Retail Week
John Ryan

John Ryan is Stores Editor at Retail Week.

He has worked for the magazine for more than a decade and covers store design, visual merchandising and what makes things sell in-store - across every area of retail. In a previous life he was a buyer.

Follow John on twitter: @NewStores

JJB Sports: Back in the game and hungry to win

May 25 2012
With a new store format and fresh vigour, JJB Sports could potentially perform a remarkable turnaround.
Store of the week: Lindex, Oslo

May 25 2012
For those who don’t know it, Lindex is a young fashion brand with stores in Scandinavia, the Baltic States, Central Europe and Russia and, most recently, the Middle East, where it started a franchise operation in 2011.
In pictures: Marks & Spencer unveils new beauty department

22-May-2012
Located on the first floor of the Kensington High Street store, the new beauty department at Marks & Spencer will be the template for future in-store beauty areas.
Harrods celebrates Queen’s Diamond Jubilee

21-May-2012
Harrods department store is celebrating the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee with store-long display of regal headpieces.
Doing a Kwiksave on Clinton Cards

21-May-2012
More work will be needed if Clinton Cards is to have any realistic future.
Store of the week: DIY Express, Hayes, London

21-May-2012
Somewhere between the wide-open spaces of the large DIY shed and a local hardware store, lies DIY Express.
Travel retail: Airports and railway stations

21-May-2012
Travel retail is picking up pace at railway stations and airports. John Ryan assesses some retail offers for those on the move.
Designs on Clinton Cards

14-May-2012
The debacle at Clinton Cards is, in part, the outcome of a retailer that did not take its stores seriously.
Store of the week: Coach, Regent Street

14-May-2012
Coach is one of those brands that you know about, but may not have shopped in.
John Lewis: New-look beauty hall

9-May-2012
John Lewis Oxford Street’s new beauty department is an exercise in brand promotion while remaining a branded house.
Making the most of the summer of sport

8-May-2012
Sainsbury’s, Next and John Lewis are among the high street giants set to benefit from the forthcoming Olympics, but how will others fare?
Pop-up shops: Going from strength to strength

8-May-2012
Pop-up shops have come a long way from being attention-grabbing fads to brand mainstays that can make serious money.
Store of the week: Moss Bros, Regent Street

8-May-2012
For some time, men’s formalwear retailer Moss Bros was under the cosh with an average network of stores stretching across most major towns and cities.
In pictures: Selfridges launches "Big British" shop

1-May-2012
Selfridges Oxford Street officially opened its Big British shop this morning in the store’s Concept Store.
In pictures: Custo Barcelona opens first UK store

30-Apr-2012
The Spanish brand with the brightly-coloured stock has arrived at Westfield Stratford.
Digital is the new Green

30-Apr-2012
In-store digital, a passing fad or here for the duration?
New Look reviews results from refurbished stores

27-Apr-2012
Value fashion retailer New Look is assessing revamped interiors in some UK stores. John Ryan visits High Wycombe to see what’s new.
New Look to grow online business and roll out store revamp

April 27 2012
Value fashion retailer New Look aims to double its online business within two years as it seeks ways of boosting turnover beyond its 600 store portfolio.
In pictures: M&S Shwop pop-up opens in East End

26-Apr-2012
Marking the 5th anniversary of Plan A, M&S boss Marc Bolland opened Shwop this morning - a pop-up in London’s East End that aims to kickstart a new “Shwopping” initiative.
Shops: fewer, smaller and better. The future.

23-Apr-2012
Radical change is sweeping across our high streets and we should be thankful for it, in part.
Store of the week: Mini, Westfield Stratford

23-Apr-2012
Westfield Stratford isn’t really the sort of place that you’d head for if you want to buy a car or indeed accessories that might be associated with it, but the Mini pop-up store might help to change your mind.
Victorinox: sharp as a knife

23-Apr-2012
The company behind the Swiss Army Knife has revamped its Bond Street flagship. John Ryan reveals it is a cut above.
In pictures: Harvey Nichols unveils Jubilee window scheme

19-Apr-2012
Harvey Nichols has changed the windows of its Knightsbridge flagship into a series of local shops from the last 60 years.
In pictures: Boux Avenue opens first London store

19-Apr-2012
Fledgling lingerie retailer Boux Avenue opened its 11th store at Midday today in Westfield London.
Why Tesco Hertford is the grocer's future

18-Apr-2012
The trial store in Hertford may not address all of Tesco’s UK woes but it so goes a long way towards addressing many of the retailer’s perceived shortcomings.
In pictures: Tesco's trial store in Hertford

18-Apr-2012
The Hertfordshire county town plays host to the latest store thinking from Tesco, pointing the way for future refurbishments and store interiors.
Tesco? Boring? Wrong adjective

16-Apr-2012
To concentrate upon the intrinsic dullness of a food retail interior may matter, but it’s not the real point that needs to be addressed.
Selfridges: a room with a premium view

16-Apr-2012
The women’s Designer Galleries East at Selfridges on Oxford Street is open for business. John Ryan visits and gets a taste of luxury.
Store of the week: Esprit Gare St Lazare, Paris

16-Apr-2012
It’s probably not too much of an exaggeration to say that Esprit remains somewhat left-field as far as the UK shopper is concerned.
Dixons launches paid-for design service for suppliers

13-Apr-2012
Electricals retailer Dixons has launched a paid-for design service for suppliers including Sony in an initiative designed to improve the look and feel of in-store displays and branded areas.
Hotel Chocolat plans Roast + Conch roll-out

12-Apr-2012
Upmarket chocolatier Hotel Chocolat is to roll out its Roast + Conch format to half of its store estate after debuting the design in Covent Garden in December.
Right thing, right place...at John Lewis

10-Apr-2012
The department store operator knows there is more to in-store technology than toys or run-of-the-mill visual displays.
Paris: Adding digital elements to visual merchandising

10-Apr-2012
Stores in the French capital are increasingly adding a digital element to visual merchandising. John Ryan takes a look.
Store of the week: Ted Baker, Omotesando, Tokyo

10-Apr-2012
Ted Baker opened a flagship in Tokyo’s Omotesando last month aimed at reinforcing the brand’s London roots and providing shoppers with an immersive experience based on the British capital.
Game: the Woolies question

2-Apr-2012
The management at Game failed to answer to a series of questions that every retailer has to respond to in the current climate.
B&Q: Where do you start with overhauling the second largest store estate in the UK?

2-Apr-2012
Where do you start when it comes to overhauling the second largest store estate in the UK. Simple – set standards and then do everything “invisibly”.
New York: The big appeal

2-Apr-2012
New York’s ever-changing retail landscape comes up trumps with global flagships and digitally connected cafes. John Ryan reports.
Retail interiors: The story so far

2-Apr-2012
This year thus far has not been as bad, for many, as had been feared and indeed there are some who have proved resilient.
Store design: Harrods' new look technology floor

2-Apr-2012
Harrods’ new technology department tests the boundaries of accepted design within the sector. John Ryan reports.
Store of the week: In God We Trust, Brooklyn, New York

2-Apr-2012
In God We Trust’s two stores in the increasingly fashionable Williamsburg and Greenpoint districts of Brooklyn, New York, both boast a lot of stock that’s made in situ.
Superdry: Regent Street flagship

2-Apr-2012
The Superdry flagship on Regent Street puts into sharp focus a dark trend that has been gathering force since the arrival of Abercrombie & Fitch on these shores. John Ryan reports.
Harry Potter: The wizardry of retailing

26-Mar-2012
The Making of Harry Potter opens next week. John Ryan takes a tour of the magical theme park store.
Store of the Week: United Nude, Knightsbridge

26-Mar-2012
In spite of the name, United Nude is a shoe brand and retailer and has nothing to do with flashing the flesh.
101 uses for a dead Habitat

26-Mar-2012
There are only three Habitat stores left in this country - which means a lot of retail spaces have been left that either need to be filled or have been taken over, reformed and refitted.
In pictures: Refitted Pull & Bear reopens on Oxford Street

23-Mar-2012
Pull & Bear, the Inditex young fashion fascia, reopened on Oxford Street this morning following a 6-week refit.
In pictures: King’s Cross concourse opens

20-Mar-2012
The new concourse at London’s King’s Cross opened yesterday with a large public space replacing the small, overcrowded area that long-suffering travellers and commuters will have been familiar with.
Intergalactic flagship anybody?

19-Mar-2012
John Ryan writes about store design, visual merchandising and in-store marketing. He has written for Retail Week in this capacity for more than a decade.
Jaeger head office staff in consultation

16-Mar-2012
Jaeger has put staff at its head office in consultation as part of a review of its business.
In pictures: First pictures of Zara’s global flagship in Fifth Avenue

14-Mar-2012
Zara opens a “global flagship” on New York’s Fifth Avenue tomorrow (March 15th 2012).
Dixons Add stores get new look

12-Mar-2012
Dixons has revamped its Add airport model and the result is a new-look space at Gatwick. John Ryan assesses its flight readiness.
Selling the Olympics

12-Mar-2012
John Ryan writes about store design, visual merchandising and in-store marketing. He has written for Retail Week in this capacity for more than a decade.
Store design: Viyella, Regent Street, London

12-Mar-2012
Mention the name Viyella and most people will think of womenswear at the better end of the market.
Marni and H&M collaboration draws crowds

8-Mar-2012
The Marni and H&M tie-up has shoppers queuing to snap up the limited edition range.
Nike unveils revamped Westfield London store

5-Mar-2012
Sportswear giant Nike has revealed the new look for its store in Westfield London, following a major revamp.
almost@home, Helsinki airport

5-Mar-2012
Hard to state exactly what this is as it’s both airport lounge and shop and not, perhaps, the sort of thing that might normally feature on Retail-Week.com.
B&Q does the right thing

5-Mar-2012
John Ryan writes about all aspects of store design and visual merchandising.
Thorntons sweet spot

5-Mar-2012
Thorntons’ new-look store on Birmingham’s High Street is trading well, but is it enough to turn things around? John Ryan reports.
B&Q embarks on revamp project to update shopping experience

1-Mar-2012
DIY giant B&Q is to revamp its 27 million sq ft of floor space as it refurbishes its entire 358-store estate to improve the shopper experience.
The retail future will not be green

29-Feb-2012
John Ryan writes about store design, visual merchandising and what makes things sell in-store - across every area of retail.
Liverpool Interlomas, Mexico City

27-Feb-2012
Remember when Selfridges arrived in Birmingham?
Morrisons: A lesson learnt

27-Feb-2012
Morrisons’ M Local convenience format has arrived in Manchester city centre and is finding favour with students. John Ryan reports.
Dixons' Black is still black…

20-Feb-2012
John Ryan writes about store design, visual merchandising and what makes things sell in-store - across every area of retail.
Mr Price Group, South Africa

20-Feb-2012
Refurbs, revamps, remodellings (call them what you will) are relatively frequent occurrences, but instances of retailers changing several fascias at one go are thin on the ground.
The fabled Aesop

20-Feb-2012
Skincare brand Aesop breaks the rules when it comes to standalone stores, but it is a success story. John Ryan reports.
Forever 21, forever?

13-Feb-2012
John Ryan writes about store design, visual merchandising and what makes things sell in-store - across every area of retail.
Pop-up library, Selfridges London

13-Feb-2012
Selfridges’ decision to open a pop-up library in its basement is a canny move.
What are 2012's visual merchandising trends?

13-Feb-2012
Although 2012 is still young, trends in visual merchandising are already becoming apparent. John Ryan walks the West End and the King’s Road to see what they are.
The good Dr

6-Feb-2012
John Ryan writes about store design, visual merchandising and what makes things sell in-store - across every area of retail.
Reischmann, Kempten, Germany

6-Feb-2012
Outdoor activity stores that seek to make you part of the action while within the confines of a shop are something of a cliche.
The Tesco test

6-Feb-2012
Tesco lost ground in the UK over Christmas, but are mid-sized superstores well placed to help it bounce back? John Ryan reports.
Cost cut or invest? The WHSmith choice

30-Jan-2012
John Ryan writes about store design, visual merchandising and what makes things sell in-store - across every area of retail.
New York store design: A year’s a long time in retail

30-Jan-2012
There have been some dramatic changes in Manhattan’s retail landscape over the past 12 months and the visual merchandising bar has been raised yet again. John Ryan reports.
Verkkokauppa.com, Helsinki

30-Jan-2012
Verkkokauppa.com is quite a mouthful for those not conversant with Finnish, but this is the name of Finland’s second largest electronics retailer.
Peacocks or Primark?

23-Jan-2012
John Ryan writes about store design, visual merchandising and what makes things sell in-store - across every area of retail.
Primark: Making its mark

20-Jan-2012
Edinburgh shoppers are flocking to Princes Street following the long-awaited arrival of Primark. John Ryan visits the flagship that has become the city’s retail phenomenon.
Making a difference

16-Jan-2012
Things are changing in New York stores, but is it a pattern that we’re seeing in the UK?
Phones 4U, Oxford Street

16-Jan-2012
Phones 4U midway along Oxford Street has been around for a long time and probably isn’t the first place that might spring to mind when considering visual merchandising novelty.
The end of shopping

9-Jan-2012
Will 2012 be the year in which retailers finally stop opening stores, or will things be somewhat more complex?
Beyond Retro: Back to the (retro) future

9-Jan-2012
Vintage clothing retailer Beyond Retro is defying the gloom and growing fast. John Ryan travels to Dalston to see its latest store.
The Locker Room, Brent Cross

9-Jan-2012
Wander past the average branch of Foot Locker in this country and the impression may be of a store that has a lot of trainers, but not perhaps of a highly wrought interior.
In pictures: Superdry flagship store, Regent Street

19-Dec-2011
Superdry opened its central London flagship on Saturday, on the site of the former Austin Reed flagship.
Out-of-town bad, high street good?

19-Dec-2011
Out of town developments do not deliver the kind of experience shoppers deserve.
Foyles, Westfield Stratford City

19-Dec-2011
Westfield Stratford City can overwhelm as you are assaulted by retail brand messages at every turn across all three of its long, long floors.
HMV to double Oxford Street sales (perhaps)

12-Dec-2011
Fewer stores on our high streets in 2012 means those that remain will have to look better and perform more strongly.
Svensk Tenn, Stockholm, Sweden

12-Dec-2011
Sweden is known for its interior design, and in a retail context, this usually means stripped back minimalism with a lot of wood to emphasise the natural qualities of the great Scandinavian outdoors. And to an extent, the newly refurbished Svensk Tenn store in Stockholm is a case in point.
Waitrose: A Bracknell beauty

12-Dec-2011
Bracknell may be the home to Waitrose HQ, but it had lacked a Waitrose store. Now it can boast the grocer’s greenest shop and a standout for the area. John Ryan reports.
Gilly Hicks opens with a splash in Cardiff

8-Dec-2011
Abercrombie & Fitch owned lingerie, beach and nightwear brand, Gilly Hicks, has opened at the St David’s Centre in Cardiff.
Less is the same

5-Dec-2011
Smaller stores that carry the same offer as larger ones look set to become the way of the future.
K Town, Goettingen, Germany

5-Dec-2011
German department store Karstadt has not been without its share of problems – not least of which has been its inability to garner sufficient sales to convince those who need convincing that it is a good long-term prospect.
Milestone in the garden city

2-Dec-2011
In a quest for clarity and a more appealing store environment, Sainsbury’s has created a ‘milestone’ store in Welwyn Garden City. John Ryan visits and talks to head of store design Damien Culkin.
A pop at pop-ups

28-Nov-2011
As Christmas draws near, is the purpose of the pop-up store changing and is this to be welcomed?
Aigle, Covent Garden

28-Nov-2011
Shops selling a single category are thin on the ground – width, as well as depth, is normally deemed desirable by most retailers.
The Conran Shop: Designs on the future

28-Nov-2011
The Conran Shop in Chelsea has traded for 25 years, but has been refurbished to give it greater relevance. John Ryan reports.
First pictures: “Milestone” for Sainsbury’s

21-Nov-2011
Sainsbury’s opened a 60,000 sq ft store in Welwyn Garden City on Wednesday last week that is intended to provide the retailer with a blueprint for the future.
Topman and Currys/PC World’s changing faces

21-Nov-2011
The best retailers work to move with the times and if this means shops that don’t conform to the norm, then so be it.
Austin Reed: In an upper class of its own

21-Nov-2011
Austin Reed has opened its new flagship on Regent Street, but has enough been done to give the brand relevance? John Ryan reports.
Francesca’s Collections, Paramus, New Jersey

21-Nov-2011
Look carefully and then look again. It’s an independent fashion store, right?
You heard it here last. John Lewis is a Christmas advert winner…and so is Sainbury’s

14-Nov-2011
Last night’s unveiling of Sainsbury’s seasonal advertising offering completes a festive picture with some crackers and not a few turkeys.
Christmas future

14-Nov-2011
Break out and hang up the decorations, Christmas windows are once more upon us. But is it a case of same old, same old, or are retailers offering something new? John Ryan reports.
John Lewis, Oxford Street, fourth floor

14-Nov-2011
John Lewis used to the place that your mum took you where you were forced to hover while she inspected the haberdashery department and assessed the school clothing that you were going to model.
Marks & Spencer on the Move

7-Nov-2011
News that M&S is to open a food on the move outlet this week is interesting but what are its chance of success?
Going for glamour

7-Nov-2011
The department store has repositioned its beauty hall at Manchester Exchange Square, upping the glamour stakes. John Ryan visits.
Topshop, Santiago, Chile

7-Nov-2011
There’s been a lot of news recently about Topshop beaming down in Chicago, but putting the US to one side for a moment, what about Chile?
Primark in Selfridges: Selmark?

31-Oct-2011
Selfridges’ decision to allow Primark into some of its stores is a win win for both retailers.
Playlife, Treviso, Italy

31-Oct-2011
Look hard and then look again. Does it look like Benetton?
Store design: Balancing cost and creativity

31-Oct-2011
How do you strike the right balance between conceiving a good-looking store and the cost of creating it. John Ryan investigates.
House of Fraser future shop

24-Oct-2011
The opening of a House of Fraser.com store in Aberdeen’s Union Square is certainly a departure from department store norms, but is this still shopping?
Marks & Spencer, Edgware Road, London

24-Oct-2011
Style Online, Kiosk Corner, call it what you will, the new digital area just inside the door of the Marks & Spencer store on Edgware Road is perfectly placed for time-pressed shoppers.
Uniqlo: Colour it in

24-Oct-2011
Uniqlo Regent Street has just emerged from a three-month makeover with a new look intended to bring it into line with the retailer’s global flagships. John Ryan reports.
Spend, spend, spend

17-Oct-2011
Failure to improve interiors will mean a price to be paid sooner rather than later.
Is Westfield London standing the test of time?

17-Oct-2011
Westfield London is approaching its third anniversary, but is the more mature sister of the Stratford mall standing the test of time? John Ryan reports on how brands have helped maintain its appeal.
Illy, Sao Paulo

17-Oct-2011
In the popular imagination, Brazil’s famous for a few things with samba, caipirinhas, a very large river and maybe Copacabana beach being among them.
Biting the Apple

10-Oct-2011
When will other retailers understand what Apple has done and apply it to their own businesses?
Steamer Trading: Recipe for success

10-Oct-2011
Cookware specialist Steamer Trading has continued its trend for unique stores by refurbishing a Grade II building in the North. John Ryan tours the store with managing director Ben Phillips
Weekday, Mitte, Berlin

10-Oct-2011
Weekday in Berlin’s Mitte district stands as an example of why this part of the German capital is always worth a visit and how it is one of the more important places to grab a slice of the retail zeitgeist currently.
Quick fix low cost design. There is no such thing

3-Oct-2011
At a time when cost is almost everything, the notion that a low cost format will jump full formed from the computer screen is wishful thinking.
Let it Simply Be

3-Oct-2011
Home shopping brand Simply Be has opened its first terrestrial store in Liverpool. John Ryan visits and talks to its management
All Mod cons

September 30 2011
Clothing brand Ben Sherman has given its Carnaby Street flagship a complete revamp and the result is one of the best-looking stores along this avenue of fashion. John Ryan visits
Dealing with uncertainty

September 30 2011
It’s been a long, not very hot summer that has seen retailers come (mainly from overseas) and go (mainly among the native big-ticket operators).
In pictures: John Lewis, Westfield Stratford City

September 30 2011
The new John Lewis at Westfield Stratford City is the largest store in the development and the retailer’s first new store in the capital for 20 years. John Ryan walks the store with Kim Morris, head of retail design
Marks & Spencer: Finding its way

September 30 2011
Marks & Spencer is piloting a new in-store look aimed at improving navigation and making its in-store brands more obvious. John Ryan reports
Out of the ashes

September 30 2011
B&Q’s new store in Witney is a former branch of DIY operator Focus. After visiting on a bank holiday Monday, John Ryan is convinced that, while its predecessor came unstuck, this one will do the job.
Penhaligon’s, Singapore

September 30 2011
If you’ve ever had an idle moment and considered the ill-advised purchase of something smelly, Penhaligon’s might well have been on the shopping list to find something.
Retail Week top shopfitters league

September 30 2011
The scramble for sales has made some forget that a profit still needs to be made. John Ryan considers the implications of this year’s top shopfitters league table
Just how many stores do you need?

26-Sep-2011
The arrival of Simply Be on the high street shows that the online merchants view the high street as a source of revenue.
Dr Martens, Westfield Stratford City

26-Sep-2011
Cobblers! Well, lasts to be more precise. Ever since Levi’s deployed used versions of these as part of its visual merchandising in the Regent Street flagship, they have been appearing in more fashion forward stores to lend a note of ‘authenticity’ to an interior.
Westfield Stratford City: Best in show

26-Sep-2011
Westfield Stratford City is now a tangible reality, but with the dust settled and the opening crowds dispersed, what are the standout features of London’s latest mall? John Ryan reports.
A newish look for New Look

19-Sep-2011
Young fashion retailer New Look has changed a few details for its Stratford store, to good effect.
The streets of San Francisco

19-Sep-2011
A small area in the centre of San Francisco has all of the major US brands that characterise the country’s retail activity. They are also where US retail puts its best West Coast foot forward. By John Ryan
Harvey Nichols Foodmarket, Liverpool

September 16 2011
The traditional Scouse-Manc rivalry has taken a new twist since the beginning of this month, when Liverpool at last got a taste of luxury eating Harvey Nichols-style as the retailer opened a ‘Foodmarket’ on St Peter’s Lane.
The face of east London retail

13-Sep-2011
As Westfield Stratford City gets away from the blocks, why have retailers chosen to be present and what are they doing to ensure that they are successful? John Ryan reports
Up and running

13-Sep-2011
The road to Westfield Stratford City has been a long one and owing to its unique situation, it has been more problematic than usual. But how have retailers, shopfitters and the developer dealt with creating a mega mall from scratch? John Ryan reports
In pictures: M&S shows off first new-look store

12-Sep-2011
Marks & Spencer has unveiled the first in-store changes initiated by chief executive Marc Bolland designed to better present brands, showcase the retailer’s exclusivity and make stores more easily shoppable.
Will Westfield Stratford work?

