Retail inspiration: 6 international store concepts from the past 6 months

A look at the competition, almost everyone does. How do they set up their shop, how is the routing and which style is chosen? Although some retailers are convinced that you should never look at someone else, the FashionUnited article 'Retail inspiration: 9 new store concepts of recent times' from July did well. That's why it was repeated: the same article format, but with the latest stores. For those who are looking for inspiration or simply want to look at pictures.

Nishi in Rotterdam

A striking store that opened in the last month of 2019: Nishi. The ant-sweet colours in the concept catch the eye and are above all Instagram-worthy. Nishi is decorated with 'kawaii' in mind, the Japanese style whose name literally translates to 'cute'.

Nishi doesn't just sell clothes, it has to function as a 'mini Japanese department store'. Beauty products, books, crockery and homeware are also part of the assortment. Besides shopping, you can also visit the bubble tea bar, the snack corner, the photobooth and a hairdresser.

Photos: Nishi / Wijnand van Till

Adidas' most digital shop ever

Adidas zooms in on the digital store. In London, the store was given a makeover and the brand renamed the store 'most digital store ever'. There are more than a hundred digital touchpoints, such as interactive mirrors in the fitting rooms, LED screens and a hypewall. The interactive mirrors allow customers to request information about the garment, as well as a request for another size that is sent to one of the employees.

Photos: Adidas/ Adidas LDN

Hot:Second

A physical store that only promotes digital products: Hot:second is that store. Unfortunately it was a temporary store in London, but the concept is definitely worth it. The aim of the pop-up was to remove the need for physical clothing and to test business models with digital clothing. By donating a physical garment, visitors are given a token with which they can try out garments in futuristic pods by means of a digital tailor.

Photo: Via Hot:Second

H&M

H&M again carried out various tests in the second half of the year. First of all there was Mitte Garten, the Swedish retailer's 'hyperlocal' new store. The store in the Mitte district of Berlin will open in October and offers a curated H&M range, as well as third party products and even vintage items. Seminars and yoga classes will also be held in the building, all to be as relevant as possible to the local resident. A month later the new Sergel Torg store opens in Stockholm. Here too, H&M has looked at the local customer and how she can serve them. Here you can find a beauty bar, repair service and even a clothing rental service, among many other things to make it as easy as possible for the customer.

Photos: H&M

Wood Wood

Danish brand Wood opened the very first international store at the end of the year. The brand already had five stores of its own in its home country, but chose London to make its international debut. And how? The store was designed by Spacon & X and draws inspiration from the streetwear culture. The store is full of playful features, such as a partition made of fringes or bricks on metal bars. Small intimate spaces are created in the large space and the Wood Wood store is worth a visit just for the store concept.

Photos: Via Wood Wood

Burberry

Who says logomania is over? At Burberry, partly due to the new logo, it's more topical than ever. It may not be Burberry's own shop, but it is the concept space within Nordstrom that the British brand has taken over. It is unfortunately only on display until the end of 2019, so interested parties should be quick. Burberry has five spaces in the department store at its disposal and has one space completely immersed in the new Thomas Burberry Monogram and the cafe covered with Nick Knight's Portrait of a Rose print.

Photos: Burberry newsroom

This article was originally published on FashionUnited.NL, translated and edited by Kelly Press