Get to Know the New Shops on the Block

Despite setbacks, a new wave of New Luxury stores is proving that physical retail is alive and well.

Retail’s accelerated evolution has encouraged a change of pace amongst brands and retailers operating in New Luxury. With decades of decline and a string of setbacks— consequence of the pandemic and lockdowns—physical retail has hung in the balance.

With countless stores on the global high street feeling the sting, brands and retailers alike have been left questioning whether brick-and-mortar stores are a wise investment.

In a recent piece, we assessed how New Luxury is keeping physical retail spaces alive, hoping to answer the above question or at least provide clarity on the situation at play.

Last year, Forbes outlined five key psychological reasons for the existence of physical retail stores:

• Inspiration

• Convenience

• Immediate Gratification

• Taction (i.e. the ability to touch and feel products or do the things that inform buying decisions)

• Social Experience

In this piece, we look at the brands and retailers building interactive, social, and engaging shopping experiences by opening new stores.

GUCCI - South Coast Plaza, California

Reinforcing South Coast Plaza’s reputation as one of the USA’s premier locations for luxury fashion retail, the new GUCCI location—which opened its doors this Spring— spreads 19,000 sq ft across two floors.

While not entirely “new” as the store replaces the former boutique (albeit double the size), the sleek interior designed by the brand’s in-house team oozes luxury. Taking a form likely finding comfort on the aesthetic mooodboards of brands and influencers the world over, the store priorities the provision of an elevated, VIP experience for its customers.

CHANEL - Fifth Avenue, New York

CHANEL’s newest presence in New York comes as its first U.S. store dedicated to watches and fine jewellery, as the luxury house sets the focus of its American expansion on high-end, exclusive products.

Spread across two floors and taking on the appearance of a CHANEL-branded home of sorts, the newly erected store opened its doors earlier this year, boasting an aesthetic imagined by renowned architect Peter Marino.

Much like GUCCI’s above location, CHANEL Fifth Avenue spares no expense in bringing the brand’s luxuriousness to life. With ornate chandeliers crafted by Goossens, every inch of the store has been carefully considered to draw consumers into the CHANEL universe.

Ensuring customers at the location receive an experience unlike any other, a selection of limited-edition pieces and exclusive high jewelry by Patrice Leguéreau, Director of the CHANEL Fine Jewelry Creation Studio, are situated within.

Nike - Trinity Shopping Centre, Leeds

Due to open its doors before the year’s close, Nike’s latest store sees it expand its presence in Leeds, with a new ‘Rise’ concept.

Following the successful opening of its Nike Rise concept store in London, the Swoosh has set its sights on Leeds’ Trinity Shopping Centre, detailing a new 10,000 sq ft location.

The Rise concept taps into the experiential tenet of New Luxury, offering customers interactive features, digital innovations, and personalised services like the Footwear Fastlane and Nike by You—formally known as NikeID.

Within the store, the digitally-powered Footwear Fastlane shares footwear product stories, benefits, and technical information on the store’s footwear selection, allowing customers to make informed buying decisions, while Nike By You allows in-store, interactive customisation of key products.

Unlike traditional Nike stores, the Rise concept is designed specifically to bolster consumer interaction, engagement, and the opportunity to learn more about the brand and its products first-hand.

Sephora - Trafford Centre, Manchester

Earlier this year, Sephora opened its first physical retail location in the north of England, touching down in Manchester’s Trafford Centre.

Following the huge success of its first two London stores, the hyper-popular beauty retailer set sights on Manchester for its first UK venture outside of the capital.

The megastore was on the receiving end of massive surges of anticipation and hype prior to, and following its opening, as one of the most highly favoured beauty imprints amongst Gen Z shoppers.

Boasting a broad selection of exclusive brands and hard-to-find names such as Glossier, Makeup by Mario, GXVE by Gwen Stefani, and Haus Labs by Lady Gaga, alongside the more budget-friendly Sephora Collection, the store has been drawing huge crowds since its opening in May.

With beauty and fragrance trends continuing to dominate social media, as highlighted by Highsnobiety’s fast-evolving Beauty column, the demand for physical retail spaces where customers can interact with, try on, and be professionally advised on beauty products is likely to continue accelerating.

Expect more of these destinations.

Represent - North Robertson Boulevard, California & New Cathedral Street, Manchester

Having successfully scaled from $63m in sales in 2022 to $100m in 2023, with 70% of its revenue coming from direct-to-consumer sales, it was only a matter of time before Represent expanded its physical retail presence beyond department stores like Selfridges and FLANNELS.

The Manchester-based brand’s first foray into physical retail came in March of this year when it opened its first brick-and-mortar store in Los Angeles. Opening as Represent’s first-ever flagship and overseas office space, the store expanded its international operations while offering customers a space to interact with its products first-hand.

Perhaps most importantly, the store came as the latest step in Represent’s extensive community-focused strategy, providing a location for community interaction, meet-ups, and a base for its 247 community engagement events.

Never one to slow up the pace, Represent quickly announced that it would be establishing a home base in the UK, in the heart of its Manchester home.

Set to open later this year, the UK retail location sees Represent sit amongst Manchester’s existing luxury stores including Canada Goose and Burberry.

Given the brand’s enormous presence in the north, especially in Manchester, it’s likely that the new store will become a hub for community events and engagement while bolstering the brand’s IRL interactions as it continues its physical transition.

Gymshark - Westfield Stratford, London

Having successfully translated its enormous e-commerce success into a physical retail destination in the heart of London, Gymshark set its sights on the popular shopping destination Westfield Stratford for its second location.

Building upon its existing 18,000 sq ft Regent Street flagship with an additional 7,000 sq ft nestled in the popular Westfield shopping centre, the expansion of Gymshark’s physical presence is about more than selling product.

Presenting itself as a “fitness and community brand,” the new space is also dedicated to bringing the Gymshark community together and encouraging an active lifestyle. As such, it also serves as a hub for the Gymshark Stratford Run Club which takes place every Wednesday.

LFDY - Poland Street, London

Live Fast Die Young is a German brand making waves across the EU and UK. Earlier this year, its new storefront made its way into our second edition of Field Notes from London, where we noted that locating your first UK store next. to Aime Leon Dore was a power move.

Bold by nature, the brand’s fearlessness has attracted all of the right attention; deservingly so, considering the tasteful design afforded to the store by architects and fellow Dusseldorf residents, Schwitzke.

Effortlessly combining function and style, the space designates itself as a community hub without needing to try.

Despite the brand’s youth (especially compared to others on this list), it took the steps to set up shop in one of the most important shopping destinations in London, demonstrating the continued importance of physical retail spaces—despite the risk.