12-Sep-2011
It’s a tough time to open a megamall and the economic indicators are stacked against success, so has Westfield Stratford got what it takes?
Reinventing Waitrose

September 9 2011
Almost four months, £15m of capital expenditure and a lot of hard work later, the refurbishment of Waitrose’s Canary Wharf flagship is complete. John Ryan visited before the grand reopening
The Museum of Everything, Selfridges, London

September 9 2011
This is a first for Selfridges – store windows that contain no product.
Creating better stores

5-Sep-2011
Clinton Cards is changing its management and stores, but there is much to be done.
Dobbies, Peterborough

5-Sep-2011
There are moments when it’s a little easy to be somewhat cynical about the green movement and its retail manifestations, but the eco department in Dobbies’ new garden centre in Peterborough goes some way towards restoring flagging faith.
In pictures: Selfridges windows go product-free

1-Sep-2011
Selfridges Oxford Street has launched The Museum of Everything show with art across its whole frontage.
Once more unto the shops dear friends

30-Aug-2011
Shopping and leisure were once synonymous in the UK. If the offer’s right, they still are.
New river flows into Swindon

30-Aug-2011
Fashion retailer River Island has trialled a new look for its store in Swindon and it is likely to be replicated elsewhere. By John Ryan
Vans Spitalfields, London

25-Aug-2011
Blink and it’s gone and as you read this, the removal men will only be a couple of weeks away from descending on Spitalfields to empty the Vans pop-up store that has been trading on Brushfield Street since August 12.
Strictly come M&S

22-Aug-2011
Marks & Spencer’s move into the world of TV light entertainment looks, at first sight, a questionable strategy.
Quiksilver, Fistral Beach, Newquay

August 19 2011
Fistral Beach in Newquay is, for many, surf central UK, or at least that’s where you may go if you want to imagine yourself a bronzed god (or goddess), effortlessly riding the waves coming in from the Atlantic.
The Next big thing

18-Aug-2011
Next opened a store last week for its homewares, furniture and clothing offers with a DIY and gardening offshoot. John Ryan travelled to Shoreham-by-Sea to look at its latest innovation
The Next DIY store

15-Aug-2011
Retailers’ brand extensions may work better as high street standalones than catchall behemoths.
The luxury shop around the corner

15-Aug-2011
Designer brand Nicole Farhi has just opened its new flagship store on Conduit Street, but is this for the few or can luxury be accessible to a wider audience? John Ryan visits and talks to boss Niki Scordi
Gap, Via del Corso, Rome

August 12 2011
Gap understands the notion of what makes a flagship to judge from this 14,110 sq ft, two-floor branch that has just opened on Rome’s Via del Corso, one of the Eternal City’s principal shopping streets.
In pictures: First look at Next Home and Garden

11-Aug-2011
Next has opened the first of it’s Home and Garden stores in Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex.
A new normal required

8-Aug-2011
No sanctuary should be given to those who make it their business to ignite buildings, loot retailers and shock communities.
Super fashion in supermarkets?

8-Aug-2011
As Waitrose gets ready to sell clothing, how do the big supermarkets deal with the matter of selling fashion? John Ryan travels to Milton Keynes to find out
Desigual, Oxford Street

August 5 2011
Desigual is one of those curious beasts where you tend to look at the shop ahead of the stock.
Enough already! No more shops

1-Aug-2011
Opening more branches is no shortcut to enhanced profits. Improve what’s there.
Topshop: Old kid on the block

1-Aug-2011
As young fashion retailer Forever 21 opens on Oxford Street, John Ryan visits Topshop’s flagship to see if new competition can stand up to the shopping destination’s home of fashion
Intersport Stähle, Bad Dürrheim

29-Jul-2011
German sports retailer Intersport Stähle’s store in Bad Dürrheim is an example of how a large store can be transformed by a makeover and the thoroughly impersonal made personal.
In-store technology does not excite shoppers

25-Jul-2011
The use of screens and ‘interactivity’ by retailers is not the clarion call that some suppose.
Nike 6.0 pop-up, Mondello, Sicily

25-Jul-2011
Pop-up stores tend to be fairly ephemeral affairs, quite frequently here today and gone tomorrow and this one, from Nike, is no exception with a lifespan of just two months.
How retailers are selling the Sales

22-Jul-2011
Roll up, roll up… it’s Sale time, and as retailers scramble to rid themselves of unwanted stock, Retail Week considers the many ways there are to skin a marked-down cat. John Ryan reports from Westfield London
Retailers should consider a foreign holiday

18-Jul-2011
Slowing consumer spending at home need not preclude splashing out overseas.
High hope for the high street?

July 15 2011
With many of the UK’s high streets under the economic cosh, can local initiatives save the day? John Ryan reports from Maidstone
Little Waitrose, Tottenham Court Road

July 15 2011
You can tell you’re in central London from the packs of chorizo Iberico, the perimeter chiller devoted to sauces and ingredients for pasta and pizza, as well as the Italian deli-style arrangement of the dry ambient goods next to this.
M&M’s World: Sugar rush

July 15 2011
Europe’s first M&M’s World has opened in Leicester Square, but is this about retailing or brand building? John Ryan reports
Shoppers want service, not self-service.

11-Jul-2011
A US retailer has called time on self-service checkouts, but is this the right thing and will there come a point when we embrace the potential speed that DIY transactions offer?
Dudley. Now more?

11-Jul-2011
Asda has opened its first batch of high street stores following its Netto purchase. John Ryan reports on the Dudley store and how it has already become a hit with local shoppers.
Tsvetnoy Central Market, Moscow

July 8 2011
There aren’t many opportunities to build a department store from the ground up these days.
Putting Asda into context

4-Jul-2011
Being the best in an area is sometimes better than reigning supreme overall.
Super markets

4-Jul-2011
Food retail store design thinking says that supermarkets lack character and that if elements of traditional markets can be put into them, all will be well. But is this viable? John Ryan reports
At the crossroads

July 1 2011
The fourth Retail Week Interiors finds the retail design industry at something of a turning point.
Back to Asics

July 1 2011
Running shoe brand Asics has opened a flagship store in Amsterdam that couples futuristic design with technology. John Ryan reports
Fashionation, Peek & Cloppenburg Berlin

July 1 2011
Putting things politely, German department store Peek & Cloppenburg might be labelled somewhat conservative in its approach to store design and visual merchandising - this is probably not where you come for radical thinking.
On being a winner

July 1 2011
The Retail Week Interiors Awards have proved, over their 14 years, to be a real feather in the cap of retailers seeking recognition for their store designs, but is there more to winning than this? John Ryan reports
On budget and on time?

July 1 2011
What does a project manager do and what is the best approach for a particular task? John Ryan reports
The world, C&A style

July 1 2011
European value retailer C&A has created a new format for its stores that has been trialled at the Cologne flagship. John Ryan reports
Carrefour, Aubervilliers, Paris

27-Jun-2011
All too often, you get to see a ‘concept’ store from which you are told ‘learnings’ will be extracted
Habitat’s London stores may still not survive

27-Jun-2011
You have to wonder whether all three of the remaining UK Habitat store are enjoying a temporary stay of execution.
A whole new lesson in Anthropologie

27-Jun-2011
US lifestyle brand Anthropologie’s inspired visual merchandising rarely fails to impress, but is its third UK store and its first in Scotland sufficiently different from its London outposts? John Ryan visits
Picking a winner is easy

20-Jun-2011
As consumer sentiment hardens, identifying retailers that are doing what they should is more straightforward than ever.
Swindon’s finest

20-Jun-2011
BHS has followed the blueprint it revealed in Uxbridge almost a year ago with a series of new shops and modernisations, with the latest being in Swindon. John Ryan visits to assess the roll-out
Rabot Estate, London

June 17 2011
Tucked under the arches of London Bridge, in the foodie haven that is Borough Market, is the latest venture by Hotel Chocolat founders Angus Thirlwell and Peter Harris: the Rabot Estate store.
Nike Town, Oxford Circus

13-Jun-2011
The Champions League celebrations in Barcelona and Wembley seem a rather distant memory a few weeks on, but Nike Town did its best to prolong thingswith an in-store event that seemed to be capturing the imagination of everyone entering the store.
The case for Waitrose cafés

13-Jun-2011
There’s a lot to be said for enjoying a cup of coffee while doing your shopping at Waitrose, but are standalone cafés a good move?
HobbyCraft: Honing its Craft

9-Jun-2011
HobbyCraft has unveiled its a new-look store in Orpington, which it hopes will tap into a younger demographic and provide a blueprint for future stores. John Ryan visits
The fairytale continues

6-Jun-2011
Twice as large as its previous store, Disney Store’s new branch on Oxford Street boasts a host of innovative features. John Ryan reports.
Is M&S uninspiring?

3-Jun-2011
The CEO at M&S has been quick to pour cold water on the store design efforts of his predecessor, but is this assessment justified?
Las Arenas, Barcelona

June 3 2011
Yes, you did read correctly and no, you’ve not dived into some kind of alternative Ernest Hemingway sub-culture. This is Las Arenas, the vast, former bullring in the heart of Barcelona.
Why Berlin is better than London

31-May-2011
If you want to see new, head for the German rather than the UK capital.
Boots chief Gourlay champions high street improvement drive

May 27 2011
Alliance Boots health and beauty chief executive Alex Gourlay has thrown his weight behind a blueprint to breathe new life into town centres.
Co-op puts the fizz back in its stores

May 27 2011
Co-operative Group, the egalitarian retailer, has unveiled a format in London that will set the pattern for the future. John Ryan visits.
Make Up Store, Carnaby Street

May 27 2011
Make Up Store is a Swedish retailer with shops across Europe and North America, which has had a lone store in Westfield London for some time.
La Rinascente, Milan

23-May-2011
Milan’s La Rinascente department store is the flagship of a chain that has seen the likes of Giorgio Armani serving their visual merchandising apprenticeships and although it has been around a long time, its knack for novelty visual merchandising always makes it worth a look.
Live and let live

23-May-2011
Independent and chainstore retailing do not have to be mutually exclusive.
Superdry: the danger of being clunky

16-May-2011
There is more to a winning brand than a good shopfit. Once in place it has to be capable of being updated.
Manchester City Football Club

May 13 2011
Newly victorious FA Cup winners Manchester City should find fans flocking to the doors of its new CityStore.
The middle tier is at risk

9-May-2011
Big and small retailers: they’re both beautiful. But those with a medium-sized operation could be in trouble.
Window of opportunity

5-May-2011
It’s not all been about the royal wedding and Easter. John Ryan looks at shop windows at the opposite ends of the UK as the bank holiday frenzy draws to a close.
Give me a reason to shop at your store

3-May-2011
The new Best Buy store in Hayes needs to be rather more than simply good-looking.
A royal opportunity

April 28 2011
God bless William and Kate! John Ryan assesses the efforts of retailers around the capital to see who has made the most of the occasion.
Aura Riyadh

April 28 2011
Aura is a 26,910 sq ft fashion homeware store in Riyadh and acts essentially as a black box in which selected areas are highlighted.
Charles Tyrwhitt, Jermyn Street

April 28 2011
Charles Tyrwhitt is a relatively small retailer where the central proposition is men’s shirts.
Pure Pharmacy, Terminal 2, Dublin Airport

26-Apr-2011
Arrive at almost any airport in the UK and the first thing you’ll probably do before you finally head for your gate is visit what is normally one of several branches of Boots.
The green wall of Sheffield

26-Apr-2011
Marks & Spencer’s new Simply Food store in Sheffield successfully fuses an innovative eco-friendly design with an inviting shopping environment. John Ryan pays a visit.
Argos. It’s not really a shop is it?

21-Apr-2011
As profits fall at Argos, what should the shoppers make of a model that would be difficult if you were starting from scratch?
Green stores: the big so what

18-Apr-2011
Don’t expect plaudits from shoppers for being green. They don’t care.
Foot Patrol, Berwick Street, London

18-Apr-2011
Think trainers and you might picture Niketown at one end of the scale or perhaps JJB Sports, if funds are rather more limited, at the other.
Putting Theo-ry into practice

14-Apr-2011
New brands on the high street are rare nowadays, but Theo Paphitis is confident that Boux Avenue has legs. John Ryan finds out why
Energie and Miss Sixty Carnaby Street

11-Apr-2011
Energie and Miss Sixty are two gender-divided sides of the same coin, from the same Italian company.
Sorry? Jack Wills...scandalous?

11-Apr-2011
Where should the line be drawn between “flirtatious fun” and inappropriate material?
JJB Sports: not many reasons for visiting

4-Apr-2011
A quick visit is enough to say all that needs to be said
Putting the super into Superdrug

30-Mar-2011
Asking shoppers to ‘take another look’ and then getting them to love the Superdrug brand is what the refurbished Wimbledon store is trying to achieve. John Ryan reports
Hope springs urinal

28-Mar-2011
Experience is still central to the business of successful retailing
Landmark, Mumbai

March 25 2011
This 42,000 sq ft store on a single floor, from Indian book and music retailer Landmark, aims to do that which retailers operating in the sector everywhere are seeking to do: arrest the stagnation or decline of business owing to online alternatives.
Massimo Dutti changes gear

March 25 2011
Inditex brand Massimo Dutti has refurbished its Regent Street flagship, with vintage props galore including bicycles. John Ryan walks the store with UK and Ireland managing director Dilip Patel
Princesse Tam Tam Paris

March 25 2011
From a visual merchandising perspective, the conventional way to display lingerie is to put bra and matching panties on a headless mannequin or, in extremis, just to have a bust wearing the bra.
Awards matter

21-Mar-2011
Last week’s Oracle Retail Week Awards stand as proof of the importance of store design in difficult times
C&A São Paulo, Brazil

March 18 2011
C&A in the UK - until its disappearance at the beginning of the last decade - was one of those stores you didn’t really visit for store ambience.
Rose: Entering the 21st century

March 18 2011
Sir Stuart Rose will be remembered for creating the internal climate of change he created that enabled a massive store portfolio to be transformed. John Ryan charts what took place
Customer service key for high street retailers

17-Mar-2011
There’s more to high street retailing than distribution and if you don’t offer customer service you may not succeed.
Retail entrepreneurs alive and well in the UK

16-Mar-2011
Entrepreneurs are born or may be raised, but are an essential part of UK retail activity
A vision of the future

14-Mar-2011
There is still novelty out there, but it does mean heading to east London
Clarks Originals, Regent Street

March 11 2011
By the time you read this, the Clarks Originals pop-up shop will almost have popped down.
Euroshopping

March 11 2011
Visitor numbers were up, novelty was down, but Euroshop remains a must-visit event. John Ryan reports from Düsseldorf
Less really is more at Apple

7-Mar-2011
Don’t overcomplicate. Keep things simple and you may save costs, attract attention and increase footfall.
Dixons planning to open second Black store in central London

March 4 2011
Dixons is understood to be opening a second Black store to be located in central London in the second half of this year, following the launch of its trend and fashion-led trial shop in December last year.
Frasers: Northern star

March 4 2011
Frasers, the Glaswegian House of Fraser flagship, has come to the end of revamping its ground floor. As John Ryan discovers, the results have been spectacular
HannSpree, Westfield London

3-Mar-2011
Ever considered buying a crab-shaped TV, pincers included? A visit to HannSpree might make this improbable prospect at least a possibility.
Green shift

28-Feb-2011
Euroshop provides an insight into how retailers are thinking.
Where there’s a Wills, there’s a (new) way

28-Feb-2011
Preppy varsity kids brand Jack Wills’ new store in Soho is an example of a brand reaching out beyond its comfort zone. John Ryan reports
Changing time at Peter Jones

February 25 2011
Chelsea retail dowager Peter Jones is an example of how John Lewis is shifting its visual merchandising direction. John Ryan visits and talks to Robb Bloomer, manager, retail design.
Grand designs

24-Feb-2011
Zara not only took on a five-floor design challenge with its new Rome flagship, but also a huge restoration project. John Ryan pays a visit
LED: retailing’s bright future

23-Feb-2011
Retailers are increasingly turning to LED to light their stores, but how does it measure up when set against conventional lighting and is it just a fashion trend?
The shape of things to come

23-Feb-2011
EuroShop starts tomorrow so you may already be en route to Düsseldorf for a few days of looking at what’s new in the world of store equipment and design and to network with those who need to be networked.
Changing rooms

21-Feb-2011
The new look John Lewis womenswear floors provide a credible setting for fashion shows and fashionistas alike.
Mills & Boon Selfridges, Oxford Street

February 18th 2011
Come, been and gone, its purpose served. The pop-up store in Selfridges’ Wonder Room Concept Store created by romantic fiction publisher Mills & Boon, was there for only one reason - to mark Valentine’s Day last Monday and, presumably, to shift a few volumes.
Screwfix taps a new market

February 18th 2011
Tradesmen’s choice Screwfix has opened Watersmith, a standalone bathroom store in Stoke-on-Trent. John Ryan assesses its prospects
Carpe Diem – seize the carp

14-Feb-2011
Pop-up stores are for now and they’re more relevant than ever.
Tesco’s different shades of green

February 11 2011
John Ryan meets Tesco’s new design chief and discovers why there’s nothing boring about green supermarkets
All in the mix

7-Feb-2011
Retailers have a lot more to worry about than just whether they’re offering the right service.
Concept stores: Let it roll

February 4, 2011
What happens when a concept store needs to be rolled out and what needs to be done to keep the spirit of the original, asks John Ryan
Joe Fresh, Vancouver

February 4, 2011
This store’s in Vancouver and is a two-floor, 14,000 sq ft flagship for Joe Fresh, the clothing brand set up by local retail entrepreneur Joe Mimran in 2006 to sit alongside Canadian supermarket Loblaw’s food offer as a shop-in-shop.
Kingfisher’s trade chain Screwfix opens up to public with showroom

February 4, 2011
DIY giant Kingfisher’s trade chain Screwfix is to trial a standalone bathroom store, called Watersmith.
Times change. So do stores

31-Jan-2011
You can learn just as much about a store’s performance by going back as you will on the initial visit.
SportScheck, Berlin: A store of two halves

27-Jan-2011
Otto-owned retailer SportScheck’s new Berlin store successfully combines technology with tradition. John Ryan pays a visit
Urban Outfitters, Spitalfields

25-Jan-2011
Wander around Spitalfields in east London and you could be forgiven for thinking that you’re in a branch of Urban Outfitters: all is tastefully decayed and generally expensive.
Whitstable: the way things could be

24-Jan-2011
In a report in late 2010, the New Economic Foundation named Whitstable as the town with the UK’s most diverse high street.
Big Eataly

January 21 2011
Slow food beacon Eataly’s latest store is in Manhattan and is twice the size of the Turin original. John Ryan visits
Sainsbury’s Fresh Kitchen, Fleet Street

January 21 2011
It is hard to tell at what point it became fashionable to call a sandwich shop a ‘kitchen’, but the latest example of the tendency opened last week on London’s Fleet Street when Sainsbury’s unveiled its Fresh Kitchen.
What windows are really for

17-Jan-2011
Time was when shop windows were simple things. You’d look at what was on show, like what had been done and then wander into the store.
Sainsbury's Fresh Kitchen: pictures

14-Jan-2011
Sainsbury’s is taking on sandwich specialists with a new fascia
Aesop, Merci Paris

January 14 2011
Sometimes it really is tempting to believe that the best visual merchandising and, perforce, the best shops, tend to be the outcome of large cheques being signed.
Selfridges' Anne Pitcher promoted to managing director

12-Jan-2011
Selfridges has promoted buying and merchandising director Anne Pitcher to managing director of the iconic department store chain.
Should be better

10-Jan-2011
Heathrow has had its fair share of detractors lately with BAA being lambasted for poor performance, leaves on the line and suchlike.
Black beauty

January 7 2011
Black, Dixons’ new stylish store in Birmingham, is unlike anything the electricals giant has done before.
Imaginarium, Madrid

January 7 2011
A new 9,700 sq ft toy shop set over two floors may be of passing interest, but will probably not be worth writing home about. When it is a new format and a flagship rolled into one, it is rather more noteworthy and Spanish retailer Imaginarium’s flagship in Madrid’s Salamanca district, is more or less that.
Use what's there

20-Dec-2010
Empty space may be a marketing opportunity waiting to be grasped
WHSmith group marketing director Richard Cristofoli poached by Debenhams

17-Dec-2010
WHSmith group marketing director Richard Cristofoli is to leave the stationer and bookseller next year to become Debenhams marketing director, Retail Week has learned.
Fred Perry For Kids, Westfield

December 17 2010
This is something of a hybrid, straddling that awkward divide between an RMU (a retail merchandising unit) and a pop-up store. It’s actually in the middle of Westfield London’s lower level and is one of a number of temporary stores that cleave the long public areas in two.
Forever Birmingham

Retail Week Interiors, December 2010
US young fashion retailer Forever 21 opened its first European store last month, in Birmingham. John Ryan visited on opening day and talked to its management about their plans
It’s almost Christmas......Anybody really care?

