing with the appropriate dose of advice. Historically spread over several boutiques in the Latin Quarter, Parisians affectionately dub the stores The Village. With their dedicated 350sqm, they offer a lifestyle-oriented selection, including new categories they do not sell in their original boutiques, such as Denim, or exclusive items designed for Printemps. This completes their traditional assortment of very technical gear and accessories addressing expert and demanding customers.

Their strategy is to bring a new proposal to customers by relying on expertise and advice. However, this comes at the same time as brands such as Canada Goose who are upping the stakes in this expertise game, by allowing customers to literally experience in real conditions their products (as proposed in their Toronto store). It will be interesting to see how traffic converts into sales in this new Printemps space, and compare expertise with experience (for memory, the Canadian brand has also decided to limit shipments to departments stores to focus on its own stores).

La Réserve at Printemps

Galeries Lafayette Haussmann unveiled its new Lingerie department in March 2020, close to the Women's Contemporary section. The IADS member's flagship store is undergoing major refurbishment, and takes the opportunity of smartly repositioning the Lingerie department from the 4th floor, to propose a new experience for this category.

Lockdown in France led to a change of customers' preferences towards more casual and comfortable leisurewear. In lingerie terms, this means of course new tastes in terms of product offering, but also new expectations in terms of services and look & feel.

Engineered before this change, the 900sqm space, fitted with light wood furniture and white ceilings, is arranged like a cocoon, providing privacy while shopping for underwear. Next to it, the swimwear is presented in a white tiled space, a nod to the Parisian public pools.

In terms of offer, across the big lingerie names such as L'Agent Provocateur, Wolford or Princesse Tam-Tam, a special multi brand space is dedicated to lesser known, more confidential digitally native labels providing a sense of exclusivity while also surfing with on the intimacy those brands already enjoy with their existing customers thanks to their business model. Furthermore, they embrace growing trends which are beneficial to Galeries Lafayette in terms of image: Made in France or Made in Paris (Le Slip Français, Henriette H, Jolies Mômes), sustainability (Baserange).

Additional services are provided by the Kure Bazaar nail bar, proposing to customers a peaceful & refreshing pause during their shopping experience. This completes the feeling of a quietness, voluntarily contrasting with the rest of the bustling store.

Is a cocoon experience enough? DNVBs see their brand claims emphasized only, without additional crosschannel experience. This contributes to renew the store offer assortment, but might disappoint existing customers who already enjoy a personalized relationship with such brands. Only time will tell if a beautifully refurbished and curated store is enough to convince customers who are longing for additional care and comfort while shopping offline.

La Lingerie at Galeries Lafayette, Paris

Le Bon Marché has boldly isolated its make-up offer from the skincare department by removing it from the ground floor, and opening a space dedicated to make-up and pigments on the 1st floor of "La Rotonde". Organized in traditional department stores counters, the space aims to allow the brands to offer new services such as personalisation and DIY.

Customers will be able to find a wide selection of brands, from the most established ones (Kure Bazaar, Nars which left their wide space on the ground floor, Bobbie Brown), to more confidential names.

Interestingly enough, there is no new experience and service proposed by the Bon Marché. Brands are creating innovations for themselves. For instance, at the By Terry counter, customers are invited to choose among the many different pigments to create their own personal palette, with the possibility to mix up to three pigments in one pod. Clients weigh their pigments and compress them; and then choose from a variety of coloured and patterned boxes to make the palette even more special.

While post-lockdown customers are searching for a new look after a make-up free confinement, or expressing a personal need for reassurance, it is surprising that Bon Marché decides to gather make up brands in a non-traditional space without an offer of exclusive service. While the concept might represent a change today, it will need to demonstrate its potential for a concept appropriate for tomorrow or the day after, rather than responding to the requirements of space management.

L'Atelier Maquillage at Le Bon Marché

The shoe area located on the third floor of Rinascente in Milan has been given a makeover, as part of a project involving the whole female area of the department store set to be completed by September 2020. The new shoe floor was unveiled for the first time in February, during Milan Fashion Week.

The multi-brand area has been given a new concept featuring minimalist lines, in the shade of light blue with the use of natural materials together with iron and glass. The new-ins also include the refurbishment of the luxury mono-brand corners.

RINASCENTE

Piazza Duomo

20121 Milan, Italy

New shoe floor at Rinascente

Saks Fifth Avenue is continuing its grand renovation and unveiled its new women shoe floor. Located on the eighth floor and now 2100 sqm, the women's shoe area at the New York flagship boasts 10 percent more selling space. While it might not be immediately apparent, the new shoe area is meant to evoke Central Park, with tree trunk tables — both abstract and representational — display fixtures that echo rock formations, and a series of poles that could be interpreted as trees with a little imagination, their leaf-shaped shelves holding shoes.

A restaurant at the front of the eighth floor was removed, and covered-up windows overlooking Fifth Avenue were opened, allowing sunlight to stream through. Hanging porcelain sculptures in floral shapes with gold metallic lusters glint in daylight.

