News

Shaftesbury launches Soho Incubator pop-up shop competition

Shaftesbury has launched a new ‘Soho Incubator’ initiative giving budding UK brands with sustainability credentials across fashion, beauty, lifestyle and homeware the chance to win a free three-month pop-up shop this autumn/ winter.

The chosen emerging brand will receive full support from Shaftesbury and This Is Soho to set up and launch for the first time in the iconic West End village, sitting alongside a host of independent and flagship brands such as RÆBURN, Oliver Spencer, Universal Works, BLEACH and Misan Fabrics. Along with the popup space the winners of the competition will also win þ5,000 towards internal fit out plus exclusive 1-2-1 business mentoring. Entrants are invited to complete the form on www.thisissoho.co.uk. RF

Ksubi will open their FIrst UK FLagship at Carnaby Street

Originally founded in Sydney, Ksubi has grown into a globally recognisable and notorious streetwear brand. Known for its distinctive denim and embraced by celebrities, Ksubi has built a loyal following and has collaborated with names such as Travis Scott and Kendall Jenner. The brand is one of the fastest growing denim brands in the US and stocked amongst some of the world’s most noted fashion retailers including Selfridges and Harvey Nichols in the UK.

Ksubi will open their first UK flagship at 10 Carnaby Street in October 2022. The 2,132 square ft store will be a þagship location for the brand as it looks to expand its loyal fan base within the UK.

The London store will be the third Ksubi store to open in 2022, with its new Miami and Chicago locations set to launch in August 2022, and stores in Sydney and Melbourne to open in 2023.

Beauty Pie opened ‘Warehouse of Dreams’ pop-up in Covent Garden

Founded in 2016 by serial entrepreneur Marcia Kilgore, Beauty Pie was created as a one-stop destination for luxury beauty products at ‘warehouse prices‘. The D2C brand claims it does not charge consumers for the ‘middleman’ or retailer mark-ups.

Created in association with creative agency Backlash, the ‘Warehouse of Dreams’ offered shoppers the opportunity to discover how Beauty Pie operates, including an insight into its network of over 50 labs creating high-end products at affordable prices. Experts were also be on hand at the Covent Garden pop-up to offer beauty lovers advice, helping them to find the best products for their skincare concerns straight from the production line.

The brand opened its doors in Covent Garden from 30 June to 11 July. RF

Goldsmiths unveils its Bluewater Showroom

Goldsmiths, one of the UK’s leading luxury watch and jewellery retailers and part of the Watches of Switzerland Group, opened its latest new luxury concept showroom at Bluewater Shopping Centre in Kent, on Friday 24th June.

The new Goldsmiths showroom boasts a fresh interior concept, as well as a lineup of luxury timepieces and fine-jewellery brands, creating retail environment of the future—embracing a modern and relaxed way to browse.

The new calming, yet dynamic space was designed in partnership with the award-winning UK-based design collective Quadrant Design. Light, uncluttered, open spaces in a monochrome palette of luxurious materials such as white-washed oak timber, white terrazzo and blackened steel, have been combined with visual architectural forms that include repeating vertical lines and soft curves inspired by the Goldsmiths logo, to perfectly combine contemporary luxury design with a relaxed atmosphere.RF

Creative Design & Display Connections

The organisers behind the Creative Retail Awards have launched the inaugural Creative Design & Display Connections (CDDC) meet the buyer event. To be held in 2023. The event consists of pre-matched one-toone meetings between buyers and suppliers over the course of the day. With Supplier entry from just £1,750 + VAT, the event could provide the highest ever ROI for companies at this difficult trading period. Approved delegates receive free entry.

Register your interest at www.cddconnections.com

Pride in London pop-up opened on Foubert’s Place

The Pride in London pop-up opened their doors on Foubert’s Place marking the 50 year anniversary of Pride. The pop-up offers a safe space for London’s LGBT+ community, and is located at 15-17 Foubert’s Place, London, W1F 7QB – just off Carnaby Street – open through 3 July, 2022.

Brian Bickell, CEO at Shaftesbury says “We are delighted to welcome the Pride in London pop-up to Carnaby to mark their 50th anniversary. With the LGBT+ community being so present in the area it is important to us at Shaftesbury to mark the anniversary and to show our support for the community and beyond. Soho has embraced the LBGT+ community for generations so it’s þtting for us to mark this important Pride anniversary.”

SHORTLIST ANNOUNCED FOR 2022 CREATIVE RETAIL AWARDS

Frenchgate to welcome luxury fashion brand Tessuti

The Frenchgate Partnership has announced the signing of premium fashion store, Tessuti as part of its regional expansion plans.

Totaling 9,000 sq ft, the new Tessuti store will be launching in Doncaster’s premium shopping destination this Autumn and is taking the former Topshop space on the first floor, adjacent to H&M and River Island.