Retail Week Interiors, December 2010
Glance at this year’s seasonal displays and with a few exceptions, it’s hard to be enthusiastic. John Ryan walks the West End with visual merchandising expert Peter Cross to get a feel of what’s on offer
Reasons to be optimistic

Retail Week Interiors, December 2010
The second issue of Retail Week Interiors coincides neatly with the annual rush to the shops by those for whom Christmas is less a time of reflection and more an orgy of food and frequently unwanted presents.
Reinventing the Planet

Retail Week Interiors, December 2010
The world’s second biggest retailer, Carrefour, is trying to reinvent the hypermarket. John Ryan visits Lyon in France to find out how
The right tool for the job

Retail Week Interiors, December 2010
Retailers have been striving for sustainability when building stores, but have done little about what goes into a shop. Now the Building Research Establishment has created a tool aimed at putting this right.
The very best stores of 2010

December 17 2010
Despite the tough economic climate, both overseas and homegrown retailers haven’t held back on innovative store designs.
Rekindling wonder

13-Dec-2010
The best stores enhance that stock they house
Black is the new Dixons

10-Dec-2010
Dixons will today open a new format store under a new fascia as it seeks to emulate the success of Apple’s retail stores.
Clarks ready to roll out new look shopfit following successful trial

December 10 2010
Footwear retailer Clarks has pushed the button on the roll-out of its updated shopfit to all new and existing UK and international stores, after a three-month trial.
Cutting edge

December 10 2010
A new look store from the archetypal edge-of-town shed retailer is a surprise, but will it work? John Ryan visits Matalan in High Wycombe
The Conran Shop, London

8-Dec-2010
At this time of year for retailers there is only one objective: sell, sell, sell (at an appropriate margin naturally), while for shoppers it’s a case of buy, buy, buy (at the lowest possible mark-up, of course).
More of the same

6-Dec-2010
Gilly Hicks in Westfield is good, but shouldn’t it be somewhere else?
Digdeep, Richmond

December 3 2010
The point where sportswear collides with casualwear can go one of two ways - into the realms of the chavtastic, or into the world of the poshboy relaxing at the weekend.
On your bike

December 3 2010
Expensive bikes deserve an upscale store interior. And Sigma Sport has a store that makes you want to spend money. John Ryan reports
The fabulous kingdom

29-Nov-2010
Shop windows tell much about what’s happening to a store.
Forever 21, Birmingham

November 26 2010
Three floors of fashion, 56,000 sq ft and the first of its kind in the UK. This was the prospect that greeted shoppers queuing outside the Forever 21 store in Birmingham a couple of weeks ago.
Harvey’s Comet

November 26 2010
Electricals retailer Comet is introducing a new look to its stores designed to make shoppers feel more at home. John Ryan and George MacDonald visit the Purley Way store to find out more
Experience the journey

22-Nov-2010
Buzz words are everywhere and they add nothing to what you’re looking at.
Citadium Paris

November 19 2010
Read the blurb on the Citadium website and a bold claim is made that this four-floor, circular temple to fashion is (in a loose translation) “more than a shop, Citaduium today is a way of life where shopping is in tune with fashion, music and events”.
New Look hires former Selfridges marketing director for new role

November 19 2010
New Look has hired Nick Cross, the marketer who led the rebranding of Selfridges in the late 1990s, to the newly created role of marketing director.
The right stuff from White Stuff

November 19 2010
White Stuff has opened its biggest store yet, in Edinburgh, bringing an old building to life with cunning visual merchandising and plenty of humour. John Ryan visits
Size matters

15-Nov-2010
Don’t expect that just because a store is bigger than it will be better. It could be worse.
Liverpool One comes of age

November 12 2010
It’s close to two years since the first stores opened in Liverpool One, has it succeeded in becoming a part of the city’s fabric?
Love it or hate it, it has its place

8-Nov-2010
The Marmite pop-up stores in Selfridges stores are an example of why location matters.
Shopping in the City

November 5 2010
The stunning building that is shopping centre One New Change has brought retail therapy to the City’s masses. John Ryan pays a visit
Up close and personal

1-Nov-2010
All retailers would like to think that they work at a micro and macro level, but is it really possible for a chain to create a relevant local offer?
Marmite Selfridges, London

October 29 2010
Remember the Marmite store last Christmas on Regent Street? It came, was admired, and then it went. It was, in essence, a celebration of the black yeast-based condiment and at the time was remarkable for being a single-product proposition pop-up store.
Schuh pulls off a brand new look

October 29 2010
The shoe retailer breaks many design rules usually held dear, but it works. John Ryan visits the newly refurbished store at Meadowhall
Marmite pops-up again

25-Oct-2010
Is it time to call time on the pop-up
Pringle, Hong Kong

October 22, 2010
Pringle is one of those curious brands that is probably rather more popular overseas than in its homeland, although there is still a certain cachet in wearing a jumper with a small lion on the chest for a particular demographic.
Tesco flies solo with clothing standalone

October 22, 2010
Tesco has picked a Prague shopping centre for its first F&F store. John Ryan visits to find out how the supermarket brand is settling in
Minding the Gap

18-Oct-2010
Gap’s vaccilating marketing department would do well to follow the example of others
Sainsbury’s goes supersize

October 15, 2010
Sainsbury’s has opened its largest store to date, but does bigger mean more for the shopper? John Ryan visits the new store in Crayford
Word of mouth marketing: good or bad?

October 15, 2010
Word of mouth marketing is claimed to be the coming thing, but can this powerful tool do as much ill as good?
Retailers show their true colours

11-Oct-2010
Full marks to Waterstones for the advert it ran in a national newspaper on Saturday. The bookseller may have had its fair share of troubles, but its marketing department knows a good thing when it sees one and in this instance, this appears to have been Waitrose.
Shirt retailers: Spot the difference

October 8, 2010
UK formal shirts sales are dominated by four players, but is there anything to choose between them? John Ryan takes a look at each
Waitrose Meanwood, Leeds

October 8, 2010
This one’s in a place called Meanwood, on the outskirts of Leeds and shines like a beacon in its surroundings.
Food glorious food

4-Oct-2010
You get to see a lot of shops in this job, but not many of them are food retailers. And even when you do wander into a new store, there are roughly two chances of it appearing particularly innovative: slim and fat.
What’s in store

Retail Week Interiors, October 2010
Welcome to the inaugural issue of Retail Week Interiors, a standalone magazine that we hope will provide news and information about the retail design and fit-out sector that might not normally get coverage, allowing for the constraints of space and time.
Meating and greeting

Retail Week Interiors, October 2010
Victor Churchill, a butcher’s shop in Melbourne, takes a mundane commodity and turns it into a real spectacle. John Ryan reports
Puma Rewind

October 1, 2010
To be fair this is only partly a shop, if you regard one of the functions of a shop as being to display goods that people might want to buy. This is, self-evidently, a truck that appears to have a variant of a Chinese puzzle along one of its sides.
Shopfitters survey: Flying in the face of reason

Retail Week Interiors, October 2010
Shopfitters are an optimistic bunch, but are their predictions about the prospects for 2011 a bridge too far? John Ryan reports on the Retail Week/National Association of Shopfitters survey
Shopfitting: still a tough place to be

Retail Week Interiors, October 2010
Any analysis of the shopfitting sector reveals that business has been tough and continues to struggle. John Ryan looks at the landscape as we unveil this year’s top shopfitter survey
Store of the Quarter: The White Company, Symons Street, Chelsea

Retail Week Interiors, October 2010
The retailer with a monochrome vision returns to its SW3 roots with a flagship store aimed at providing everyday luxury, writes John Ryan
There’s some corner of a foreign field that is forever...Clarks

27-Sep-2010
Why trial a new store format offshore when there are loads of opportunities at home?
Crystal gazing

September 24, 2010
Austrian cut-glass retailer and brand Swarovski has opened a store on Oxford Street that is a bling heaven. John Ryan reports
Architects move in on store design

20-Sep-2010
Tough times in the commercial design and build sector mean rich(er) pickings for retailers
Copenhagen stores: Retail’s Great Danes

September 17, 2010
There’s a lot more to the retail panorama in the Danish capital than stripped pine and bright colours. John Ryan reports on Copenhagen’s retail scene
London Living, John Lewis, Oxford Street

September 17, 2010
London Living, a pop-up ‘shop’ created by John Lewis on the third floor of its Oxford Street flagship, is like taking an apartment and forgetting to put doors and corridors from one room to the next.
Selfridges steps out

13-Sep-2010
The Shoe Galleries at Selfridges show what happens when store and product are in alignment
Hed Kandi, Bluewater

September 10, 2010
For those who spend their evenings in nightclubs tripping the light fantastic, the chances are good that the words Hed Kandi will be familiar. This is a company that produces predominantly dance music and is owned by that global force in such matters: Ministry of Sound.
John Lewis at Home: At home on the Purley Way

September 10, 2010
John Lewis has opened its second home-only store on Purley Way in Croydon, but are the locals keen customers? John Ryan reports
Refurbishment: what remains unsaid

6-Sep-2010
For retailers who have managed to see their way through the last couple of years, now might be a good time to make the most of hungry shopfitters and ill-nourished commercial property agents in order to revamp their estates.
Temma Cologne

September 3, 2010
Temma, in the southern part of Cologne, is the kind of food shop rarely encountered this side of the Channel.
Making sense of in-store imaging

September 3, 2010
There are more ways than ever of communicating visually with your customer, but does it all add up to a better store? John Ryan reports
Of Chopin and McDonald’s

31-Aug-2010
Retailers could and perhaps should do more to entertain their customers
A perfect brew of tradition and luxury

August 27, 2010
The East India Company has a rich history, but can its relaunch with an opulent new shop in London do this justice?
Wegmans Jamestown, New York State, US

August 27, 2010
Wegmans is one of the more upscale food retailers in the eastern United States and, like its rivals, it generally trades from big box properties.
No-design from the US

23-Aug-2010
Travel, it is claimed, broadens the mind. This may be true, but a trip to the US tends to make you think how narrow the retail focus is in all but the biggest cities.
Mango, Toronto

August 20, 2010
Occasionally in the shadow of its larger Spanish rival Zara, we all know Mango - it’s an international purveyor of women’s fashion, Euro-style.
Cult following

August 20, 2010
The new Cult store at Lakeside is parent company SuperGroup’s largest to date. John Ryan visits and talks to chief executive Julian Dunkerton about the group’s approach to store branding
An authentic rant

16-Aug-2010
In retail, the terms ‘authentic’, ‘heritage’, ‘tradition’ are generally used to cast a halo of nostalgic wellbeing over products and store interiors that might otherwise appear a trifle mundane.
Der Bäcker Ruetz, Kematen in Tirol, Austria

August 13, 2010
If you venture into the Austrian Tirol you can get a sense of the traditional baker that has more or less vanished at everywhere but the top end in the UK.
The Danish Tiger roars into Croydon

August 13, 2010
Variety retailer Tiger has set itself apart from the competition with a simple but effective design. John Ryan visits its Whitgift Centre store
The Big Apple

9-Aug-2010
Is the new Covent Garden store actually that different from any other Apple emporium, or is it just bigger?
Talk Talk, London

August 6, 2010
Talk Talk, one of the bigger operators in the UK has opened a concept store in the heart of Soho that does little other than provide a space for potential customers to come in and test drive the internet courtesy of the service it offers.
Next Home: The Next chapter in homewares

August 6, 2010
Next Home’s new format store is a case of evolution rather than revolution, but that doesn’t make it a bad store, says John Ryan
Bikes, free wi-fi and nude women

2-Aug-2010
If you want to see unlikely retail couplings, head to London’s East End
Base, Antwerp

July 30, 2010
Seen one mobile phone shop, seen ‘em all. As a rule of thumb this is not that wide of the mark, but every now and again you come across something that does makes you sit up and take notice.
JJB Sports: Playing to win

July 30, 2010
JJB Sports is trialling a new look store in Slough that seeks to do the simple things well. John Ryan gives the store a workout
PoS marketing: The yellow card?

July 30, 2010
In the world of point of purchase, cardboard signage has always been the preferred method of communication, but is digital media changing this and expanding the possibilities? John Ryan reports
Something for nothing

26-Jul-2010
A store run by the people for the people has the potential to make a difference
Victor Churchill, Sydney

July 23, 2010
A retail theme park for meat might perhaps be the best, and indeed the only, description that could be applied to this store in Sydney.
Union Market: Fulham tube station transformed for new food format

July 23, 2010
Union Market founder Tony Bromovsky claims he has created a middle way between farmers’ markets and supermarkets in a former London Underground station.
It’s what you’re unaware of that matters

19-Jul-2010
Imagine a shop full of people and you want them to get a move on in order that more can come in so that you can keep the tills ringing. In a non-supermarket environment this might sound tricky, but there is help at hand.
Disney stores: To infinity, and beyond...

July 16, 2010
Disney Stores has opened a new look format in Madrid, aimed at viewing the world from a child’s perspective.
The best visual merchandising is soon forgotten

12-Jul-2010
Visual merchandising is a fickle partner. One day you’re being praised and admired by everyone, the next, the crowd has moved on.
Summer Sales: Clearing the decks

July 9, 2010
The summer Sales are in full swing ahead of the arrival of early autumn stock. John Ryan toured the West End to assess the offers
The best may still be to come

5-Jul-2010
2010 has been characterised by more retail refurbs than usual - in spite of prevailing uncertainty
Calvin Klein Jeans, Bluewater

July 2, 2010
There’s been a branch of Calvin Klein Jeans at Bluewater for about a decade - making it part of the original line-up at the Kentish mall. And although it still looks perfectly respectable, any retail fit-out that is 10 years old will inevitably show its age, if only because fashions come and go in retail interiors.
Making the most of what you've got

July 2, 2010
Innovation in store design may have slowed down but it is not at a standstill and, for some, new stores and formats are still being made a reality.
Michael Kors closes in on Regent Street store

July 2, 2010
US upmarket shoes and accessories retailer Michael Kors is to open its second UK store on Regent Street in the shop formerly occupied by opticians Dollond & Aitchison.
Retailers win the World Cup

28-Jun-2010
Not many retailers will be crying today. What was remarkable about yesterday’s debacle was the air of resignation about a defeat that the majority seemed to have viewed as inevitable.
Limelight Marketplace, New York

June 25, 2010
Less of a store of the week and rather more of a destination of the month, Limelight Marketplace is the successful outcome of remodelling a former nightclub housed in a Gothic revival church.
Making sense of a bigger home

June 25, 2010
Homewares retailer HomeSense has opened a larger footprint store, but can shoppers make sense of their surroundings.
Luxury in Bond Street

21-Jun-2010
Funny how different the luxury and value markets are really…
Avery Fine Perfumery, Mayfair

June 18, 2010
Now, the newly launched Avery Fine Perfumery in posh Mayfair adds a new dimension to interactive windows with a shop that provides a “spritz” (their words, not mine) of scent as you pass close to the window.
Paris fashion: in a league of its own

June 18, 2010
The World Cup might be in full swing but in Paris ‘le foot’ struggles to be heard above the noise of the fashion crowd. John Ryan reports
An open goal

14-Jun-2010
A quick wander along Oxford Street reveals the paucity of the World Cup retail offer, whether it’s the tired-looking display in the windows of John Lewis, or the many crosses of St George that mark out the fact that you are looking at a branch of SportsDirect.com.
Bhs reborn

June 11, 2010
Family department store Bhs has had a rocky ride over the past couple of years, but a new store in Uxbridge points to a retail brand that may be about to enjoy better times.
United Nude, New York

June 11, 2010
From time to time you come across a format that it’s quite hard to improve upon - one where the original design is sufficiently strong and the brand sufficiently well funded for none of the usual value engineering to take place.
Food, retail and carnal desire

7-Jun-2010
The link between dining and sex has long been remarked upon. But given the influence that restaurant and retail design seem to have on one another, dining should also be a preoccupation for those whose business it is to create new shopping environments.
Next, Oxford Street

June 4, 2010
Next has had a store on the corner of Oxford Street and New Bond Street for a long time, and it seems to have been closed for ages. In fact, it has been undergoing a revamp since January, and last Friday it reopened
Stanley Gibbons: Stamp of authority

June 4, 2010
A revamp of stamp retailer Stanley Gibbons’ London flagship creates a modern space for a slightly old-fashioned pastime. John Ryan learns what the new-look store offers the 21st century collector
What's Next?

31-May-2010
Is it really possible to be a mass merchant and to have a store design that is in any way cutting edge?
Store of the Week: Lee flagship, Carnaby Street

May 28, 2010
Lee, one of the denim world’s older names is seeking to reassert its primacy within this sub-sector with this overhaul of its flagship Carnaby Street store.
Topshop, Knightsbridge: A top shop for top people

May 28, 2010
Topshop’s three-floor store with a top-end fit-out is set to give its famous Knightsbridge neighbour a run for its money.
Reputation, reputation, reputation

24-May-2010
There are three pillars to any retail proposition: product, service and environment. If any of these wobble, shoppers notice
Topshop eyes Chicago launch as Knightsbridge store opens

May 21, 2010
Arcadia sets sights on further US Topshop flagships following opening of its latest London store
Trader Joe’s, Brooklyn

May 21, 2010
An average store for average Joes might well be the strapline for Trader Joe’s were it not for the fact that this store, in Brooklyn, is anything but.
DSGi: The Empire strikes back

May 21, 2010
DSGi was supposed to run for the hills with Best Buy’s UK arrival, but its Currys store shows the fight is just beginning
Topshop Scunthorpe. Go there… in six months

17-May-2010
When Topshop opens in Knightsbridge later this week, it will be interesting to see what Arcadia’s in-house design team come up with — and whether they will end up in, say, Scunthorpe.
How to crack the challenge of retail in India

May 14, 2010
India is a market in transition, where organised retail has only recently made inroads. But how can retailers tap this burgeoning market and what are the pitfalls? John Ryan reports from Mumbai
Shopfitters: doing more for the same

May 14, 2010
Shopfitters are under the cosh and many have gone under. For those left, there is work, but it is harder to win, says John Ryan
Sussan, Melbourne

May 14, 2010
It is not often that fashion from Down Under features in these pages, but Australian fashion retailer Sussan opened this flagship store in the refurbished Chadstone Mall in Melbourne earlier this year, following a design created by London consultancy HMKM.
Kiss, kiss

10-May-2010
Next week, fashion retailer All Saints opens its first store in New York. K.I.S.S or ‘keep it simple stupid’ might be the executive summary.
JD Sports’ king of stores in Cardiff

May 7, 2010
Sports fashion retailer JD Sports has opened a store in Cardiff with a glossy take on a traditionally lacklustre sub-sector.
Zara, Oxford Street, London

May 7, 2010
It is normally the practice in this part of the magazine to showcase stores that are either, new, unfamiliar or both, so the choice of a Zara store on Oxford Street this week might seem curious.
Best Buy: So it is a big box after all

4-May-2010
For those who made the journey to Thurrock , this was most definitely a big box: very big indeed.
Best Buy: Just another big box?

26-Apr-2010
One thing seems almost certain: The first UK Best Buy store will be another example of big box retailing at its least imaginative. Drive past the Thurrock store-to-be and the yellow and blue logo is certainly large, but it will be a real bombshell if the interior is in any measure appreciably different from its rivals’.
Sainsbury’s Dursley: The new green norm

April 23, 2010
Eco-stores may be old hat, but Sainsbury’s latest in Dursley shows green thinking can play a part in a regular store. John Ryan reports
The Conran Shop, Westfield London

April 23, 2010
Pop-up shops are in danger of becoming a little bit of last year’s news, given the seeming propensity of almost every retailer to jump on this particular bandwagon.
Answering the right question

19-Apr-2010
In the cut-throat world of the high street, there is only one question that retailers need to answer: ‘Why should I come into your shop?’
Canadian club: Visual merchandising in Toronto

April 16, 2010
Toronto is Canada’s commercial capital and has much to offer retailers in search of visual merchandising novelty. Here are seven of the best
St Lawrence Market, Toronto

April 16, 2010
The thing about a market is that it should be capitalism at its reddest of tooth and claw and sometimes this is the case. Markets are places where, traditionally, the person with the loudest shout, visually or verbally, is likely to emerge on top - it is the ultimate form of retail Darwinism.
A pop-up own-goal

12-Apr-2010
Pop-up stores are a great way to inject some fresh, new, creative blood into the retail mix of a flagging shopping centre. But if shoppers know that another one’s coming soon, pop-ups’ guerrilla-like nature is undermined.
Levi's, Regent Street: Nothing but denim

April 9, 2010
Selling a single commodity from a large area sounds tricky, but Levi’s new store on Regent Street does it with a flourish.
Retail collaborations

April 9, 2010
As the new Boots and Waitrose tie-up shows, retailers see real potential in joining forces. But how can you make sure it works?
Store of the Week: Legoland Discovery Centre Trafford Centre

April 9, 2010
Yet the opening of the Legoland Discovery Centre in Manchester’s Trafford Centre marks the arrival of a real retail-cum-leisure destination where the pleasures of enjoying one of the world’s favourite toys are combined with the chance to walk away with elements of it from the on-site shop.
Same old same old in electricals

6-Apr-2010
Travelling to Mumbai and Toronto in the same week gives the opportunity to see different sides of the retail spectrum and to compare what is on offer with what happens in the UK. And one of the unifying factors of these two wildly opposite cities is the manner in which they treat the business of selling electricals.
Good Evans

April 1, 2010
Independent cycle chain Evans has opened the largest London bike shop in an underground car park in Mortimer Street. John Ryan sees if it is up to scratch
Store of the Week: 10 Corso Como Milan

April 1, 2010
This store is neither new, nor is it exactly unknown. 10 Corso Como sits in one of Milan’s more outlying central districts and is a destination for style-seekers from around the world.
Talking books: the way forward

29-Mar-2010
Walking through the lone example of TK Maxx Woman last week it was hard not to wonder which retailers might do something similar.
Anthropologie, King’s Road, London

March 26, 2010
Can US lifestyle retailer Anthropologie’s second UK store in Chelsea live up to the ideal set by its Regent Street flagship?
On being young

22-Mar-2010
Bhs is working on improving its in-store act currently and it will certainly be interesting to see what the outcome is. Perhaps the future for this high street hardy perennial is already on view: in Oxford Street.
Dobbies: From food to fuchsias in Aberdeen

March 19, 2010
The new-look Dobbies garden centre in Aberdeen is sustainable and modern, with a seamless mixed-product offer.
Store of the Week: Banana Republic Regent Street

March 19, 2010
What is it about animals that makes them immediately acceptable as props in a window display? The answer is that there is probably something of the pet-owner in all of us, and if they are on view in a non-threatening stylised form, then what’s not to like?
Old pilots never die...

15-Mar-2010
Why is is that experimental formats are allowed to stagger on and not put out of their misery?
Getting into club Bershka

March 12, 2010
Can the club ambience of Bershka’s revamped Oxford Street store help put it more firmly on the UK’s young fashion map?
Scandi brands, Scandi bland?