Along the perimeter of the shoe floor, Saks' key partners — those with large established businesses — have been rewarded with shops-in-shop that break from the Central Park theme and feature each brand's aesthetic and house codes. The average price for the shoe floor is $500 to $700, and rises to several thousands of dollars for runway styles and highly embellished pairs decorated with Swarovski crystals, for example.

The center of the floor is devoted to a mix of designers that Saks hopes will provide a sense of discovery for consumers. Ten new collections, including Amina Muaddi, Alexandre Vauthier, By Far, Midnight 00, Staud and Cult Gaia have been added, and are interspersed with more established designers.

For instance, Christian Louboutin's shop features four wall panels made from the designer's signature red soles layered like the scales of a fish. Inspired by traditional French gardens, there's nothing classic about the shop. A teal custom ceramic fountain inspired by the Tethys cave buried in the Palace or Versailles, was created with the Atelier Jean Roger and assembled by an artisan from the atelier. Floral displays made from climbing aged brass vines and hand-painted decorations throughout the Louboutin shop-in-shop feature fantastical plants and exotic flowers. Other shops-in-shop include Bottega Veneta's first in the U.S. devoted to shoes; Celine, Dior; Fendi; Gianvito Rossi; Givenchy; Gucci; Louis Vuitton; Saint Laurent, and Valentino.

Saks is celebrating 10022-Shoe's renovation with a charitable campaign starting on 16 March, and benefiting New York-Presbyterian Komansky Children's Hospital and Bring Change to Mind. The campaign will honor uncommon heroes at each institution, who work to make the city a better place. The retailer will donate 1,000 pairs of shoes, distributed between the three organizations, and will hold a charitable shopping weekend when 10 percent of women's shoe sales will be donated to the groups.

SAKS FIFTH AVENUE

5th Ave, New York,

NY 10022, United States

10022-Shoe at Saks Fifth Avenue, New York City

Texas-based department store chain JC Penney has unveiled a brand-new store, a completely reimagined format just outside of Dallas in Hurst, Texas, that represents the Company's strategy to put the customer at the center of its business.  As a brand-defining store, it is experiential and a direct result of what today's shoppers want from a retailer. The store, opened in November 2019, is built around data and insights learned from more than a year of extensive customer research, and it showcases the comprehensive foundational and transformational changes that the Company is implementing as part of a holistic plan to rebuild and renew JCPenney.


From the moment customers walk through the doors, they will discover the assortment is thoughtfully built and organized around how they live their lives and the many different occasions in their day, week and year. Brands and products are curated for shopping enthusiasts and how they want to shop.

• All Day for casual work wear and weekend wear (with all women's and men's sizes in one area.)
• On Point for when customers want to be a bit more refined and polished
• Move for everything from low to high impact
• Chill for the stylish 5-to-9 time, and great lounge and sleepwear
• Shine for those special occasions


In addition, there are lounges scattered across the store and special service areas for shopping as well.

• All-You for fashion jewelry and accessories, Sephora, and the Salon & Spa
• The Barbery for a fresh cut, shave, and shoe shine
• Styling Rooms for women and men with innovative technology
• Movement Studio for health and wellness with instructor classes
• Shutterfly Picture Pop Selfie Studio for capturing family moments
• Pearl Cup Bistro or Pearl Cup Grab + Go for refuel or quick meals


Penney's partnered with Pinterest to help customers who are looking for a home refresh to find the inspiration they need through an in-store style explorer. After answering a few home décor preference questions, shoppers will be presented with a curated Pinterest Board featuring JCPenney home products that best meet their needs and match their style.

The store has also been piloting the Style on the Go Curbside Pickup. The service allows customers to get their online orders without having to leave their car and will be extending to other stores across the U.S.

PENNEY'S

located in North East Mall

1101 Melbourne Dr Ste 5000,

Hurst, TX 76053, United States

Penney's

Architecture firm OMA has completed the Galleria department store in Gwanggyo, South Korea, with a stone facade that has a multifaceted-glass passage cut into it.

Built in the town of Gwanggyo, south of the capital Seoul, the Galleria department store has been designed to be a landmark for the area's housing district.

The cube-shaped building is clad in tessellated triangles of stone. The mix of beige, brown and earthy colours is designed to make the building appear like a slab of rock or a cross-section of earth.

Breaking up the geometric shape of the 10-storey department store is a multifaceted-glass passage that is wrapped around the building, projecting from the facade.

According to the architecture studio, the multifaceted glass walkway will help to connect the building's retail functions with its leisure facilities.

A food market and deli are located in the building's basement, with eight retail floors above it. Along with stairs and lifts all of the floors are connected by the glass external loop. The department store's upper floors, which are also accessible from the passageway, contain leisure facilities.

The eighth floor contains bars and restaurants, the ninth and tenth a multi-screen cinema and the eleventh a space described as the "lounge and academy".

GALLERIA

Woncheon-dong, Yeongtong-gu,

Gyeonggi-do, South Korea

Galleria

Opened in December 2019, SKP-S is a one-of-a-kind environment, an incubator for global brands and their followers to immerse themselves and experiment with their future selves. Designed by London-based architecture firm Sybarite, the 19,000 sqm space is to be navigated through a purposefully ever-changing landscape. On each floor, a different perspective and exclusive identity is to be interpreted.