Chris Rowan, Director of Brand & Customer Connection at Tessuti said: “We value the importance of regional locations and as a group we already have experience of Doncaster as popular destination. It was an easy decision to select Frenchgate to launch a new Tessuti store and build upon our group presence at the scheme. The new store is in a prime location and will no doubt be a big draw for Frenchgate visitors once we launch later this year.”

www.retail-focus.co.uk/news

Nespresso opens new experiential boutique at Trinity Leeds

A prime high street unit in Portman Square, London, has been transformed into HydraFacial’s new London flagship location as their first physical presence in the UK, after typically working online, B2B and with in-person skin clinic. HydraFacial is a worldwide aesthetic device manufacturer specialising in noninvasive skincare that has, up until this point, been predominantly located in the USA.

LDN Flagship is a hybrid venue that features retail, cosmetic treatment and office workspaces as well as an event space for brand events, masterclasses and expert-led forums with doctors, facialists and makeup artists, and even a VIP suite. This new concept has been designed by award-winning design agency, So… Visualise, who enlisted Chameleon Business Interiors as the main contractor for the project. The space includes a vloggers area specifically designed for interviews, complete with social media backdrops, VIP treatment rooms and a neon archway activated by movement. Though HydraFacial had a strong sense of brand before this space was created, it took the guidance of the team at So… Visualise to localise this into the interiors of their London store. RF

Gilly Hicks delivers a daily dose of happy to Carnaby Street

Gilly Hicks, a brand in the Abercrombie & Fitch portfolio offering activewear, loungewear and underwear, has today announced the opening of its new store located at 39 Carnaby Street, in the heart of London’s busiest shopping district.

The new store showcases an expanded product assortment, digital experience, and a reimagined brand purpose.

Miele launches experience centre at Touchwood shopping centre

Miele has selected Touchwood shopping centre in Solihull as the location for its latest store. The German premium domestic appliance manufacturer has taken 2,000 sq ft on a new ten-year lease. The store takes the form of an ‘Experience Centre’ showcasing Miele’s most popular and sustainable appliances.

Murmur gets into bed with Northern Irish outlet with first ever

Irish homeware brand, Murmur has today announced plans to open its first-ever standalone store as part of longer-term ambitions to roll out more stores across the UK and Ireland.

The 1,108 sq ft inaugural store will open at designer outlet, The Boulevard, a Lotus Property-owned scheme based between Belfast and Dublin creating six jobs. RF

Harrods launch fifth standalone H beauty in Gateshead

Harrods has opened H beauty Gateshead, the brand’s fifth standalone beauty store in the UK, located in the Metrocentre. The 30,203 sq.ft. space brings together a diverse portfolio of must-have products and exceptional services from an array of beauty brands for customers to enjoy.

The store has been designed as an experiential playground, where beauty novices and experts alike can discover some of the industry’s most forward-thinking and vibrant brands as well as stock up on their forever-favourite products. The curated product offering, paired with Harrods renowned retail innovation and expert- driven service, creates a beauty wonderland for enthusiasts to discover, and to enhance their inner and outer wellbeing. RF

H&M HOME opens unique concept store in Berlin

H&M HOME has opened the doors to its new standalone Concept Store in Berlin. The interior and lifestyle destination marks a new elevated level of global H&M HOME flagship stores and will offer a dynamic and inspiring customer experience.

The store presents the latest interior collections in an inviting and contemporary surrounding, inspired by modern cosmopolitan homes and hotels and with visual elements of Bauhaus style.

The newly designed Concept Store is located in the vibrant Mitte area of Berlin and is set across two floors covering more than 650 square metres. The architectural space has a warm and welcoming atmosphere, where authentic details in concrete and wood create a modern metropolitan feeling, celebrating the timeless brand universe of H&M HOME. While experiencing the rich diversity of our extended assortment, customers will be met with unique features such as an instore café serving hot drinks and delicious pastries and an orangery with fresh seasonal flowers and plants. RF

JYSK continues UK expansion

As part of JYSK’s plans to expand in the UK, the largest Danish retailer, operating globally, will be opened its first Telford store on 2nd June 2022 at Unit NQ1, Northern Quarter, Telford Shopping Centre.

The new store boasts 1200 sq mtrs of floor space in the latest JYSK store concept layout. JYSK will bring affordable Scandi-chic homeware to Telford, in addition to 10 jobs being created by the Danish brand.

Marks and Spencer to open new store at Lakeside, Essex

Lakeside’s existing M&S store will move from its current location to the new unit, covering 98,000 sq ft of net selling space. The store will offer customers a wide range of M&S products across its new Foodhall and Clothing & Home departments.

Nick Pucci, Regional Manager at M&S, said: “We are really excited to be relocating to a new store at Lakeside. Whether you’re looking for style inspiration in our Clothing & Home departments or great value, trusted quality M&S produce and family meal options in our new Foodhall, you’ll be able to choose from the very best of M&S in our refreshed new store.”

The move comes as M&S continues its store estate transformation, investing to make sure they have the right stores in the right locations to offer customers a brilliant shopping experience.

SHORTLIST ANNOUNCED FOR 2022 CREATIVE RETAIL AWARDS