8-Mar-2010
News that Danish fashion chains Vero Moda and Jack & Jones are to open a dual fascia shop on Oxford Street should be greeted as good news by shoppers in search of variety on one of the UK’s leading commercial thoroughfares. Yet it is hard not to stifle a mild yawn.
Using store design to make a difference

March 5, 2010
Store layouts and clever merchandising can certainly drive sales if they are able to sway shopper behaviour.
Médiacité: Taking the Cité by storm

March 5, 2010
Belgium’s third largest city has something to shout about with its striking Médiacité shopping centre, and British retailers are among its most prominent early tenants. John Ryan reports
Shopfitting: Fitter, happier, more productive

March 5, 2010
Retailing has changed and that means to be successful shopfitters need to change too. John Ryan takes the temperature of the shopfitting world
Store of the Week: Zigzag Liège, Belgium

March 5, 2010
Zigzag is a homewares store that uses Denmark as a convenient cipher for designed simplicity and all-round wholesomeness.
RWC2010: Small tweaks essential to maintain in-store excitement

3-Mar-2010
Change windows frequently and ensure that you give shoppers a reason to come back. That was the advice given by Gary Temprell, retail director at The White Company and Beverley Aspinall, managing director of Fortnum & Mason at the Retail Week Conference.
RWC2010: Retailers debate igniting post-recession growth

3-Mar-2010
Dealing with the fallout of the recession was the subject of a panel debate at the Retail Week Conference this morning.
Make lots of noise

1-Mar-2010
It’s a few weeks before Levi’s reveals what’s been going on in its Regent Street flagship, but this is a brand that knows how to ratchet up the marketing ante and generate excitement.
HMV and Waterstone’s: Joined-up thinking

February 26, 2010
The HMV Group has just opened its first joint HMV and Waterstone’s store, near Newcastle. John Ryan visits to see if the new format works
Kronometry 1999, New Bond Street

February 26, 2010
French watch retailer Kronometry 1999 is exactly what you would expect of a store on New Bond Street.
John Lewis and fashion move as one

22-Feb-2010
In Friday’s weekly trading report, it was fascinating to see that fashion had led the way in providing John Lewis with a substantial increase against last year. Yet perhaps it’s not that surprising. The retailer has been working on raising its fashion game for years now.
Green Market to new market: Debenhams returns to Newcastle

February 19, 2010
Debenhams has returned to Newcastle after 15 years and its store has some bold new features. Yet it works.
Store of the Week: Hotel Chocolat, Victoria

February 19, 2010
We’ve all grown used to the world of semi-designer chocolates proposed by Hotel Chocolat - the place in which you buy your beautifully packaged, yummy confections in an environment that makes you feel good about parting with a fair amount of money.
On consistency

15-Feb-2010
If you happen to stroll into Habitat’s Tottenham Court Road flagship, the chances are good not only that you’ll find what you what, but that the service will be helpful, well-informed and that the store environment will encourage you to hang around. But it’s a somewhat different proposition elsewhere.
Store Designs on the future

February 12, 2010
Store design may have been on the back burner in the past 12 months, but John Ryan finds 2010 is shaping up to be better
Store of the Week: Prenatal Assago, Italy

February 12, 2010
Prenatal, the Mothercare of southern Europe, has unveiled a new look for its stores with a format created by design consultancy 20/20. This store, in the Milanese commuter town of Assago, opened in late November and is aimed at positioning the retailer as more affordable, with increased product densities and the ambition to be a “total service provider”.
Hot off the press

8-Feb-2010
Heals celebrated its bicentennial by turning over its windows to students from the nearby Slade school of art. And it was the most interesting thing on Tottenham Court Road for some time.
Charity begins in Edinburgh

February 5, 2010
Working with retail guru Mary Portas, Save the Children has opened a design-led charity store in Edinburgh.
Store of the Week: Urban Outfitters, Edinburgh

February 5, 2010
The balance of power between Scotland’s two major cities has always been reflected in their retail provision.
The golden shopfront

1-Feb-2010
At last week’s Toy Industry Awards, it was the “Golden Teddy” honour that really stood out — but which retailers might scoop a prize were there to be a ‘golden shopfront’?
Co-operative Group Oakham, Rutland

January 29, 2010
It’s not often that a supermarket features as a store of the week, principally because it is in the nature of the sector to attempt to standardise everything from product to store design. This tends to mean that if you’ve seen one, it’s likely that you’ve seen an awful lot.
QS name to disappear as Store Twenty One grows

January 29, 2010
Value retailer QS is to disappear from the high street by 2011 as Mumbai-based owner Alok Industries ramps up conversions to its Store Twenty One fascia.
Store Twenty One: a classier proposition

January 29, 2010
First trialled in 2008, value fashion retail format Store Twenty One is proving a hit. John Ryan visits Retford to assess its progress
Edinburgh retail: A tale of three streets

25-Jan-2010
With the changing fortunes of its three principle shopping streets, Edinburgh is one of the better places to observe the the ebb and flow of high street retail in the UK.
A retail slice of the Big Apple

January 22, 2010
Retailers in New York have had a tough year, but there are signs that those that weathered the storm have emerged with better-looking stores
Store of the week: Superdry, New York

January 22, 2010
The eyes of many British retailers seeking to advertise that they are global brands seem, in many high-profile instances, to turn more readily towards the US than Europe when a judgement is made about where to go next.
Looking your best

18-Jan-2010
For considerably more than a year, DSGi has been addressing the experience that shoppers visiting a branch of Currys or PC World can expect.
Need to Know: the general election

January 15, 2010
Christmas may have been good but this year’s general election will be pivotal in determining the consumer mood
Sale signage: how to communicate value

January 15, 2010
Most retailers may still be on Sale, but how effective are they at communicating the value on offer? John Ryan visits Meadowhall with Visual Thinking’s Jeanette Cheetham to find out
Store of the Week: Loewe, Valencia

January 15, 2010
Luxury accessories and ready-to-wear brand Loewe refurbished its shop in Valencia just before Christmas, creating a concept store.
Making the most of what you’ve got

11-Jan-2010
Slick marketing and bigging up simple things makes US shopping a very different proposition from the UK. John Ryan reports from the NRF conference in New York.
A change of Habitat

January 8, 2010
Habitat has introduced new elements at its latest store, in Liverpool One, but is it a format that could be used elsewhere.
Hobbs, Covent Garden

January 8, 2010
Just before Christmas, Hobbs opened a flagship in Covent Garden. The move followed hot on the heels of its Regent Street shop and the Covent Garden interior design followed suit. Except it didn’t.
Worries for furniture sales after VAT rise

January 8, 2010
Furniture and homewares retailers say shoppers were out in force before the January 1 VAT rise but have warned that the outlook for the rest of the year is cautious.
Best ever Christmas for Cash Generator

6-Jan-2010
Buy, sell and loan store Cash Generator has unveiled record trading over Christmas.
Merry Christmas for Foyles

6-Jan-2010
Sales rose sharply at independent book retailer Foyles over the Christmas period.
Shop prices rise in December

6-Jan-2010
Shop inflation rose sharply in December to 2.2%, from 0.2% in November, according to the BRC Nielsen Shop Price Index.
Links reveals record 2009

5-Jan-2010
Jewellery retailer Links has revealed a record trading result for 2009.
HMV closes on Mama

5-Jan-2010
HMV moved closer to gaining control of live music business Mama yesterday as rival bidder, SMS Finance, pulled out of the race.
Walmart to use supply chain to cut costs in 2010

4-Jan-2010
Walmart, the world’s biggest retailer, estimates that savings of between 5-15%, or $4bn-$12bn, will be possible by globalising its purchasing.
JD increases control of Canterbury brand

24-Dec-2009
JD Sports Fashion has has taken control of the Australian distribution company for rugby brand Canterbury, and bought a majority stake in its New Zealand distributor.
Christmas market anybody?

21-Dec-2009
Only three days until the big day and one of the things that many towns and cities have been enjoying is a slice of Continental Christmas Market fayre. Something of the kind can be seen in Liverpool at the moment, which has its streets filled with wooden chalet-style huts from which grateful shoppers are expected to stop and buy. Except that they’re rubbish.
Lakeland strikes deal to launch Dubai store

December 18, 2009
Kitchenware retailer Lakeland is to open its first overseas store next year in Dubai.
Monsoon to have second stab at US with Accessorize openings

December 18, 2009
Monsoon will open five Accessorize stores in the US next year, marking the fashion retailer’s second attempt to crack the North American market.
Dyson Bluewater

December 18, 2009
There is a sense currently that if it’s a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday or Friday, then there will be a new pop-up store on the block and last week, Wednesday saw the opening by Dyson, the vacuum cleaner people, of a temporary store in Bluewater.
New look for Jones Bootmaker

14-Dec-2009
Jones Bootmaker has launched a new retail identity at its Milton Keynes store.
What’s the point of a door?

14-Dec-2009
Unusually, I was asked to appear on TV last week to talk about shop doors, or rather the lack of them.
Steamer Trading: A cook shop worth its salt

December 11, 2009
Kitchen retailer Steamer Trading has opened an architecturally bold store that is sure to impress. John Ryan gets a tour in historic Guildford.
Toast opens Cheltenham pop-up store

7-Dec-2009
Toast, the French Connection-owned fashion, accessories and homewares retailer, has opened a pop-up store in Cheltenham that will become permanent in February.
The duck’s nuts

7-Dec-2009
The two-year-old Pets at Home store in New Malden shows how retailers that know their business are comfortable with evolving a format, refining it and constantly looking to improve what’s already there.
Winter window wonderland

December 4, 2009
With less than four shopping weeks to Christmas, the stores on Oxford Street should be a riot of festive fun. John Ryan walks the West End with Mary Portas to get her take on the displays.
Popping in to pop-ups

30-Nov-2009
Bit of a rant this, but when is a pop-up shop not worth the space on which it is temporarily situated? The answer’s really simple, when it doesn’t convince you that it’s worth a visit.
Black Friday shoppers hunt for bargains

30-Nov-2009
Sales on one of America’s busiest shopping days, Black Friday, were marginally ahead of 2008, but shoppers steered clear of higher priced items to hunt out bargains.
Better by design: New uses of former Woolworths

November 27, 2009
When you look at the retailers that have replaced Woolworths, it’s a wonder the general store had any shoppers at all. John Ryan reports on how the new guard are making use of Woolies’ former branches.
Reiss redesigns stores for luxury

23-Nov-2009
Luxury fashion chain Reiss has refreshed areas of selected stores in support of its capsule 1971 collection, the year in which the retailer opened its first store.
An Anthropologie lesson

23-Nov-2009
In this unseasonably warm period of goodwill to all men, there is much to be leant from the way in which Anthropologie is pulling them through doors by the simple expedient of quick-fire change.
Store of the week: Kurt Geiger Regent Street

November 20, 2009
There’s been every reason to admire the Kurt Geiger format that’s been around for a while now. The mirrored cubes on which the merchandise is displayed, piled on top of each other, give a show-stopping entrance to every store.
TK Maxx lives up to eastern promise

November 20, 2009
The labels-for-less retailer entered Poland earlier this year. John Ryan visits its latest store in Poznan to see it becoming a pan-European act.
Christmas is coming — sort of

16-Nov-2009
It’s still only November and there’s more than a month to Christmas, but in visual merchandising terms, it seems probable that when the write-up of the retail festive season is made, there will be relatively little to celebrate.
Marmite pop-up store spreads into Regent Street

16-Nov-2009
Love it or hate it, a pop-up shop devoted to iconic British yeast spread Marmite has opened at the Piccadilly Circus end of London’s Regent Street.
Store of the week: Guess Regent Street

November 13, 2009
Guess opened its largest store in Europe (there are close to 250 of them across the Continent) on Regent Street in September. At 6,000 sq ft, this is a large space and fills the unit previously occupied by Next.
The Retail Week Stores Book 2009

November 13, 2009
The recession may be squeezing retail but the third edition of Retail Week’s stores book shows retailers are still using design innovation to raise their game. John Ryan takes a look at some of this year’s entries.
Americans in London

9-Nov-2009
Look at the tenant list for Regent Street and you have to wonder what’s happening. Why do American retailers making landfall in the UK seem to view this single London street as the most obvious destination to set up shop?
Berlin’s wall of retail

November 6, 2009
If it’s retail novelty, quirky innovation and a glimpse of what the store design future might hold, then 20 years after the wall came down Berlin is definitely worth a visit.
Helly Hansen Manchester

November 6, 2009
The newly opened Helly Hansen store, in Manchester’s Arndale Centre, says much about the Continental view of the UK.
Arcadia: a tale of two brands

2-Nov-2009
Arcadia’s recent results mask the fact that there are some less than ideal formats in the group
Store of the week: Tesco – My Narodni Prague

October 30, 2009
Tesco has opened its second department store in the Czech Republic, after its debut in the northern city of Liberec in March.
Retailing’s bit of rough

26-Oct-2009
The rise and rise of the pop-up shop has meant that many eyes have turned to the lower end of the market for new ideas.
Making history: shopping at the British Museum

October 23, 2009
Many visitors to the British Museum want to take home a souvenir. But how can they be persuaded to buy more than just a pencil or tea towel? John Ryan reports on a makeover of the museum’s shops.
Today’s market: a matter of space and time

October 23, 2009
With void rates soaring in some locations and still low in others, John Ryan looks at how developers are dealing with this changed market, and what this means for retailers
Mods, mansion and manor houses

19-Oct-2009
Every year has its store interior clichés. Spend time with a handful of store design consultancies or consultants at the moment and it won’t be long before the phrase “the manor house” is casually dropped into the conversation.
Anthropologie plans local sourcing for UK

October 16, 2009
US retailer Anthropologie will source 20% of its product from the UK and collaborate with local designers for its first European store, which opens on London’s Regent Street next Friday.
John Lewis Welsh flagship sets sail in Cardiff

October 16, 2009
For its first store in Wales John Lewis has made a timely and bold shift to a more fashion-focused layout. John Ryan reports from Cardiff
Store of the Week: Orange, Milton Keynes

October 16, 2009
Mobile network Orange opened what it says is its first UK multimedia store last week in Milton Keynes.
New Brunswick: a great place to be

12-Oct-2009
The Brunswick centre on a sunny Saturday in October: there may be better places in the Capital, but they’re probably few and far between.
Store of the week: Estella Cologne, Germany

October 9, 2009
This is Estella – a name that will be almost totally unfamiliar to British ears as it is a fledgling retailer that has just opened its first store, in Cologne.
The Retail Interiors Awards 2009: It’s what’s inside that counts

October 9, 2009
Despite the recession there’s still been a lot to shout about in retail design this year, as the winners of the Retail Interiors Awards show. By John Ryan.
Anthropologie Regent Street store to feature hydroponics

5-Oct-2009
US fashion retailer Anthropologie, which makes it UK debut on Regent Street on October 23, will unveil a store featuring an internal wall composed of plants.
Doing Dallas: How does NorthPark measure up?

October 2, 2009
The US may do things bigger, but do they do them better? John Ryan visits Dallas and one of the Lone Star state’s top shopping centres to find out how its retail scene measures up
Store of the Week: Diesel, Dallas

October 2, 2009
Just occasionally, you come across a store window that makes you smile and that moment is carried through into the shop. Diesel is well known for its subversive take on visual merchandising and this store, in Dallas’ NorthPark mall, certainly stops shoppers.
Thinking local, acting local

28-Sep-2009
In a previous life, as a fashion buyer, an older and much-lauded colleague was prone to observing: “You never did nothing wrong by buying black.” The same, it would appear, applies to much of store design.
Topman’s top shop

September 25, 2009
Topman’s Oxford Circus flagship store is a new standard bearer for Sir Philip Green’s menswear chain. John Ryan takes a tour with him
Ann Harvey flagship gets new look

21-Sep-2009
Outsize women’s fashion retailer Ann Harvey has unveiled a new-look for its Oxford Street flagship.
Putting on the style at Homebase

September 18, 2009
Homebase has been working hard to improve the interior of its stores. John Ryan visits Basingstoke to see the latest stage in its design journey
Store of the week: Manolo Blahnik, Dublin

September 18, 2009
If there’s one thing that upscale shoemaker Manolo Blahnik is famous for, it has to be killer heels. This is the purveyor of footwear that leaves women feeling empowered and men emasculated with dizzyingly high heels being de rigeur.
Gap opens pop-up store to celebrate 40th anniversary

14-Sep-2009
Gap has opened a 40th anniversary pop-up store in Kingley Court, off London’s Regent Street.
Primark is just getting started

14-Sep-2009
There was a point when a visit to Primark was a bit of a bunfight. But the days of garments on the floor outnumbering those on the rails now seems a distant memory – in most branches anyway.
Massimo Dutti: Continental chic meets country home

September 11, 2009
Massimo Dutti’s UK presence has so far been muted but the Inditex brand’s new Oxford Street store puts it in the limelight, says John Ryan
Store of the week: Dr Martens Spitalfields

September 11, 2009
The Dr Martens pop-up shop in trendy Spitalfields epitomises all that’s best about the rage for stores that are here today and may be gone by tomorrow.
Henry Holland expected to be latest designer for Debenhams

9-Sep-2009
Debenhams is expected to confirm that it has signed London Fashion Week designer Henry Holland as part of an expansion to its Designers at Debenhams range at its pre-close trading update next week.
Bovver on a budget

7-Sep-2009
It’s a sign of the times that one of the most innovative new stores to appear this year in the UK isn’t actually permanent.
Shopfitters survey: Bumping along the bottom

September 4, 2009
It’s been a tough year and this year’s shopfitting league table shows how much the market has shrunk. But are things levelling out and are we seeing the new normal? John Ryan reports
Shopfitters survey: Hoping for the best

September 4, 2009
Fearing the worst but ploughing ahead seems to be shopfitters’ default approach for surviving this recession. But is the optimism coming through in this year’s National Association of Shopfitters/Retail Week survey misplaced? John Ryan reports
Store of the week: Havaianas Sao Paulo, Brazil

September 4, 2009
This impressive store really is a long way away: Sao Paulo in Brazil to be precise.
One for the price of two at DSGi

1-Sep-2009
The PC World and Currys stores in Fulham will soon disappear in favour of a single co-branded “Megastore.” The obvious question is: Why would you do this?
Styles & Wood unveils sharp half-year profit fall

1-Sep-2009
Styles & Wood, the property services company that headed Retail Week’s top shopfitter league in 2008, has unveiled a dramatic loss for the half-year to June 30.
Currys unveils first mezzanine Megastore

28-Aug-2009
DSGi-owned electricals chain Currys yesterday opened its first Megastore incorporating a mezzanine floor, enabling the retailer to merchandise its assortment more effectively than ever before.
Sales of Sainsbury’s Basics range rocket

August 28, 2009
Sainsbury’s has revealed that sales from its Basics own-label value offer are 50% higher than a year ago.
Store of the Week: Camper Beaubourg, France

August 28, 2009
Spanish shoe retailer and brand Camper provides a new reason for visiting the Paris’s Beaubourg area with a store that takes a pretty unusual stance to visual merchandising and layout.
Top (Pri)marks: the new Primark in Bristol

August 28, 2009
The value giant has just opened a swish store in Bristol, but can it steal the flagship mantle from Marble Arch? John Ryan finds out
First Quench chief Yvonne Rankin resigns

26-Aug-2009
Yvonne Rankin, chief executive of drinks retailing group First Quench, has resigned for reasons of ill health
Opposition surfaces to DSGi salaries for share options plans

26-Aug-2009
Pirc, an investor advisory service, has voiced opposition to DSGi plans for a scheme under which executives in the company can swap up to 25% of their salaries in exchange for share options.
Rubbish service means a rubbish store

24-Aug-2009
Everybody knows that good store design is really only a starting point. If a walk through the doors means entering a slapdash operational environment where stock, staff and service all militate against getting what you want or need, then the design effort has been utterly wasted.
Breathing new life into dead space

August 21, 2009
With voids skyrocketing in the recession, landlords and developers need to be creative with empty space to keep shoppers interested. John Ryan reports on some of the inventive ideas being tested
Store of the Week: Harvey Nichols, Knightsbridge

August 21, 2009
You can normally rely upon Harvey Nichols to do something special with its windows: it’s part of the way the brand works. However, the Knightsbridge flagship has a scheme at the moment that is likely to stop even the most fashion-hardened Sloane in her tracks.
Thomas Pink to trial women’s only store formats

August 21, 2009
Shirt retailer Thomas Pink is to trial a new women’s only store format at its Harrods concession and in its Jermyn Street outlet. Designed by San Francisco-based design consultancy Brand & Allen, the new look will launch in Jermyn Street next month and is based around a boudoir design.
Paperchase shows the way

17-Aug-2009
In spite of the apparent emergence of Germany and France from recession (that’s what the figures indicate), retailers in those countries are under the cosh just as much as over here and store openings are as thin on the ground.
Robert Dyas: Playing hard ball with hardware

August 14, 2009
Following Robert Dyas’s management buyout the hardware retailer wants to declutter its stores. John Ryan visits the Maidenhead test bed
Store of the week: John Lewis Foodhall Bluewater

August 14, 2009
The John Lewis/Waitrose Foodhall at John Lewis Bluewater has now been up and running for two weeks. At 16,500 sq ft, it is around a third larger than the Oxford Street format on which it has been modelled and is now the biggest food collaboration between the two retailers that form the John Lewis Partnership.
Helly Hansen to open first UK standalone store in Arndale Centre

10-Aug-2009
Norwegian outdoorwear brand Helly Hansen is to open its first mainstream retail store in the UK, in Manchester’s Arndale Centre in the autumn.
Why Kensington High Street is not dead

10-Aug-2009
Reports of the death of Kensington High Street are much exaggerated. It’s not even dying: just changing.
Store of the week: Levi’s Women Paris

August 7, 2009
In the heart of Parisian denim country, on the Rue Pierre Lescot, is the new Levi’s Women store. Design consultancy Checkland Kindleysides’ creation spreads over two storeys and aims at a more mature customer than the traditional Levi’s-clad teen, according to the designers.
Checking out B&Q

3-Aug-2009
B&Q in Sutton has just entered the self-serve checkout age but can it work for DIY retailers?
Robert Dyas tests online kiosk at new-look store in Maidenhead

3-Aug-2009
Hardware chain Robert Dyas is trialling an internet kiosk in its new-look store in Maidenhead, which opened last week.
Is it worth occupying a listed building?