In a bold move, Sybarite has teamed up with Gentle Monster, the Seoul-based eyewear brand known for its bold and highly evocative retail design, to create premises fit for today's generation of digital-savvy shoppers. The Gentle Monster creates numerous theatrical settings based on the theme Digital-Analog Future and the assumption that in the distant future technical leaps will allow mankind to blur the boundaries between human and digital realms, and as such, new forms of evolution.

The entire project is anchored by the continuously evolving Art Experiment Space on the ground floor which opened with a first edition entitled Future Farm, featuring the development of digital science and technology through a setting in which machines have taken over the planet, and information and artificial intelligence manipulates human memories. AI replicants create a virtual reality inside the space where the border between dreams and reality fades, clones of robotic sheep breathe, move, and sound identical to their original sources.


On the ground floor, there is also a cosmetics shop which examines the unprecedented aesthetic trends of Mars. The skincare zone displays objects and plants representing the beauty of the Red Planet and the bar and salon offer new experiences through a rotation of settings.


One floor up, Xu Zhen's sculptures and Daniel Rozin's kinetic penguins interact within the artificial landscape of the future. The select shop examines Martian history and sees Future Martians evolve with new DNA, but nostalgic for earthly origins, they work to rediscover their past. A model of the spacecraft that transported the first settlers to Mars stands at the entrance as a symbol. The floor's spatial design and objects explore the history of Martians' lives, wars, and power, featuring a women's and men's zone, a so-called soft corner, and a fashion accessories zone filled with items from fashion's upper echelon. The first floor houses top tier luxury brands and their alter egos.


On the second floor, iconic and cult streetwear brands stand alongside emerging talents. The colour and material palette is light – industrial in feel with terrazzo of varying shades, polished concrete ceiling coves and backlit glass vitrines.


The third floor features a shoe retail space depicting Mars Rediscovery a.k.a. the future after the future in which a new species of digitalised humans examines their history through past media and relics of the first settlement on Mars. The floor is divided into several zones, each featuring a specific style. Gentle Monster's very own store can be found here as well, and the design is inspired by a new humankind travelling through a wormhole between Mars and Earth. Last but not least, there's Nudake a.k.a. Mars Café where shoppers can recharge in between power shopping sprees in a matching environment.


In the basement, find many inspired food offers from fine dining experiences to restaurants and street food; all in an industrial feel with terrazzo flooring, concrete walls and exposed ceiling.


SKP-S - more pictures 

SKP-S

86 Jianguo Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing, China

London department store Harrods has unveiled its new Interiors department. Reinvigorated with a fabric library, personalisation services and Harrods' own in-house design studio, the new interiors department combines all home accessories and furniture offerings onto a single floor. Designed by Virgile + Partners, the new department evokes a residential quality as it guides shoppers through a range of vignettes dedicated kitchens, bedrooms and more. There is a section dedicated to home fragrances, a new Halcyon Gallery features artworks, and an interactive space hosts demonstrations of a selection of product ranges. There is also In Luxury Linens where customers can custom-design and monogram their own fabrics. At the heart of the department is Harrods Interior Design, an interior and architecture design studio, which offers a range of expert design services, from styling advice to complete refurbishment options.

Located on the third floor, the space is lined with subtly toned marble floors along with patterns of herringbone, chevron and basket weaves. The open layout comprises 25 interconnected room scenes that highlight the diversity of products featured through the department.

Harrods new Interiors department

Harrods has opened its new state-of-the-art Technology department, offering shoppers a unique retail experience in a 3000sqm space overhauled by architecture firm  Gensler. Designed to awaken the senses, the space provides visitors with a truly immersive and personalised shopping experience that brings together the very best in innovation and technology. The department has grown by nearly 80%, moving from the third to the fifth floor to occupy 11 rooms, making it one of the largest technology departments in the UK. Customers can explore dedicated zones across Vision, Computing, Audio, Imaging and Connectivity, shop for products from the world's best tech brands and enjoy revolutionary interactive experiences.

In the main shopping area, the floor has been divided into five distinctive experience-rich zones, connected by a central route that has been re-imagined as a catwalk for better product display and improved wayfinding. Stepping off the catwalk and into the rooms, the pace softens for a more intimate and personalised shopping experience. Driven by innovation, fashion and aesthetic, Harrods has included a range of exclusive pieces with a contemporary look and feel, without compromising on high performance and speed. The new department also sees the introduction of immersive shopping experiences, with a Masterclass Room for learning photography skills, designated listening rooms to try out the best turntables and headphones and viewing rooms to experience top-of-the-range TV and audio.

The contemporary, minimalist space takes inspiration from Harrods' heritage, blurring the boundaries between fashion and technology. The 1930s-inspired geometric floor pattern on the catwalk is echoed by a suspended illuminated ceiling. The suspended ceiling also helps to create a sense of space and height in the Grade II listed building. In contrast, the dark timber and brass used in the rooms, alongside the lighting and soft panel walls, were all selected to create a calming and intimate atmosphere.

Harrods new Technology department