July 31, 2009
Occupying listed buildings can be awkward and costly, but do the frequently impressive results justify the expense? John Ryan reports
Store of the week: Nysa Wine Boutique, Westfield London

July 31, 2009
The Nysa Wine Boutique is a one-off in the UK, with a single outpost on Westfield London’s fringe as you approach from Shepherd’s Bush tube station.
Retail Week shopfitting survey, September 4

27-Jul-2009
Retail Week’s annual shopfitting survey will provide an exhaustive overview of the sector’s health
Primark will storm Germany

27-Jul-2009
A visit last week to Primark’s first store in Germany was instructive. Located in the northern city of Bremen in a brand new shopping centre, it was reasonable to expect that the value retailer would have pulled out all the stops to make its Teutonic debut, and it didn’t disappoint.
The new Lakeland store demonstrates why the retailer is thriving

July 24, 2009
Lakeland’s new Stratford-upon-Avon store shows why the cookware retailer is thriving in a tough market. John Ryan goes to take a tour
Lakeland on mission to double its portfolio

July 24, 2009
Homewares retailer Lakeland wants to double the size of its store portfolio within the next five years.
Store of the week: Size? Bristol

July 24, 2009
This is Size?. It’s a store that sells trainers in Bristol’s Horsefair and takes its inspiration from the locality of which it is a part, according to Checkland Kindleysides, the design consultancy that created it.
Summertime and the shopping is… almost impossible

20-Jul-2009
It’s summer: season of rain, flash floods and, er, major civil engineering projects. Try cutting through central London at the moment and the chances are very high that your progress will be slowed by closed streets, roadworks and temporary traffic lights.
Lakeland launches new-look store in Stratford-upon-Avon

20-Jul-2009
Homewares retailer Lakeland opened a new-look store in Stratford-upon-Avon on Monday.
Bluewater: still making a splash a decade on

July 17, 2009
The Kent mall celebrated its 10th birthday this year, but age hasn’t dulled its offer. John Ryan reports
Making service charges live up to their name

July 17, 2009
If centre landlords are to consider cutting service charges for struggling retailers the remaining funds need to be used more wisely to drive footfall, says John Ryan
Store of the week: Hermès, Sloane Street

July 17, 2009
Hermès is a brand and a very expensive one. It also happens to be French. Just three reasons why it probably wouldn’t feature as a store of the week in the normal run of things.
Refurbish stores – new ones can wait

13-Jul-2009
New formats may be thin on the ground, but that isn’t stopping retailers polishing up pre-existing stores.
Retail Interiors Awards 2009 shortlist revealed

13-Jul-2009
The judges met in London on Wednesday to decide on the winners and runners-up for this year’s Retail Interiors Awards.
Blacks trials new formats to shore up sales ahead of boardwear exit

July 10, 2009
Outdoor specialist Blacks Leisure has begun testing new store formats in an attempt to strengthen the struggling retailer.
Customer interaction is core to Carphone Warehouse’s Wireless World format

July 10, 2009
Carphone Warehouse’s latest Wireless World format has a strong focus on customer interaction. John Ryan goes to Exeter for a tour
Store of the week: Michael Kors, New Bond Street

July 10, 2009
American fashion brand and retailer Michael Kors has dipped its toe in the distinctly chilly waters of standalone stores with the opening of its first UK shop, in a unit on New Bond Street.
The merchandiser’s role is more important than ever

July 10, 2009
With sales under pressure, the merchandiser’s role is more important than ever. By John Ryan
First overseas Matalan store opens

6-Jul-2009
Matalan opened its first store outside the UK last week, in Amman, Jordan.
Doggy bag for Pets at Home

6-Jul-2009
News that private equity firm Bridgepoint is mulling the flotation of its Pets at Home chain, which it bought for £230m in 2004, should come as no surprise as it has now done most of what could reasonably be done with the stores in a short time.
Clem Constantine takes over as Marks & Spencer international boss

3-Jul-2009
Marks & Spencer property director Clem Constantine has assumed responsibility for the retailer’s international division.
Sainsbury’s at Gloucester Quays is more than just a green store

July 3, 2009
Another day, another eco-store. Except it isn’t. Sainsbury’s new Gloucester Quays store is good-looking too. John Ryan visits
Store of the week: Esprit, Stockholm

July 3, 2009
Trying to get shoppers into your store when you’re positioned on the third floor of a glass and steel tower block is probably a matter of having a very substantial shout. In the pedestrianised Drottninggattan area of Stockholm, fashion retailer Esprit has overcome this by making a feature of the newly refurbished dedicated escalator that takes shoppers up to the store.
Trouble on the Allied (Carpets) front

29-Jun-2009
A trip to Croydon’s Purley Way does much to put Allied Carpets’ recent difficulties in perspective. This is a location where Allied Carpets and rival Carpetright are side by side, providing a straightforward compare and contrast exercise.
Recession hangover hits booze cruise retailers

June 26, 2009
Calais is the home of the booze cruiser, but a falling pound, shrinking shopper budgets and fewer day trippers have made it challenging for UK retailers and others. John Ryan reports.
Store of the week: Nicholas James, Hatton Garden, London

June 26, 2009
The challenge that has always faced jewellers is shifting product that no one needs (or maybe even wants) In London’s Hatton Garden, spiritual home of the UK jewellery trade, Nicholas James has confronted this with a store possessing sufficient originality to drag shoppers in from the street in spite of massive competition.
John Smedley opens London flagship

22-Jun-2009
Purveyor of fine-gauge designer knitwear John Smedley has opened a store devoted solely to the commodity on Brook Street, in the heart of central London.
Fizz has gone out of UK retailers' duty-free offers in France

22-Jun-2009
If things aren’t going well, should you give up or try and fix them? Look at the poll this week on the Retail Week home page and you’ll see the question “Is it worth UK retailers continuing to have duty-free operations in northern France?”Video:
B&M Bargains sets sights on 400 stores as profits soar in downturn

19-Jun-2009
Value retailer B&M Bargains has unveiled a sparkling set of full-year results and vowed to increase its store numbers to 400 across the UK.
Streets of shame

June 19, 2009
Some of the UK’s most celebrated streets are a shadow of their former selves. And while the recession is partly to blame, other factors are at work. Retail Week looks at why three of the UK’s most prestigious retail locations have taken a turn for the worse and if the decline can be arrested
Making the most of Matalan

June 19, 2009
Matalan’s defining proposition has always been value, but now it is making its stores more engaging places to visit. John Ryan meets chief executive Alistair McGeorge and visits the Stockport branch
Majestic Wine to stay expansion course despite profits plunge

June 19, 2009
Majestic Wine chief executive Steve Lewis will press ahead with expanding to 250 branches from 150 over the next five to 10 years, despite a profits plunge.
Store of the week: Uniqlo, Shinjuku, Tokyo

June 19, 2009
Uniqlo is well known for the unusual shapes of its stores around the world, but in its Tokyo backyard it has worked with local architectural and design practice Curiosity to pull out all the stops for its shop that opened last month.
Ocado could float in 2010

17-Jun-2009
Online grocery retailer Ocado could bag an estimated £600m next year if a float that is being considered were to go ahead, according to The Times.
Tesco posts robust sales

16-Jun-2009
Group sales at the UK’s largest retailer rose 12.6 per cent for the 13 weeks to May 30.
Visa charges to retailers ‘completely unfair’ claims Eurocommerce

15-Jun-2009
EuroCommerce, an intervenor in the appeal loged by Mastercard with the European Court of Justice, has lodged a new complaint against Visa Europe claiming that its charges to retailers are an infringement of European competition law.
Retail Interiors Awards deadline extended

15-Jun-2009
The deadline for the Retail Interiors Awards has been extended until June 19.
Why retailers can't sit on their hands with store design

15-Jun-2009
Put off, put off, put off. Store design departments up and down the country must be becoming increasingly familiar with this, or something of the kind, as the mantra that emerges from retail boardrooms when the matter of new stores or refurbishments appears on the agenda.
Tesco builds Chinese mall

15-Jun-2009
Tesco will open its first shopping centre in the northeastern Chinese city of Fushan later this year.
Profits collapse at Majestic Wine

15-Jun-2009
The tougher economic climate has hit home at Majestic Wine, which saw sales for the year to March 30 rise 2.4 per cent to £201.8m, but pre-tax profits fall 55.8 per cent to £7.4m.
London sales growth dips in May

15-Jun-2009
Retail sales in London last month grew at their slowest rate this year, according to the BRC-KMPG London Retail Sales Monitor.
Poor exchange rate could force non-food price inflation

15-Jun-2009
Sterling’s weakness could leave the UK with more than £20bn of extra costs over the next year, raising the threat of higher prices for shoppers, according to reseach from PwC.
Debenhams at Bury St Edmunds looks striking but does it work?

June 12, 2009
The new Debenhams at Bury St Edmunds is a striking piece of contemporary architecture but, John Ryan asks, does it work as a store – and is its location right?
Store of the week: Few and Far, Knightsbridge

June 12, 2009
Few and Far is a contemporary update on what in days gone by would have been referred to as an emporium – a purveyor of products with a whiff of the exotic about them.
Oliver Sweeney bought by Amery Capital

10-Jun-2009
Shoe brand Oliver Sweeney has been rescued from administration by Amery Capital.
Net-A-Porter profits leap 234 per cent

10-Jun-2009
Online retailer Net-A-Porter has seen profits increase by 234 per cent, from £3.0m to £10.1 in the year to January 2009.
Inditex sales rise by 5 per cent in the first quarter, but profit falls

10-Jun-2009
Net sales at the Spanish fashion giant totalled €2.39bn for the quarter to April 30.
Stella McCartney to design childrenswear range for Gap

10-Jun-2009
US fashion retailer Gap has announced that it has retained Stella McCartney to design a new collection for its GapKids and BabyGap outlets.
Sales rise at Ideal Shopping Direct

10-Jun-2009
Home shopping retailer Ideal Shopping Direct has reported a 2 per cent rise in sales for the 21 weeks to May 24.
Auditor voices doubt over Threshers future

9-Jun-2009
Auditor Ernst & Young has voiced doubts over the ability of off-licence chain Threshers to continue as a going concern as it responded to parent company First Quench’s annual report.
Columbia – building retail brands one country at a time

8-Jun-2009
Outdoorswear retailer Columbia is to open its first UK store on Kensington High Street in September. Is it the right move, or will the London-centric focus hold it back from making its mark?
Deadline for The Retail Interiors Awards draws near

8-Jun-2009
For those contemplating entering The Retail Interiors Awards, 2009, due to take place at the Hilton Park Lane on September 29, time is fast running out. The closing date for entries is this Friday and as well as the by now almost entirely familiar categories, a new award is up for grabs in the shape of Point of Purchase Campaign of the Year.
Quirky Monki magic brightens up Denmark

June 5, 2009
Now wacky Swedish fashion retailer Monki is part owned by H&M, its expansion is imminent. John Ryan visits its debut Denmark stores
Deadline for Retail Interiors Awards draws near

June 5, 2009
For those contemplating entering this year’s Retail Interiors Awards, due to take place at the Hilton Park Lane on September 29, time is fast running out.
Store of the week: French Connection, Oxford Street

June 5, 2009
Sometimes the simplest things are best. This is French Connection in the middle of Oxford Street – a store that seems to have been there for as long as you might care to remember. Which is probably why there has been something of a tendency to treat it as an Oxford Street also-ran.
US outdoor retailer Columbia to open London store

5-Jun-2009
US outdoorwear brand and retailer Columbia is to open its first store in Europe in late September on Kensington High Street.
Hobbs appoints design consultancy to help with new store design

1-Jun-2009
Fashion retailer Hobbs has appointed design and architectural practice Child Graddon Lewis to assist on the development of a new concept that will house the existing Hobbs collections and its new NW3 range that is due to launch this autumn.
Croydon: still a good bet… for some

1-Jun-2009
Saturday in Croydon, always a busy time and a couple of days ago proved no exception. By 9.30am, the central car parks were almost full and North End, the main pedestrianised drag providing access to the town’s shopping centres, was rammed. And yet many of the shops were not.
Jessops has high hopes for its new-look London store

May 29, 2009
VIDEO: Jessops is hoping its refurbished central London flagship will provide a stimulus for wider change at the chain.
Store of the week: Louis Vuitton Westfield London

May 29, 2009
This is Louis Vuitton in Westfield, London, last week the scene of an opening event that featured an urban garden, created by artist Jeremy Deller. Quite what the collection of plants – contained within black plastic bin bags and resting on a straw-strewn floor – had to do with the purveyor of upscale luggage and bags remains unclear, but it did serve as an eye-catcher for the store.
Retailers opt for shopfitting security

26-May-2009
Retailers’ worries about the financial security of some of the UK’s largest shopfitting companies is opening doors for Wates.
Louis Vuitton vs the Post Office

26-May-2009
Visiting the new Louis Vuitton store in Westfield London last week was an impressive, but ultimately unsatisfying experience. Yes, it’s a fine example of the brand’s current shop-fit, but were you to travel to Munich and to wander into local luxury department store Oberpollinger, you’d find more or less the same thing, albeit smaller.
At Mahon Point in Ireland retailers are fighting the recession

May 22, 2009
Times may be tough but Cork’s Mahon Point scheme isn’t taking the recession lying down. John Ryan goes to see how it’s wooing shoppers
Store of the week: Nike Covent Garden

May 22, 2009
It’s close to a year since Nike unveiled the glass cube that appeared to be suspended between floors in its Oxford Circus flagship and wowed all who visited. This store, in the heart of Covent Garden, is a more recent addition to the US sportswear giant’s portfolio.
In praise of visual merchandising

18-May-2009
Retailers may well have suffered the worst six months in recent memory, but that has merely made the top players raise the visual merchandising bar yet again.
Saints & Sinners opens in Liverpool One

18-May-2009
Just opened in Liverpool One, Saints & Sinners is a men’s fashion shop that is dubbed a lifestyle store and which is intended to combine elements of Tokyo retail design with the look and feel of a boutique hotel.
Store of the week: Intersport, Gothenburg

May 15, 2009
It’s not often that retailers open very large sports stores these days, but pan-European operation Intersport has just unveiled this 10,000 sq ft, single-floor outlet in Sweden’s second city, Gothenburg.
Anthropologie unveils Regent Street blueprint

11-May-2009
News has emerged about the interior form of the UK’s first Anthropologie store, set to open on Regent Street in the autumn.
Cheap products needn’t mean cheap-looking stores

11-May-2009
This year’s World Retail Congress in Barcelona ended on Friday, closing three days of conferencing, networking and, it has to be said, a fair amount of evening carousing. But for those who wandered across the road into the adjacent Diagonal Mar shopping centre, there was an additional talking point.
Adidas’ Parisian store revamp impresses

May 8, 2009
Adidas is going for gold with the striking revamp of its Champs Elysées flagship. John Ryan goes to Paris for a tour
Store of the week: Lulu Guinness London

May 8, 2009
Handbag designer and homewares retailer Lulu Guinness is 20, or at least the brand that bears her name is, and this store, which has just opened on Ellis Street in the heart of London’s ritzy Knightsbridge, stands as evidence that the creative streak has not deserted her.
Invest in India but beware of problems, retailers warn

6-May-2009
Those making investments in India should act soon, according to BS Nagesh, managing director of Indian department store chain Shopper’s Stop, who summed up the panel’s views on the next phase of development in Indian retail at the World Retail Congress.
Consistency key to sustainable development

6-May-2009
Trust, engagement, authenticity, communication and understanding customers are the key issues for retailers as they move towards greater sustainability, according to a panel at the World Retail Congress this morning.
Keep going, there’s still stuff to be done

5-May-2009
The UK’s largest shopfitter has unveiled what can only be termed as a catastrophic set of results — but Styles & Wood’s 23 per cent fall in sales also means is that retailers are still handing out 77 per cent of the fit-out contracts that they were in the prior year.
Styles & Wood announces massive drop in profits

5-May-2009
Shopfitter Styles & Wood has unveiled a catastrophic drop in profits for 2008 as it was hit by a combination of cancelled and scaled-down retail contracts and substantial restructuring costs. Profits for the year to December 31 were £3.8m , down more than two thirds from £11.8m in the previous year.
Shopfitting market adapts to downturn

May 1, 2009
Store revamp budgets have gone the same way as the economy – down. John Ryan asks how the shopfitting market is adapting
Store of the week: Chez Jean, Paris

May 1, 2009
Chez Jean is a convenience store, a cafe, a top-up shop or maybe even an emergency dinner ingredients shop.
Moscow embraces the mid-market

27-Apr-2009
Moscow has an impressive luxury brand offer, but in these straitened times it is the mid-market retailers such as Karen Millen that are really taking flight, so is the time right for more mid-market UK retailers to start a Russian love affair?
Next in line

April 24, 2009
Next has made another leap forward with its latest store revamp at Oxford Circus. John Ryan finds out more about the new format
Detskiy Mir — Moscow

April 24, 2009
Translating, more or less, as “Children’s World”, Detskiy Mir was a retail feature of the pre-glasnost era. The name went underground somewhat in the new Russia until February this year, when it was relaunched in four remodelled stores around Moscow.
Food retailers are missing a trick

20-Apr-2009
While money may be in relatively short supply, there are still plenty of affluent neighbourhoods in our larger cities where foodies are shopping in small, deli-style stores.
Liberty in the name of luxury

April 17, 2009
Liberty’s latest incarnation is a tour de force of luxurious, design-led merchandising. John Ryan takes a look at the cosmetic overhaul
Store of the week: Uniqlo, New York

April 17, 2009
Space is an essential commodity for retailers and the further down the socio-economic scale you go, the more intensively it tends to be used.
Sir Philip Green’s plan to transform Topshop London flagship

9-Apr-2009
Arcadia owner Sir Philip Green is to build on Topshop’s groundbreaking US launch in New York with a revamp of the chain’s London flagship in time for Fashion Week.
Store of the week: Zain, Bahrain

April 9, 2009
Zain, a Bahrain-based phone retailer, has just unveiled a flagship in the Emirate’s Seef Mall. At 3,550 sq ft, this single-floor store has a large footprint by the sector’s standards.
Topshop: an English brand in New York

April 9, 2009
The delays have been overcome and the most eagerly awaited store of the year has arrived – Topshop has opened in Manhattan. Before the crowds descended, John Ryan walked the shop with Sir Philip Green
A top shop for a Big Apple

3-Apr-2009
This week sees Topshop New York finally away from the starting blocks in the latest episode of Brits intent on making a splash in the Big Apple.
Globus: Switzerland’s branded houses

April 3, 2009
Department store operator Globus has two fresh stores in one city that are a model of brand cohesion. John Ryan reports from Bern
H&M London stores refresh

April 3, 2009
The fashion giant has re-engineered two of its busiest London stores to add space and introduce design elements to improve the shopper experience.
Store of the week: Wigmore Sports London

April 3, 2009
Wigmore Sports is an independent racquet sports specialist in London’s West End that emerged from a store-wide makeover at the end of last year. The redesign was the handiwork of London design consultancy Portland. Over two floors and 3,765 sq ft, it shows what can be done with imagination and, in effect, a single commodity and its associated categories.
The price of going private

April 3, 2009
In recession, it might be expected that an increasing number of retailers would turn to private label to ease their burdens. But what are shoppers’ perceptions of such ranges, asks John Ryan
Topshop readies for New York opening

1-Apr-2009
Topshop opens its first store in the US on Thursday as local press reports indicate that a nationwide expansion programme may follow.
Lanvin, Mayfair: come the retail revolution...

30-Mar-2009
French luxury brand Lanvin opened a store on the highly exclusive Mount Street in Mayfair on Friday and it was a good-looking shop… of its type.
Store of the Week: House of Barbie, Shanghai

27-Mar-2009
Barbie’s turned 50 and strangely remains as shapely and improbable as ever – there must be a very ugly portrait somewhere in her attic. Perhaps it’s in Shanghai’s House of Barbie, which opened earlier this month and is a multi-floored, 40,000 sq ft homage to this icon of unachievable femininity.
At home with M&S

27-Mar-2009
M&S’s latest Home store, in Cardiff, has moved the format on and even added food to help drive precious footfall.
Tesco MyLiberec – Liberec, Czech Republic

26-Mar-2009
My Liberec is the first instance of Tesco’s new department store format in the Czech Republic.
So what is a great retail brand?

23-Mar-2009
Today sees the publication of a survey that purports to reveal “The Best Retail Brands”. Assembled by branding consultancy Interbrand, the top five European players, perhaps unsurprisingly, are H&M, Carrefour, Ikea, Tesco and Zara, in that order.
Store of the week: Undiz, Paris

23-Mar-2009
Remember Etam? As a retail brand it was around for years before Arcadia took the UK chain off its French parent’s hands in 2005. Since then it has vanished from UK high streets, but is alive and kicking in France and Undiz is a spin-off fascia that the company has been trialling since last year and that it is now rolling out.
Pardon the stores phrase

16-Mar-2009
Quantitative easing, the credit crunch, Ponzi schemes. If nothing else, the current global sticky patch has given all of us access to new ways of saying some pretty simple things - they just have the perceived benefit of making us sound as if we know what we're talking about.
Store of the week: Ecco Cologne, Germany

13-Mar-2009
Shoe shops tend not to be the sort of places that most people linger in, for no better reason than that when you’ve bought a pair of shoes it’s a case of job done and head for the exit. This, along with surplus space, may be the reason why the Danish shoe brand Ecco has chosen to put a cafe on the first floor of its flagship store in Cologne.
Store design: a little goes a very long way

13-Mar-2009
Retailers are faced with some tough choices at the moment and retail design may well be low down on their list of priorities. But can they afford to do without it? John Ryan and Laura Lupton report
Without Principles

9-Mar-2009
Last week another store chain hit the outer circle of hell known as administration. This time it was Principles and the news is that the stores are to go, but Debenhams will mop up the stock, keeping the brand alive in its branches - for the time being, at least.
Store of the week: Recipease, Battersea, London

6-Mar-2009
It may seem, from time to time, that Sainsbury’s front man, school dinner saviour and Volkswagen campervan driver Jamie Oliver is in almost every place you might care to think of, but the opening of his foodie shop Recipease last week added to this extensive list.
White Stuff: Personal touch

6-Mar-2009
How do you stop a store chain looking like a chain? Fashion retailer White Stuff’s quirky visual merchandising shows how flair can create unique shops. John Ryan visits its new branch in York
Don't let the recession overshadow store design priorities

2-Mar-2009
Taking the temperature of the retail design market recently, it was interesting to learn that Selfridges might be looking at its cost base - which retailer isn't? - but is also investing in new areas at its London flagship and at its Manchester branch.
House of Fraser mulls fate of old Beatties stores

27-Feb-2009
House of Fraser is understood to be considering options, including disposals, for the Beatties stores it acquired in 2005.
Fortnum & Mason to sell from European department stores

27-Feb-2009
Fortnum & Mason is poised to launch its food products in top European department stores as it seeks avenues for its merchandise and takes advantage of sterling’s weakness against the euro.
Feast for the eyes: John Lewis food halls

27-Feb-2009
Opening a food hall at its Oxford Street store was a gamble for John Lewis but the move paid off. Now Bluewater is due to have a version installed that will move the format on. John Ryan reports
Store of the week: Hamleys, Dubai

27-Feb-2009
How portable is a retail brand and when is it so linked to a particular location that it’s hard to see it working anywhere else?
Marks & Spencer staff in Ireland win up to 6.7 per cent pay rise

25-Feb-2009
Marks & Spencer staff in the Republic of Ireland are to receive pay rises of up to 6.7 per cent according to the Irish Times.
John Lewis food halls: a new vintage at Bluewater

24-Feb-2009
John Ryan visits the food hall at John Lewis's Oxford Street store to see its new wine bar and then travels to Bluewater to learn about plans for the second iteration of the format from John Lewis head of retail design Kim Morris.
Finding store design inspiration in the most unusual places

23-Feb-2009
It's high time retailers looked beyond their competitors for store design inspiration and spread the net further afield. There are new tricks to be learnt and ideas to take on board, if only retailers will look around.
Store of the week: Joules, Cheltenham

20-Feb-2009
We’re all familiar with stores that offer shoppers a particular view. Normally carrying the lifestyle tag, these are shops that invite their customers to be part of a club that will be readily recognised by those who are members and, equally, those who are not but might like to be.
Sainsbury’s: Tomorrow’s store today

20-Feb-2009
Sainsbury’s revamped Hayes branch in west London shows that a store of the future can be just that. John Ryan visits
B&Q: Orange is the new green

20-Feb-2009
New Malden is home to B&Q’s greenest store. John Ryan visits and tests out its eco-boasts
B&Q opens 'greenest' store in New Malden

16-Feb-2009
B&Q has opened what it terms its “greenest” store. As well as packing a host of eco-features, the store in the south London suburb of New Malden boasts what the retailer claims is the UK’s largest single selling floor – 117,000 sq ft.
Valentine’s Day and a last minute trip to Neuhaus

16-Feb-2009
For the unromantic among you, Saturday was St Valentine’s Day and Friday was the day on which the average bloke hurried round the shops looking for a card and some tired red roses from the nearest garage.
Tesco launches superstore format at Liverpool One, piling pressure on non-food rivals

13-Feb-2009
Tesco will next week unveil a new store fascia – Superstore – in the centre of Liverpool.
Store of the week: Le Bon Marche Paris

13-Feb-2009
It rarely matters how much good work is done on the internal design of a store, the basement is always a second-class citizen. In department stores it often houses a food hall, the logic being that this will turn it into an area shoppers have to visit.
Paris department stores

10-Feb-2009
Paris department stores are about glamour and giving the shopper a real experience. Among them, Printemps, currently undergoing refurbishment, and Le Bon Marche, stand tall.
There are some store design benefits to a downturn

9-Feb-2009
One of the unexpected consequences of a recession is that things get done better and quicker. Walking the floor of French department store Printemps' Paris flagship with its chairman and chief executive (two for the price of one must be a bonus in the current climate) last week, it was easy to understand how this could be the case.
Poundland: Sound as a Pound

6-Feb-2009
As the downturn bites, discount retailers like Poundland are stealing a march. John Ryan talks to chief executive Jim McCarthy about its no-frills approach and evolving store design
Store of the week: Harvey Nichols, Jakarta

6-Feb-2009
Luxury may be taking a bit of a battering at the moment but this doesn’t appear to be preventing some of the bigger players from continuing to expand.
Regent Street: don't waste the recession

2-Feb-2009
‘A recession is a terrible thing to waste,’ said Kevin Roche, a director at US store design company Callison, last week in what might, at first glance, appear to be a distinctly counter-intuitive moment.
Video: Tesco's green blueprint in Cheetham Hill

2-Feb-2009
John Ryan interviews Tesco head of environmental construction Mark Sowter about the grocer's new Cheetham Hill eco-store
Regent Street: Prince Regent

30-Jan-2009
Regent Street has been at the forefront of retail innovation for years, but as the downturn bites how are its leading lights coping with the economic gloom? John Ryan takes a stroll to find out
Store of the week: Levi’s, Berlin

30-Jan-2009
Levi’s is one of those brands that seems part of the furniture – you know it’s there, but don’t always give it your full attention.
B&Q opens eco-store under Extra fascia in Surrey

30-Jan-2009
DIY retailer B&Q opened its latest eco-store today in New Malden, Surrey.
The retail banking crisis

26-Jan-2009
Type “store design” into the search box on Vimeo's home page and hundreds of short videos, including some excellent Retail Week inclusions, will be available for your perusal. And strangely, among these, there's even a short clip showing a bank at Piccadilly with a swish new interior.
Store of the week: Esprit, CentrO, Germany

26-Jan-2009
Perhaps surprisingly for UK shoppers, Hong Kong-listed lifestyle retailer Esprit has been around for more than 40 years.
Next carves out shop space for Lipsy brand

23-Jan-2009
Next is to carve out space in its Manchester store to open a shop-in-shop for its recently acquired young-fashion brand Lipsy.
Tesco: Knock on wood

23-Jan-2009
Updated with video interview: Tesco has finally accomplished its goal of an eco-store blueprint that is innovative and green but cost-effective too. John Ryan visited the shop in Manchester’s Cheetham Hill on opening day
Co-op: Southern comfort

16-Jan-2009
Southern Co-operatives is trialling four new formats aimed at giving the in-store experience a warmer, less clinical feel. John Ryan samples the ambience at pilot stores across the South.
Store of the week: Oil & Vinegar, Newcastle

16-Jan-2009
To judge from what’s happening in the wider economy, you might think that being a niche retailer is not the finest thing in the world at the moment.
Primark: good housekeeping

16-Jan-2009
Hoover the floor, change the sheets, clean the windows. All of these activities come under the umbrella term “housekeeping” and are what most people do a little of from time to time. It’s also a word used in retailing to indicate that the floors have indeed been polished, the carpets swept and the displays are kept looking shipshape.
Kwik Save’s Spanish revival

16-Jan-2009
Discount grocer Kwik Save, which went into administration in July 2007, has been resurrected on the Costa del Sol.
Canterbury to expand in the UK

12-Jan-2009
Rugby brand and retailer Canterbury plans to open between three and six more stores in this country and Ireland during 2009.
M&S was right to spend on stores

12-Jan-2009
There was a time, not very long ago, when Marks & Spencer store interiors were frequently described as “Stalinist”. The inference was that while the stock might have been OK, the store design department had been virtually non-existent and the shops had been preserved in aspic from some point in the early 1970s.
Store of the week: Sony Style, Paris

9-Jan-2009
One of the complaints often levelled against technology retailers is that however slick their products, the shops themselves are cold, impersonal spaces. Sony has attempted to overcome this in the French capital with its Sony Style flagship store.
New Waitrose format: How convenient

9-Jan-2009
Waitrose has finally moved into the convenience market with its first c-store in Nottingham. John Ryan takes a tour to find out how the grocer plans to differentiate itself in the sector.
Store of the week: Southern Co-op, Southampton

5-Jan-2009
It's not often that an outfit like a co-op would merit inclusion as a store where design is one of its central selling points, but this Southern Co-op outpost is at least as good as any food to go meets convenience store that's out there.
Wilkinson an example to all retailers

5-Jan-2009
Just before Christmas, a trip to a store in Leicester revealed what is, in today's climate, a curiosity.
Store of the week: Globus, Mumbai

18-Dec-2008
In these troubled times, when even Russia has announced that it has gone into recession, India is one of the world’s few remaining economic highlights.
Westfield holding its own

15-Dec-2008
Back in Westfield, probably for the last time this year, the retail thrill-seekers are gone and in their place are shoppers and a lot of hungry people.
Suit Supply reveals second UK store at Westfield London

15-Dec-2008
Dutch retailer Suit Supply opened its second store in the UK last week at Westfield London.
M&S communications chief quits

12-Dec-2008
Flic Howard-Allen, Marks & Spencer's long-serving director of communications and CSR, has quit the company.
Waitrose unveils convenience store

12-Dec-2008
Waitrose opened its first convenience store yesterday, in Nottingham. The 5,815 sq ft (540 sq m) shop, in the city's Trinity Square, is located opposite the John Lewis department store and is the first of a four-branch convenience store trial.
Suit Supply – Westfield London

11-Dec-2008
Suit Supply’s second store in the UK is in Westfield and is twice the size of its first outing in Vigo Street, off Regent Street.
Oberpollinger: Premier league

11-Dec-2008
Karstadt-owned department store Oberpollinger has emerged from a four-year, £75m luxury makeover. The timing might be off, but John Ryan is won over on its opening night in Munich.
Store of the week: Adnams Southwold, Suffolk

11-Dec-2008
Suffolk brewer Adnams has opened a flagship for its nine-strong chain of wine and beer stores in its home town of Southwold.
Would German-style regulation save UK retailers from their Sales?

8-Dec-2008
Walk around almost any German city at the moment and you will immediately notice that something's different. Where are the reductions? Why aren't retailers on Sale ahead of Christmas, like in dear old GB?
Cycle Republic: Halfords takes bikes up a gear

4-Dec-2008
Halfords’ Cycle Republic format attempts to rival independent stores and cash in on their affluent shopper base. John Ryan visits Norwich to see how it measures up.
Store of the week: Disney Store, Westfield London

4-Dec-2008
Look at Disney Store’s financial record for the year to September 2007 and you might be inclined to think it isn’t doing very well.
Clas Ohlson makes its UK debut in Croydon centre

4-Dec-2008
Swedish hardware retailer Clas Ohlson has opened its first UK store, dubbing itself a “really useful shop”.
Westfield London: The winners and losers

1-Dec-2008
It’s a month since Westfield London opened and things are settling down in this part of west London. Footfall remains high and people are still shopping, but they are being selective.
Store of the week: Le Studio SFR Rue Tronchet, Paris

28-Nov-2008
Probably not the most festive shop in Paris, but telecoms network and technology retailer SFR offers one of Europe’s most interesting new retail environments.
Wal-Mart overseas chief to take helm after Scott

28-Nov-2008
Wal-Mart’s board of directors has elected head of overseas operations Mike Duke to succeed Lee Scott as president and chief executive in a move that signals its intention to continue with its overseas expansion programme.
Halfords pilots second bike fascia to grow shopper base

27-Nov-2008
Halfords is testing another standalone cycle shop format, called Cycle Republic, intended to provide an alternative to its existing Bike Hut fascia.
Christmas store design in Paris

27-Nov-2008
The Parisian retail scene has some real show-stoppers this Christmas. But is it better than London? John Ryan takes to the streets of the French capital to decide.
Richer Sounds profits suffer as margins slip

27-Nov-2008
Specialist electricals retailer Richer Sounds posted a 38.8 per cent fall in pre-tax profits to £3.7 million for the year to April 26.
VAT nightmare as retailers struggle with cut

27-Nov-2008
Retailers have reacted angrily to the VAT cut announced by Chancellor Alistair Darling on Monday, saying it will make little difference to sales and cause huge disruption at the most important time of year.
MFI files for administration

26-Nov-2008
Updated: Staff at troubled kitchen retailer MFI were called to a meeting this morning where they were told the company has applied to go into administration. A notification of intention to file for administration was filed with the High Court last night and the company is expected to go into administration this afternoon.
MK One bought by Internacionale

25-Nov-2008
Value fashion retailer MK One has been bought out of administration by Glasgow-based fashion chain Internacionale.
Clinton Cards sales tumble

25-Nov-2008
Like-for-like sales at card retail group Clinton Cards fell by 6 per cent for the 16 weeks to November 16.
M&S plans second one-day Sale

25-Nov-2008
Marks & Spencer is understood to be planning a second one-day Sale following what is believed to have been a successful one-day promotion last week.
Westfield London passes 2 million visitors

25-Nov-2008
Westfield London, the capital's newest shopping centre, has had more than two million visits in just over three weeks, greatly exceeeding expectations of its Australian owners.
Creative store designs for creative budgets

24-Nov-2008
What place does store design have in the current crisis?
National Geographic: International Geographic

20-Nov-2008
National Geographic opened its first store in the world last week on Regent Street, featuring a medley of travel-related merchandise. John Ryan takes a trip around this novel store.
Store of the week: Carphone Warehouse, Romford, Essex

20-Nov-2008
It’s said that gadgets like mobile phones are heading for the scrap heap. The new buzz centres on “convergence” – handsets that take pictures, play films and music, and allow near instantaneous broadband connection. Oh yes, and you can make phone calls if you feel inclined.
Bensons for Beds scores sales uplift from refurbs

20-Nov-2008
Beds specialist Bensons for Beds has recorded a sales uplift from its revamped stores after completing its £1 million makeover of its 220-strong portfolio.
National Geographic - the end of an era for Regent Street

17-Nov-2008
The opening of the National Geographic store on Regent Street is a landmark for several reasons.
National Geographic unveils debut store

13-Nov-2008
National Geographic opens its first store today, on London’s Regent Street. The three-floor, 19,375 sq ft shop is intended to establish a retail presence for the travel brand, which is best known for its magazine and TV channel.
Top Woolworths shareholder: business is worth £340 million

13-Nov-2008
Property magnate confident the chain has a future or a buyer could be found, despite City critics.
Marks & Spencer: Top marks

13-Nov-2008
M&S’s new store at Westfield London is a prototype in many ways, but it is also the outcome of more than four years’ work on different store formats. John Ryan tours its latest development.
Store of the week: Mulberry, Westfield London

13-Nov-2008
A visit once again to Westfield, for which there will be no apology: nothing else on this scale will open in the UK for some time to come, so it makes sense to take a look at one of the stores that actually managed to open on time in the mall’s designer area.
Circuit City in run for cover with Chapter 11

12-Nov-2008
US electricals retailer Circuit City has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection as it struggles in the face of tumbling sales and weakening consumer confidence.
Food discounters' market share at record level

11-Nov-2008
The discount food retailing sector is soaring and has reached a record 6.2 per cent of the market for the 12 weeks to November 2, according to figures from TNS.
Asda defies slowing supermarket growth trend

11-Nov-2008
Supermarket sales growth slowed in the 12 weeks to November 1, from 5.4 per cent to 5.1 per cent, although Asda defied the trend with a rise of 8.7 per cent, according to figures released today by Nielsen.
Sales rise in London's West End

11-Nov-2008
London’s West End saw an increased number of shoppers last week as overseas visitors continued to take advantage of sterling’s weakness.
What future for green store design?

10-Nov-2008
Standing admiring the 30,000 “integrated” wind-turbine-to-be on the corner of the forthcoming B&Q eco-store in New Malden, it was hard not to reflect on the way that things have gone with store design and the green agenda.
Store of the week: House of Fraser Westfield

6-Nov-2008
In days gone by, House of Fraser was associated with a particular kind of rather starchy luxury and frequented by well-to-do maiden aunts.
Westfield London: Centre of London

6-Nov-2008
London’s retail landscape has been altered in one fell swoop with the opening of Westfield London. Ben Cooper examines the mall’s opening while John Ryan assesses its stores.
Westfield London’s luxury – a missed opportunity

3-Nov-2008
Travel westbound on the Central Line in the morning and things normally quieten down once you clear Marble Arch.
Store of the week: Hollister, Brent Cross

31-Oct-2008
Abercrombie & Fitch fashion brand Hollister finally made it off the UK starting blocks this week with stores in Westfield London, which opened yesterday, and at Brent Cross (pictured), which welcomed its first shoppers last Saturday.
Asda opens wooden eco-store

31-Oct-2008
Asda opened its wood-clad, timber-framed eco-store at Bootle in Merseyside on Monday.
Selfridges: A twist on Christmas tradition

31-Oct-2008
Selfridges’ Christmas windows are always a visual extravaganza and this year the department store has brought in Santa Claus to cheer up the cash-strapped crowds. John Ryan gets a preview.
Marks & Spencer reveals store of the future at Westfield

30-Oct-2008
Marks & Spencer yesterday unveiled its store of the future, which will provide a blueprint for openings from 2010.
EBay adapts to discount era with value offering

30-Oct-2008
Online giant eBay intends to increase site traffic and business with the launch of a value range sold at fixed prices in preference to auction.
Westfield London: Exclusive store image gallery

29-Oct-2008
The opening of the eagerly awaited Westfield London is now less than a day away from opening and many retailers are putting their best foot forward. In an exclusive preview, John Ryan checks out some of its stores.
Argos error causes shoppers to be charged twice

29-Oct-2008
Argos charged 190,000 shoppers twice for purchases made in its stores last Friday.
Bravissimo Christmas campaign to feature online advent calendar

29-Oct-2008
Lingerie retailer Bravissimo is to use an online advent calendar as part of its Christmas marketing campaign.
High street struggles for seventh consecutive month

28-Oct-2008
Sales on UK high streets have fallen for the seventh consecutive month, according to the latest figures from the CBI Distributive Trades Survey.
Littlewoods Direct spends heavily on Christmas ad campaign

28-Oct-2008
Littlewoods Direct is launching a Christmas campaign that will be the biggest investment the company has made in mass media advertising.
Topshop launches Kate Moss Christmas range

28-Oct-2008
Topshop launches the eighth collection from Kate Moss this morning, online and from stores nationwide.
Store design: frugality today, excess tomorrow

27-Oct-2008
The decision by DIY retailer Focus to launch a value-based range last week is symptomatic of a wider trend in retailing at the moment: it’s good to be frugal.
Banks call in advisers for Woolworths talks

27-Oct-2008
Key lenders to Woolworths are to be advised by corporate restructuring firm Deloitte as the company prepares its business plan for the new financial year, which is due to be delivered by December.
Hollister’s house takes shape at Westfield London

23-Oct-2008
US fashion retailer Abercrombie & Fitch will unveil a Casa Mexicana-style store for its Hollister brand at Westfield London next Thursday.
Currys opens doors at debut megastore

23-Oct-2008
DSGi unveiled its highly anticipated Currys megastore format at Wednesbury, near Birmingham, last week.
Store of the week: Streatham Pharmacy, London

23-Oct-2008
It’s not often that Streatham makes it into the pages of this magazine and this is definitely the first instance of the south London suburb boasting a store of the week.
Store of the week: Precursor, Paris

20-Oct-2008
British fashion retailers abroad are often marked by their attempt to export a format with little, or sometimes no, adjustment to local conditions.
Do low prices really have to mean poor store design?

20-Oct-2008
What in-store experience can we hope for at the lower end of the price spectrum and do we have any right to expect it?
Steamer Trading – Marlow

15-Oct-2008
Steamer Trading Cookshop has opened its 18th store, in Marlow.
Steamer Trading: Full steam ahead

15-Oct-2008
Kitchenware retailer Steamer Trading Cookshop’s gleaming new store shows what can still be done in a depressing retail climate. John Ryan takes a look at its impressive visual merchandising
How retailers can lighten the mood

13-Oct-2008
It’s quite a challenge to remain optimistic in the present climate, but at least one retailer is working on making shoppers feel better at a highly subconscious level.
Focus to cut jobs as it forecasts tough year

9-Oct-2008
DIY retailer Focus will slash 15 per cent of its workforce by the end of this month to prepare the business for difficult trading next year.
John Ryan’s store of the week: Suit Supply, Savile Row

9-Oct-2008
Having arrived in London in spring, Dutch retailer Suit Supply is everything you would want a men’s formalwear retailer to be.
Greek fashion brand to make UK debut at Westfield London

9-Oct-2008
Athens-based fashion retailer No Name is to make its UK debut at Westfield London at the end of the month.
Store design: Design heroes

9-Oct-2008
Times may be tough but, as Retail Week’s Stores 2008 book shows, that needn’t mean good design should go out the window. John Ryan showcases this year’s stunners
CACI: London and Southeast hold key to discounter growth

8-Oct-2008
A report from location analyst CACI pinpoints London and the Southeast as presenting the greatest opportunity for discount retailers.
Profits crash at Land of Leather

8-Oct-2008
Furniture retailer Land of Leather has revealed that pre-tax profits fell by £16.2 million, from £18.5 million to £2.3 million in the year to August 3.
Poundland profits rocket

7-Oct-2008
Value retailer Poundland has unveiled a 122 per cent rise in operating profit, from £3.5 million to £8 million for the year to March 31.
The X factor: how mid-market retailers can get ahead in the push for posh

6-Oct-2008
Last week brought the annual handing out of gongs for the best in UK store design at the 11th Retail Interiors Awards and a glittering event it was, as wine flowed (rather too) freely and the design cognoscenti danced ’til dawn.
Store of the week: Marks & Spencer, Grafton Street, Dublin

2-Oct-2008
In the week when Marks & Spencer scooped the Retail Week Interiors award for best in-store catering and hospitality for its restaurant in Newcastle, it’s worth noting what the retailer has done at its Dublin flagship.
Harvey Nichols set to axe homewares

2-Oct-2008
Harvey Nichols is to axe homewares from its Knightsbridge flagship store in a bid to expand its fashion offer.
Cabot Circus: Bristol fashion

2-Oct-2008
Another day, another shopping centre? Not so for the all-singing, all-dancing Cabot Circus. John Ryan profiles six promising shops at the Bristol scheme
Stores 2008: this year’s retail design round-up

29-Sep-2008
Tomorrow sees the publication of Stores 2008, a book produced by Retail Week with the support of Land Securities that celebrates the best in retail design across the world during the past 12 months.
Store of the week: Sportsgirl, Melbourne

25-Sep-2008
Australian fashion retailer Sportsgirl opened a 5,380 sq ft new format store in Melbourne this month.
Currys Swindon/Chelmsford: Circuit breakers

25-Sep-2008
Currys’ two new stores are a world away from its traditional barrage of white-on-red branding. John Ryan goes to find out whether the retailer’s smooth new image works
Retail cinderellas: why retailers need a consistent store standard

22-Sep-2008
As well as being the year that will be remembered for exposing the peril of injudicious lending and the plague of short-selling, this year may go down as the last dance in the development ball in retail circles.
Store of the week: Elord, Seoul

18-Sep-2008
For some people golf is about technique, a sport that means precision, practise and money spent on a regular basis.
House of Fraser's angel of the north

18-Sep-2008
House of Fraser’s new menswear department in Glasgow is just the first phase of a complete overhaul of the store, but even by itself it is a triumph in design, says John Ryan.
American beauties

15-Sep-2008
The cities of Portland and Seattle offer an altogether more relaxed shopping experience than that of busy European destinations. John Ryan goes to the US’s northwest to give us his pick of the shops
Good things will come out of the downturn

15-Sep-2008
This is not the happiest of times to be a consumer electronics retailer. DSGi’s recent figures have not made mouth-watering reading and Kesa’s – aka Comet’s – have been equally reprehensible from the perspective of a retail shareholder.
Discount retail's meteoric rise expected to continue

11-Sep-2008
The growth of discount retail is set to continue unabated, with global sales in the discount grocery sector on course to rise 65 per cent by 2012.
Selfridges, Oxford Street

11-Sep-2008
The temptation to make Selfridges in Oxford Street store of the week on a fairly regular basis is always there for no better reason than that in a store of this size there is always something happening and, equally, always something worth looking at.
Nevisport unveils new look as it aims to double stores

11-Sep-2008
Outdoor specialist Nevisport opened a new-look store at Kendal in Cumbria yesterday as it plans to double the size of its store portfolio.
DSGi tests revamp of Currys.digital format

11-Sep-2008
Electricals group DSGi opened a new look Currys.digital store in Chelmsford last week as part of chief executive John Browett’s plans to lift stalling sales.
Store of the week: Dylan’s Candy Bar, New York

4-Sep-2008
Located on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, Dylan’s Candy Bar has been a New York retail fixture since 2001, providing a distinctly upscale take on selling confectionery and making it fun.
Size matters

4-Sep-2008
Times are tough for retailers, but the bad news hasn’t necessarily trickled down to those in this year’s Top Shopfitters league table. John Ryan kicks off our five page special by finding out how they are beating the downturn.
Survival instinct

4-Sep-2008
Styles & Wood may have suffered a major profit blow, but it has still topped this year’s league. John Ryan asks what this says about the market.
From the shopfloor

4-Sep-2008
The outlook appears mixed for shopfitters, but the industry is reassuringly optimistic about its prospects. Here, some of the biggest names in the field tell John Ryan why life isn’t so bad.
Stick to your design guns

1-Sep-2008
You might be forgiven for thinking that we're experiencing a little local economic difficulty.
Moss Bros rejigs store design to drive casuals

29-Aug-2008
Menswear retailer Moss Bros is to enhance its casualwear credentials with the roll out of a revamped store design following a three-month trial.
Store of the week: Bodil Binner Copenhagen

28-Aug-2008
Small, but perfectly formed. The cliché that has been used so many times by architects and designers seeking to describe often lacklustre interiors could almost have been made for this 645 sq ft jewellery store in Copenhagen.
Woodn’t it be nice

28-Aug-2008
Another week, another wooden store. But supermarket giant Sainsbury’s latest eco-store at Dartmouth really does mark a new chapter in green retailing. John Ryan reports.
Styles & Wood profits nosedive

28-Aug-2008
Styles & Wood, the UK's largest shopfitter, has seen pre-tax profits crash by 53.8 per cent to £2.4 million in the year to June 30.
It’s not all greenwash

26-Aug-2008
Heading off from Paddington to Dartmouth, it’s hard not to wonder whether a day trip to Devon’s far west is worth it just to look at a wooden supermarket.
HoF breathes new life into own-brand offer

21-Aug-2008
House of Fraser has revamped its own-brands as it unveils robust first half trading results.
Store of the week: Tie Rack, Oxford Street

21-Aug-2008
Tie Rack is back with a bang with its refurbished Oxford Street flagship, which reopened last Friday.
Chinese grocer plans 400 openings after profit jump

21-Aug-2008
Chinese food retailer Lianhua is ramping up its store expansion with plans to open 400 this year following a surge in profits.
Small stores with a big impact

21-Aug-2008
Making the most of your shop with limited space is never easy, but it can be done. John Ryan visits two strong new examples.
Asda slashes pay-as-you-go tariff

20-Aug-2008
Asda has unveiled a new flat-rate pay-as-you-go mobile phone tariff, which it claims will make it the cheapest service of its kind in the UK.
House of Fraser sales climb

20-Aug-2008
Department store operator House of Fraser has posted upbeat first-half results, with sales up 2.9 per cent in the 26 weeks to July 26.
Discounters triumph as shoppers trade down

19-Aug-2008
Asda, Morrisons and the discount food retailers are experiencing a mini sales boom, as rising commodity prices, shoppers trading down and supermarket price wars combine to drive sales, according to two sets of figures from market analysts TNS Worldpanel and Nielsen.
Matalan payment terms attacked

19-Aug-2008
The Forum of Private Business (FPB) has put Matalan into its Hall of Shame following the retailer's decision to cut payments to suppliers by 2 per cent.
Shopfitters are feeling the heat

18-Aug-2008
You know things are not as good as they might be when the questioner becomes the questioned. Speak to almost any design consultancy or shopfitter at present and the question being popped is: “How are other people finding it?”
Nike goes for gold

14-Aug-2008
As the Beijing Olympics enters its second week, Nike Town’s Oxford Street flagship is making the most of the event. And the store is in seriously good shape, as John Ryan discovers.
Lakeland to test new look at Liverpool One

14-Aug-2008
Kitchen and homewares retailer and mail order operator Lakeland will unveil a new format when it opens a store at Liverpool One in mid-October.
Store of the week: Next, Tottenham Court Road

14-Aug-2008
You have to hand it to Next. The Next Home format is still a fledgling offshoot of its parent, but it has already morphed into something considerably different from the first store that opened in Lakeside.
Harrods outlines mission to double sales of own-brand

14-Aug-2008
Harrods is to double its own-label sales over the next two years and is remodelling its menswear department.
Wrapit ceases trading and axes staff

13-Aug-2008
The administrator of Wrapit has confirmed the stricken wedding gift service has ceased trading.
TK Maxx celebrates strong second quarter

13-Aug-2008
Value clothing and homewares retailer TK Maxx has posted a sector-busting 5 per cent rise in like-for-like sales in the UK for its second quarter to July 26, as shoppers continue to desert the mid-market.
Comet deputy managers face redundancy

13-Aug-2008
Electricals retailer Comet is to make the post of store deputy manager redundant, in a move that is likely to mean more than 100 staff lose their jobs.
Belgian court dismisses eBay fake case

13-Aug-2008
L’Oréal has lost a case in Belgian court against eBay over fakes sold on its site.
L’Oreal counterfeit case dismissed

13-Aug-2008
L’Oréal has lost a case in Belgian court against eBay over fakes sold on its site.
Woolworths: reasons to be fearful

11-Aug-2008
The wonder of good old Woolies is that it’s still here. Why on earth would you go into one of these shops? Visit an average Woolworths store and the experience is likely to be along these lines: arrive at the threshold and observe two things.
Store of the week: St James, Moscow and Ekaterinburg

7-Aug-2008
British menswear, in its more formal sense, is one of the most copied forms of retailing across the Continent. Whether it’s Italy, France or Germany, slick men’s tailoring outlets tend to take their design cue from the UK.
River Cruising

7-Aug-2008
River Island has moved its innovative store design on again with its latest incarnation at Brent Cross. Chief executive Richard Bradbury takes John Ryan on a tour.
Sometimes it’s best not to sell out

4-Aug-2008
It’s funny how quickly things change. Just over a year ago, Gap unveiled a store that was intended to be edgier and marginally more industrial-looking, which was to take the brand back to its denim-based roots.
Brought down to size?

31-Jul-2008
The retail market has changed rapidly for the worse as the UK economy has toughened, but new developments are still letting well. John Ryan investigates the apparent paradox
Fenwick to expand its floorspace at flagship

31-Jul-2008
Department store group Fenwick is to enlarge its flagship store on London’s Bond Street by about 14,000 sq ft.
Store of the week: Life Time, Athens

31-Jul-2008
Broadly, there are two schools of thought when it comes to selling children’s merchandise – commodity or lifestyle – and rarely anything in between.
Town fit for a king

31-Jul-2008
With its affluent catchment and well-balanced stores offer, Kingston upon Thames is a fine example of dynamic retailing. John Ryan takes a tour with Echochamber’s Matthew Brown.
The value of value

28-Jul-2008
You have to wonder about the place of design when you visit a branch of Aldi, Lidl or Netto.
Desigual UK charge goes on despite tough London trade

24-Jul-2008
Spanish fashion retailer Desigual has kicked off its UK expansion despite experiencing tough trade at its first London store.
The sweet smell of success

24-Jul-2008
With such achingly stylish and sophisticated store interiors, is it any wonder that upmarket perfumer Penhaligon’s is thriving despite the downturn? John Ryan visits its latest shop in Islington.
Store of the week Folli Follie, London

24-Jul-2008
Most retailers choosing to open a Regent Street store will relate to how hard it is to establish a distinctive character for a shop while observing landlord Crown Estate’s listed-building parameters. However, accessory and jewellery retailer Folli Follie has achieved this with its 800sq ft shop that opened on the street in May.
Green alert

21-Jul-2008
Seems a pity to rake over last week’s green theme once more, but passing a branch of surf-cum-outdoorwear retailer Howies it was hard not to stare at the eco-message that it was putting out.
Store Twenty One: The store that’s come of age

18-Jul-2008
In today’s market, the best value retailing compares with many of the mid-market’s big names. John Ryan heads to Pitsea in Essex to see how Indian-owned Store Twenty One is shaping up
Store of the week: Swarovski, Tokyo

18-Jul-2008
Swarovski, the retailer and manufacturer of costume jewellery, opened its first “global flagship” in Tokyo’s Ginza district in March.
Selfridges stops Sale early as trade rockets

17-Jul-2008
Selfridges has this week installed kitsch, futuristic windows at its flagship London store as it wraps up its summer Sale two weeks ahead of schedule.
Store 21

14-Jul-2008
Store 21 is a value retail proposition from the Indian-owned QS Group.
Store of the week: C&A, Sao Paulo

14-Jul-2008
C&A continues to stretch its low-cost tentacles across the globe and this 32,000 sq ft store, in São Paulo, Brazil, is an example of how it is changing its look to bring it into line with the best operators in the value arena.
Store of the week – C&A Sao Paulo

14-Jul-2008
C&A continues to stretch its low-cost tentacles across the globe and this 32,000 sq ft store, in São Paulo, Brazil, is an example of how it is changing its look to bring it into line with the best operators in the value arena.
Hamleys unveils fresh look on Regent Street

11-Jul-2008
World-famous toy retailer Hamleys unveiled the first part of the refurbishment of its flagship Regent Street store last week, with a mock-up of a London bus at its heart.
Store of the week: C&A Sao Paulo

11-Jul-2008
C&A continues to stretch its low-cost tentacles across the globe and this 32,000 sq ft store, in São Paulo, Brazil, is an example of how it is changing its look to bring it into line with the best operators in the value arena.
Location, location, location

7-Jul-2008
It’s always easy to be wise after the event, but the demise of Ilva in the UK has to be seen as an accident waiting to happen.
Redundancies loom at Styles & Wood

7-Jul-2008
The UK’s largest shopfitter Styles & Wood is to make almost a quarter of its head office workforce redundant in a move calculated to bring the company’s cost base into line with the shrinking requirements of its UK retail clients.
Manchester: Still ahead of the game

4-Jul-2008
Can Manchester hold on to its slot as the leading retail light of the Northwest or is Liverpool stealing a march after the opening of the mammoth Liverpool One scheme? By John Ryan
Store of the week: American Apparel Liverpool

3-Jul-2008
The latest addition to the Californian purveyor of ethical clothing’s UK portfolio is a two-storey outpost in Liverpool.
When small is beautiful

30-Jun-2008
Despite what many acknowledge to be dire trading conditions, new shops continue to roll out of the store development pipeline and investment is clearly still being made in store design.
Wigmore to relocate as it gets brand facelift

30-Jun-2008
Specialist sports retailer Wigmore is relocating to a new unit from its long-standing store on Wigmore Street in London’s West End.
Something to shout about?

27-Jun-2008
These days, communicating your green policy can be tricky: be too vocal and you’ll get accused of greenwash. John Ryan discovers that most retailers are taking a low-key approach instead
Sharper Focus: reinventing the DIY retailer

27-Jun-2008
Ailing DIY retailer Focus is being reinvented by its management team. John Ryan visits the first new-look store in Wantage, with chief executive Bill Grimsey and brand director Richard Bird
New Look unveils new look

27-Jun-2008
New Look opened a new-look store in Liverpool today.
A tougher game

23-Jun-2008
News that the chief executive and chairman of quoted shopfitter Styles & Wood (S&W) have exited stage left is an indication of the way things are heading in retail at the moment and the way in which this is cascading down the store design supply chain.
Spirit at Selfridges Oxford Street

20-Jun-2008
As a proposition, Spirit, the young fashion department at Selfridges’ flagship store on Oxford Street, would not normally be eligible for consideration as a Store of the Week.
Metro to axe raft of German Real stores to ramp up profit

20-Jun-2008
German retail group Metro is to close or sell 27 of its underperforming Real hypermarkets in Germany by the end of next year to lift profitability.
Woolies seeks new chief as Bish-Jones makes shock exit

20-Jun-2008
Woolworths chief executive Trevor Bish-Jones’ shock decision to stand down has prompted fevered speculation about who might succeed him in one of retail’s most challenging roles.
New Works chief sets out on revival mission

20-Jun-2008
Endless, the private equity company that rescued The Works from administration last month, has sold half its stake in the discount bookseller to retail entrepreneur Anthony Solomon.
Purple reign

19-Jun-2008
PC World’s Enfield branch is the test bed for DSGi boss John Browett’s plans to revive the group’s computing brand. John Ryan goes to the north London suburbs to investigate
Bish-Jones steps down from Woolies

18-Jun-2008
Trevor Bish-Jones is stepping down as chief executive of Woolworths.
SRC slams government’s alcohol price proposals

17-Jun-2008
Plans by the Scottish government to raise the price of alcohol in an attempt to control problem drinking have been attacked by the Scottish Retail Consortium.
Morrisons could do better

16-Jun-2008
In food retailing, Morrisons can do little wrong at the moment.
Nike Town opens doors to Oxford Circus footy area

13-Jun-2008
Nike unveiled part of its revamped London flagship Nike Town this week to cash in on the start of the Euro 2008 football tournament.
Teknosa Planet, Istanbul

13-Jun-2008
Walk around a technology store in the UK and chances are you’ll find yourself in a variant of a racetrack layout, with a confusing mesh of overhead signage. This means time spent on finding the appropriate category, as well as a frustrating shopping experience.
Avanti: C&A’s value zeitgeist

13-Jun-2008
It may be gone from the UK, but C&A is alive and well in Europe and testing a value format called Avanti that looks promising. John Ryan reports from Gelsenkirchen
ScS fights to hold on to supplier insurance as sector fears grow

13-Jun-2008
Sofas specialist ScS is in talks with Euler Hermes, the world’s biggest credit insurer, in an effort to retain cover for its suppliers.
Store of the week: Marks & Spencer Colliers Wood

6-Jun-2008
An edge-of-town store measuring 100,000 sq ft (9,290 sq m) is hardly remarkable these days, but when it is the biggest store that a retailer has opened in a large city for a decade, it’s worth taking a look at.
Debenhams takes the high ground at Liverpool One

6-Jun-2008
Debenhams’ new store at Liverpool One is built on a slope, but that is only one of many striking differences about the topsy-turvy shop. John Ryan goes to see what all the hype is about
Kingfisher sourcing set to deliver margin gain

6-Jun-2008
Kingfisher is poised to reap margin benefits from improved cross-border sourcing as it attempts to bring its French and UK operations more closely in line.
Rewe profits jump 22% as international sales deliver

6-Jun-2008
German supermarket group Rewe notched up the highest sales figures of its 80-year history last year.
More misery for DIY as housing slump worsens

5-Jun-2008
Deepening gloom in the housing market is likely to exact a heavy discretionary spending toll on retailers this year.
Supermarkets shield shoppers from price rises

4-Jun-2008
Retailers are protecting shoppers from food price rises, according the British Retail Consortium.
Orange unveils plans for UK business

4-Jun-2008
Mobile phone company Orange has unveiled a new strategy for its UK business that includes ramping up its store count from 338 to 400 by next year.
Kingfisher profits rise 8.9% in first quarter

4-Jun-2008
DIY group Kingfisher reported a better-than-expected rise in sales and profits for the 13 weeks to May 3.
Tesco closes deal to take control of Dobbies

3-Jun-2008
Tesco has agreed to pay £12 a share for each share in Dobbies that it does not already hold under the terms of a recommended cash offer for the retailer.
Ideal Shopping Direct finance director makes exit

3-Jun-2008
Ideal Shopping Direct finance director David Blake is to step down from his role.
Under starter's orders

2-Jun-2008
Being a retailer on the hunt for new stores at the moment must be a case of seeing who blinks first.
Otto UK chief quits

2-Jun-2008
Mike Hancox, chief executive of mail order retailer Otto UK, is to step down following a strategic review carried out by the company’s German parent.
Pulling in the right direction

2-Jun-2008
In this country, European brands come and go and just a few manage to establish a meaningful presence.
Yves Saint Laurent dies

2-Jun-2008
Legendary French fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent died yesterday at the age of 71 following a long illness.
Tesco snaps up RBS stake in Tesco Personal Finance

2-Jun-2008
Tesco is to acquire Royal Bank of Scotland’s stake in Tesco Personal Finance for £1 billion, bringing to an end a joint venture with the bank that has lasted almost a decade.
Pull and Bear makes UK debut in Liverpool

30-May-2008
Inditex young casualwear fascia Pull and Bear opened its first UK store yesterday in Liverpool.
Grocery sales climb as non-food struggles

28-May-2008
Sales at food retailers are showing robust growth, while the decline in the fortunes of non-food retailers continues, according to figures released by TNS Worldpanel today for the 12 weeks to May 18.
Topps Tiles profits slide

28-May-2008
Topps Tiles posted a fall in pre-tax profits of 16 per cent for the 26 weeks to March 29, as a tighter housing market feeds through into sales.
Razzle dazzle

27-May-2008
A report from one of the larger property consultancies takes the economic temperature of retailing in Central London and finds it close to normal.
Store of the week: TK Maxx, Silverburn

23-May-2008
As an “off-price” retailer of discounted brands, TK Maxx has not been associated with a heavy concentration on store design, with the emphasis instead being placed on having value-based stock.
HomeSense: No-nonsense format could do well in tough times

23-May-2008
The arrival of TJX’s HomeSense in the UK might appear untimely, but the no-nonsense format could do well in tough times. John Ryan samples the latest addition in Bristol
S.Oliver opens QS standalone stores

19-May-2008
QS, the private-label from German clothing retailer S.Oliver aimed at the young fashion shopper, has opened a 1,570 sq ft (145 sq m) standalone store in Graz, in Austria and a larger 2,800 sq ft (260 sq m) branch in the Centr0 shopping centre in Oberhausen, in Germany.
Cheap isn’t always cheerful

19-May-2008
“When does that shopfitting league that you run come out?” The answer to this question is September.
Expect the unexpected

16-May-2008
The continued arrival of new stores and retail formats is proof that while the Celtic Tiger may not be as fierce as it was, it still has considerable bite in these straitened times. John Ryan reports
Dublin’s department stores: a crowded market?

16-May-2008
Dublin is well-served by department stores, but what are the prospects for growth in the city and beyond? John Ryan reports
Sydenham’s dark horse

15-May-2008
Sainsbury’s has raised its game in non-food with the relaunch of its Sydenham store. John Ryan reports
Store of the week: La Senza, Enfield

12-May-2008
The La Senza store in Enfield represents the latest thinking from the independent lingerie retailer.
Alpha unveils new retail identity

12-May-2008
Alpha Airports has revealed the identity for its new tax and duty-free airport store concept.
Cause for concern

12-May-2008
It’s one of those frequently accepted pieces of shop lore that when times are tough, supermarkets are a retail financial safe haven compared with other parts of the sector.
Essex buoys

9-May-2008
It may be approaching its 20th birthday, but Essex’s Lakeside remains a key retail destination. John Ryan visits to see how its retailers are coping in a fiercely competitive environment
Store of the week: Marionnaud Paris, Hong Kong

8-May-2008
Marionnaud Paris, the luxury perfume and cosmetic chain acquired by AS Watson in 2005, has opened its first store in Hong Kong.
The best of both worlds

5-May-2008
It seems we can never get enough small food shops and the news that Waitrose has joined the scramble for smaller format stores is a case in point.
Instore picks finance director

2-May-2008
Value retailer Instore has appointed Ebrahim Suleman as group finance director.
Home Depot to axe underperforming stores

2-May-2008
Home Depot is to close 15 of its underperforming US stores within the next two months, affecting 1,300 employees.
Store of the week: Karen Millen, SoHo, New York

1-May-2008
The Karen Millen store in Lower Manhattan’s fashionable SoHo district, which was completed last month, is an example of a retailer responding sensitively to its local environment.
Rule the roost

1-May-2008
Ted Baker is beckoning City workers with its new store on Cheapside, which harks back to Victorian England with stuffed birds and shoe shines. John Ryan reports
Quiet revolution

24-Apr-2008
B&Q’s rolling revamp programme is a key part of Kingfisher’s attempt to revive the DIY chain. John Ryan visits the latest store to get the treatment in Sutton and gives a progress report
New Look poised to make Russian debut

24-Apr-2008
New Look is set to enter Russia through a franchise agreement with Serbian-based partner Delta.
Store of the week: Avanti, Augsburg

24-Apr-2008
C&A vanished from the UK at the beginning of the century, but it is thriving in mainland Europe and last month unveiled a new format for Avanti, one of its fashion brands.
Nose for a bargain

24-Apr-2008
One out of every 10 – that’s the number of clothing items bought in Primark by UK shoppers over the past year, apparently.
2entertain wins Queen's Award

23-Apr-2008
2entertain, the music and video joint venture between Woolworths and BBC Worldwide has won a Queen’s Award forEnterprise.
Tesco to offer in-store body shape advice

23-Apr-2008
Female shoppers at selected Tesco Extra stores are to be offered free advice from an expert panel, aimed at combatting low self-esteem when buying clothes.
Boots’ customers’ bank details stolen

23-Apr-2008
A theft from a courier van in Bristol has resulted in the personal details of more than 34,000 Alliance Boots customers and staff being stolen.
Card-not-present fraud soars

23-Apr-2008
Card-not-present (CNP) fraud – the crime that involves obtaining goods and services online or over the phone without a credit card being presented – rose sharply last year.
HomeSense – Imperial Park, Bristol

21-Apr-2008
HomeSense is the latest fascia from the American retail group that owns TK Maxx.
Knowing when less is more

21-Apr-2008
If you want to make money in retailing, offer less.
Shopfitters' sales soar

21-Apr-2008
Two of the UK’s largest shopfitting companies have published their annual results, with both posting significant rises amid increasing concern about prospects within the sector.
Banana Republic opens Monogram standalone

21-Apr-2008
Banana Republic has launched a standalone store in New York for its upscale Monogram own-label.
Pets at Home profits soar

21-Apr-2008
Specialist retailer Pets at Home's profits rose more than 50 per cent in the year to March 27.
Retail Barcelona!

17-Apr-2008
Barcelona was a fitting location for the World Retail Congress, offering retail experiences ranging from dead pigs to contemporary stores. John Ryan takes a look around Spain’s second city
Store of the week: Hush Puppies, Barcelona

15-Apr-2008
Remember when the generic word for a pair of suede shoes was Hush Puppies, in the same way that a vacuum flask was known as a Thermos?
When a Bullring is not enough…

14-Apr-2008
Mingling with the crowds in Barcelona’s Gothic quarter last week, it was hard to not draw comparisons between retailing in that part of southern Europe and what happens in the UK.
Dyson's daughter opens Notting Hill store

14-Apr-2008
Couverture & The Garbstore is a new store that opened in Notting Hill last week.
Store of the week: Mamas & Papas, Dubai

10-Apr-2008
Maternity retailer Mamas & Papas continues to refine the format it developed for its Regent Street flagship that opened in 2006 with its latest store in Dubai.
Walking on air: retail at Heathrow Terminal 5

10-Apr-2008
The opening of Heathrow Terminal 5 was a high-profile fiasco, but its retail offer will give passengers something to smile about. John Ryan takes a look at a new era of airport retailing
The till roll contains the key to successful loyalty schemes

9-Apr-2008
The question of what loyalty actually means in a retail context was tackled today at the World Retail Congress.
Successful retail formats need to evolve and be created quicker

9-Apr-2008
In a session at the World Retail Congress today a panel of branding experts and retailers considered the elements involved in successful retail format creation.
Store of the week: Kurt Geiger, Heathrow Terminal 5

3-Apr-2008
Kurt Geiger’s shoe shop at Heathrow’s new Terminal 5 stands out as a beacon of design restraint and shows how a relatively simple blueprint can create substantial impact.
New look for Dixons and PC World at T5

3-Apr-2008
DSGi has unveiled a new look for its Dixons and PC World formats at Heathrow’s Terminal 5, which opened last week.
The future is now

3-Apr-2008
Tomorrow’s world is already here in terms of store design, if you look closely enough. By John Ryan
Glimmer of hope

3-Apr-2008
Retail parks may be under the cosh, but some retailers are taking the opportunity to expand. John Ryan reports
New-look stores get T5 off to flying start

3-Apr-2008
Cancelled flights, lost baggage and irate travellers grabbed the headlines, but the opening of Heathrow’s Terminal 5 represented a new dawn for travel retail.
DSGi picks chief operating officer

1-Apr-2008
DSGi has hired Patrick Macdonald as chief operating officer with effect from next month.
Bunny Tears opens doors in New York

1-Apr-2008
A new ethical cosmetics store called Bunny Tears has opened on New York's Fifth Avenue.
When bling is not the thing

31-Mar-2008
It’s always interesting to witness the progress of a store format from first iteration to fully evolved interior and a good example of the process at work is the manner in which Next has approached its Home format.
Subdued luxury

28-Mar-2008
The long-awaited launch of Banana Republic’s European flagship on Regent Street marks a fresh start for US retailers in London. John Ryan reports on Gap Inc’s finest
Woolworths poised to return stores to black

28-Mar-2008
Woolworths is set to reveal the full extent of its retail division’s return to profit when it unveils full year figures next week, but analysts question whether the retailer’s recovery can last.
Ted puts the pigeons among the fat cats

28-Mar-2008
Pigeons, telephone boxes and wet-shave barbers – all part of the 4,000 sq ft Ted Baker that opened on London’s Cheapside this week.
HMV revs up for first service station store

28-Mar-2008
HMV is gearing up to open its first motorway service station store next month.
Store of the week: Urban Outfitters, Belfast

27-Mar-2008
Urban Outfitters has chosen Belfast as the location for its 13th European store, bringing the retailer’s mix of fashion and homewares to Northern Ireland.
EU probes Visa charges

26-Mar-2008
The EU is to investigate the fees levied by Visa on cross-border credit and debit card transactions, it was announced today.
Asda claims cost of living is up 5.2 per cent

26-Mar-2008
The average UK household is £7 a week worse off, with the year-on-year cost of living rising 5.2 per cent, according to figures from Asda.
Thresher Group recruits marketing chief

26-Mar-2008
Thresher Group has hired Superdrug marketer Vibha Hardaker as group marketing director.
West End defies retail gloom

25-Mar-2008
A combination of an early Easter and icy weather caused footfall in London’s West End to fall 11.1 per cent.
Bhs opens Home store in Manchester

25-Mar-2008
Bhs opened its latest Home store last Thursday as part of the launch of Barton Square, the homewares-based extension to Manchester’s Trafford Centre.
CBI forecasts consumer spending slowdown

25-Mar-2008
The CBI believes that the outlook for consumer spending has deteriorated significantly because surging import prices have eroded shoppers’ purchasing power.
M&S store design boss leaves after 25 years

19-Mar-2008
Marks & Spencer’s head of store design has left the retailer after more than 25 years, sparking fears it is putting the brakes on the completion of its store modernisation programme.
High style in High Wycombe

19-Mar-2008
High Wycombe might not seem like the most obvious place for House of Fraser to show off its latest design format, but it works, says John Ryan. He takes a look at the fresh store
Home truths

17-Mar-2008
The next couple of weeks will be among the year’s busier periods for illustrating the curious disconnect between an embattled retail sector and its seeming inability to stop opening new shops.
Baugur chief faces more fraud charges

17-Mar-2008
Baugur executive chairman Jón sgeir Jóhannesson faces fresh charges of fraud relating to personal income tax and company tax that was due between 1998 and 2002.
Store of the week: Naked, Istanbul

13-Mar-2008
Unitim, the Turkish brand owner and distributor that worked with Harvey Nichols to open the luxury retailer’s store in Istanbul in 2006, opened an 8,075 sq ft brand emporium in the city at the end of February.
Irish chocolate chain readies for UK debut

13-Mar-2008
Irish chocolate retailer Butlers Chocolate is gearing up to launch in the UK and take on Thorntons and Hotel Chocolat.
RWC08: Pessina puts Europe at heart of Alliance Boots strategy

12-Mar-2008
In a wide-ranging speech at the Retail Week Conference in London today, Stefano Pessina, executive chairman of Alliance Boots, said that rolling out the Boots brand and name across Europe, as well as improving the store portfolio in the UK, would be at the core of the retailer’s strategy.
Chancellor confirms Government to charge for plastic bags

12-Mar-2008
In his first Budget speech, Chancellor Alistair Darling has said that laws will be introduced by next year to charge shoppers for using plastic bags, unless the supermarkets take action to do this.
Non-execs to meet to finalise Rose pay package

12-Mar-2008
In the face of mounting opposition to Sir Stuart Rose’s promotion to executive chairman, Marks & Spencer non-executives are to meet to thrash out a new pay package for the retailer’s chief executive.
Asda mulls sale of its property development business

11-Mar-2008
Wal-Mart has appointed UBS to explore a number of strategic options, including the possible sale of the Gazeley Group, Asda’s property development group.
House of Fraser opens High Wycombe store

10-Mar-2008
House of Fraser will open its second store in a week on Thursday (March 13).
Bless mannequins’ cotton socks

10-Mar-2008
Austin Reed opened a store on London’s Fenchurch Street recently and, if men’s formalwear is your kind of thing, this is not a bad place to visit.
Break from the norm

7-Mar-2008
Zara’s new Oxford Street flagship is still minimalist, but it’s a far cry from the forgettable interiors of the past. John Ryan takes tour
Shopfit ’til you drop

5-Mar-2008
EuroShop took place last week and the faithful flocked to examine the new, the eccentric and the must-haves. John Ryan went along for a nose around
Styles & Wood chief warns of tough market

5-Mar-2008
The boss of Styles & Wood has warned of the challenging retail market, despite the shopfitting company delivering a sparkling set of full-year results.
Asos to sharpen customer focus

5-Mar-2008
Asos is to split its marketing and operational functions, in an effort to better target customers as it continues to grow exponentially, writes John Ryan.
Game upbeat despite massive share sell-off

5-Mar-2008
Game issued a trading statement on Tuesday in response to last week’s share sell-off that was triggered by a £5.4 million disposal of shares by directors.
Styles & Wood chief warns of tough market

3-Mar-2008
The boss of Styles & Wood has warned of the challenging retail market, despite the shopfitting company delivering a sparkling set of full-year results.
Waitrose goes where Tesco won’t

3-Mar-2008
News that Waitrose is to enlarge upon the store format that it developed for its Marylebone High Street and Finchley Road stores should come as little surprise to anyone who has been following the supermarket’s fortunes in the past 12 months.
Frill seekers

28-Feb-2008
As high street retailers join the “push for posh”, blurring the line between themselves and high-end players, can luxury stores maintain their point of difference? John Ryan reports.
Everybody’s talking EuroShop

25-Feb-2008
This weekend was one of a few when retailers are likely to get a break from staring at figures. As weekend shoppers rush the tills, a massive number of retailers are at EuroShop.
Shades of green

21-Feb-2008
Green stores not only save money, but they are increasingly demanded by consumers. But, as John Ryan discovers, it is often the least visible changes that have the biggest impact
Harrods dresses its lifts for start of Senses promotion

21-Feb-2008
Luxury department store Harrods has kicked off two months of in-store visual merchandising events with a series of installations in its Grade II listed lifts, writes John Ryan.
A rest is as good as a change

18-Feb-2008
Spend a little time talking to almost any design consultancy and it probably won't be long before you hear one of two things.
H&M unveils Regent Street flagship

18-Feb-2008
H&M opened its Regent Street flagship store on Thursday.
Cell of the century

14-Feb-2008
Nokia’s first UK flagship is a world away from the average phone shop, with a hi-tech shopfit that focuses on experience instead of product. John Ryan says it deserves its place on Regent Street
Downwardly mobile

11-Feb-2008
Commercial Street, in central Leeds, is typical of roads in many of the UK’s larger towns and cities. Walk its relatively modest length – it will take no more than about two minutes – and you pass no fewer than six mobile phone shops.
New Ted Baker format to include hairdressers and phone shop

11-Feb-2008
Details are emerging about the forthcoming 4,000 sq ft (370 sq m) Ted Baker store, dubbed Ted Baker & Friends, which is due to open in Cheapside in the City next month.
Books etcetera

7-Feb-2008
Distracted by the allure of online, consumers might be forgiven for turning their backs on bookshops. So are booksellers offering anything to persuade them otherwise?
Nokia opens its interactive flagship on Regent Street

7-Feb-2008
Nokia opens its delay-hit Regent Street flagship today, which was due to open before Christmas.
American Golf back on par as full-year sales rise 18%

31-Jan-2008
American Golf has bounced back from a difficult 2006 with a jump in sales for the year to January 27.
The greatest show on earth

31-Jan-2008
EuroShop is the biggest show of its kind in the world and it only takes place once every three years. John Ryan previews the most important event in the shopfitting world
Megamart to shake up value retailing in India

28-Jan-2008
Indian brand-operator and manufacturer Arvind Mills has opened a discount fashion store in Chennai, which it wants to write a new chapter in Indian value retailing.
UK is design supermarket

28-Jan-2008
Walk along Regent Street, take a stroll along a high street or visit almost any shopping mall and the one thing you will see everywhere is new shops.
Jim McCarthy: downturn won’t hit value sector

24-Jan-2008
Poundland chief executive Jim McCarthy has claimed the value retailer is well-placed to weather any storm if the economy deteriorates sharply after posting strong Christmas sales.
Crystal Palace

24-Jan-2008
Blink and you won’t miss them. Costume jewellery brand Swarovski’s flagship branch on Regent Street and new concept store on Great Marlborough Street mark a turning point for a category that is often dismissed as plain vulgar. John Ryan takes a turn at the dazzling duo
Games Workshop turnover flat

22-Jan-2008
Games Workshop is continuing its store closure programme and rationalisation of its manufacturing and supply chain as part of a programme of cost reduction.
Thomas Pink gets revamp for St Pancras

21-Jan-2008
Upmarket shirt retailer Thomas Pink will open a new-look store in the retail development at St Pancras International train station at the end of February.
HMV to roll out new look after Christmas sales soar

21-Jan-2008
Following market-bucking Christmas trading, entertainment retailer HMV is to roll out its next-generation store format.
Sainsbury’s bests Purley king

21-Jan-2008
Sainsbury’s in Wallington, the place where South London fizzles out and suburban Surrey begins, has just had a makeover.
Paxman attacks M&S smalls

21-Jan-2008
Sir Stuart Rose is set to talk pants with BBC’s inquisitor-in-chief Jeremy Paxman following an e-mail from the Newsnight presenter.
The White Company has sparkling Christmas

21-Jan-2008
Multichannel lifestyle retailer The White Company has revealed strong trading over Christmas. Sales in the 10 weeks to December 29 rose 12 per cent, giving a 7 per cent like-for-like uplift.
Borders to keep Books etc

17-Jan-2008
Borders UK’s new owner Risk Capital Partners has vowed to retain its Books etc fascia, ditching the previous management’s plan to dispose of the chain.
Hamleys to wow shoppers with flagship facelift

17-Jan-2008
World-famous toy retailer Hamleys is to embark on a wide-ranging makeover of its flagship Regent Street store within the next month.
Sales Derby

17-Jan-2008
It’s Sale time and the race is on to clear old stock. John Ryan takes a walk around the Westfield Derby centre with Karl McKeever to see how persuasive retailers’ strategies are
Top shopfitter warns of tough year ahead

17-Jan-2008
Styles & Wood, the UK’s largest shopfitting and property services provider has warned that the retail market will be challenging in 2008, despite starting the year with a positive trading update.
DSGi picks Italy chief

16-Jan-2008
DSGi has appointed Mario Maiocchi as managing director of its operation in Italy.
Woolworths vows to return stores to profit this year

16-Jan-2008
Woolworths’ retail arm unveiled a fall in comparable sales this morning, with like-for-likes down 3.2 per cent for the 49 weeks to January 12, but said that the stores business would return to profitability this year.
Booths sales excel at Christmas

15-Jan-2008
Sales at upscale regional supermarket operator Booths climbed 7.6 per cent in the four-week period to January 5.
December price inflation sticks at 2.1 per cent

15-Jan-2008
The annual rate of inflation remained at 2.1 per cent in December, level with that of November, according to the Consumer Prices Index (CPI).
M&S to test vouchers in clothing tie-up with Oxfam

15-Jan-2008
Marks & Spencer and Oxfam have joined forces to launch the M&S and Oxfam Clothes Exchange, an initiative aimed at encouraging consumers to recycle their garments.
A best guess for 2008

14-Jan-2008
We’re almost at the halfway point in January and pundits in most sectors have had their say about what the year ahead is likely to hold.
Ideal Shopping Direct sales rocket

14-Jan-2008
TV and internet retailer Ideal Shopping Direct unveiled a sharp sales hike for the 17 weeks to December 30, 2007.
Design for life

10-Jan-2008
As we head into the middle of January and the rhythm of 2008 begins to establish itself, now is as good a time as any to gather a few thoughts on how the year ahead is likely to shape up.
Stead & Simpson to update stores despite sell-off plans

10-Jan-2008
Up-for-sale shoe retail group Stead & Simpson is to create a new format for its eponymous stores using design consultancy Caulder Moore.
House of Fraser to open new store in Belfast

7-Jan-2008
House of Fraser's first store in more than two years is set to open in Belfast at the end of March.
Primark to take Oxford Street design to Bristol and Belfast

7-Jan-2008
Following the success of its Oxford Street flagship Primark is making steps to take the store design to its forthcoming new outlets in Bristol and Belfast.
Whole Sale disappointment

7-Jan-2008
Last week provided a final hurrah for retailers – for the time being at least – as those freed from the responsibilities of turning up for work headed to the shops instead.
Asda reignites supermarket price war with ad drive…

3-Jan-2008
Asda is to spark another price war among the big four grocers with an ad campaign that launches today.
Flower power

3-Jan-2008
Cath Kidston’s relocated store in Bath shows why this blooming retailer is a force to be reckoned with. John Ryan reports
Dixons web visits soar

2-Jan-2008
Christmas Day visits to Dixons.co.uk jumped 100 per cent on last year, with Boxing Day visits up 40 per cent.
Deck the shops with boughs of holly

17-Dec-2007
There is one Saturday to go before Christmas and, for those of a dilatory nature, it’s time to deck the halls with holly or at least to trim the artificial tree (it’s greener that way).
Eataly, Via Nizza, Turin, Italy

13-Dec-2007
The Slow Food movement is finally starting to enter the mass market.
JD raises curtain on Oxford Street

13-Dec-2007
JD reopened its Oxford Street flagship last week, showcasing the latest format from the fashion-cum-sports retailer.
The only way is up

13-Dec-2007
John Ryan gets an exclusive preview of Ikea’s first city centre store in Coventry
Make the most of the weather

10-Dec-2007
It was raining last week, quite heavily at one point and everybody emerging from the tube on their way in to work was reaching for their umbrellas.
American Apparel debuts Covent Garden shop

6-Dec-2007
American Apparel opened a 2,950 sq ft (275 sq m) store on Covent Garden’s Neal Street last week, following the opening of a slightly smaller store in Glasgow the week before.
M&S unveils Pantheon store refit

6-Dec-2007
Marks & Spencer completed the refurbishment of its Pantheon store at the eastern end of Oxford Street last week.
A lesson in class

5-Dec-2007
Reiss has transformed part of its London headquarters on a West End backstreet into a stylish flagship for David Reiss’s “affordable luxury” brand. John Ryan pays the store a visit
On setting expectations

3-Dec-2007
What a disappointment it must be for French passengers arriving at the new St Pancras terminal and considering a little shopping.
Gainsborough’s Marshall’s Yard: Birth of a renaissance

29-Nov-2007
Gainsborough’s Marshall’s Yard feels more like a market square than a retail park. John Ryan visits a scheme that shows how retail development can revive a tired market town
Lost in translation?

29-Nov-2007
Home Retail has opened its first Home Store & More shop at Aylesbury and it’s crammed to the rafters. John Ryan pays a visit and asks whether the Irish-born format will cut it in the UK
Chancerealm to switch chains to its Ryman Stationery fascia

29-Nov-2007
Theo Paphitis’s Chancerealm is to rebadge its Ryman chain following a successful pilot at stores in Crewe, Carlisle and Birkenhead.
Thomas Pink and Tie Rack join throng at Terminal 5

29-Nov-2007
Thomas Pink and Tie Rack have joined the roster of retailers set to welcome shoppers at Heathrow’s forthcoming Terminal 5.
Toast opens store in Notting Hill

29-Nov-2007
French Connection-owned fashion and lifestyle brand Toast has opened a 2,800 sq ft (260 sq m) store in Notting Hill.
Carnaby Street’s traditional lights outshine rivals

29-Nov-2007
The Christmas theme along Carnaby Street represents a return to a more traditional way of celebrating the season of goodwill with a contemporary twist.
Old store new tricks

28-Nov-2007
Sainsbury’s new London Colney store has ditched the standard edge-of-town format. John Ryan says it has combined style with a shopfit that can be deployed elsewhere
White City or Westfield London?

26-Nov-2007
Rebranding is one of the tools that those associated with the retail sector tend to use when they want to establish something new, something fresh.
Shoppers’ Stop picks Portland for Hyderabad

22-Nov-2007
Indian department store operator Shoppers’ Stop has appointed London design consultancy Portland to work on its forthcoming 53,820 sq ft (5,000 sq m) department store in Hyderabad.
Next opens first Home in London

22-Nov-2007
Next opened its first standalone Home store in London this week, a 15,000 sq ft (1,395 sq m) outlet on the site of failed entertainment retailer Fopp’s flagship on Tottenham Court Road.
Rituals makes its UK debut

22-Nov-2007
Dutch cosmetics chain Rituals opened its first UK store on Oxford Street last week.
Mice division rescued by its management

22-Nov-2007
A division of failed shopfitting giant Mice Group, which collapsed in the summer, has been bought out by its management, with backing from the Royal Bank of Scotland, for £4.3 million.
Blowing hot and cold

22-Nov-2007
Developers want to make their shopping centres sustainable, but there is only so much they can do – retailers need to play their part too. So are they really interested, asks John Ryan
Sainsbury's to ban unsustainable palm oil

21-Nov-2007
In an effort to preserve rain forests, Sainsbury’s has announced that it will phase out the use of palm oil from unsustainable sources in its own-brand products.
Retailers are all talk and no action

19-Nov-2007
Climate change is here and, if we don’t do something about it soon, we’re all heading for a very bad time indeed.
Christmas is coming

16-Nov-2007
…and retailers are getting their stores ready. As the windows in London’s West End light up, John Ryan picks out the crackers and the turkeys
New Planet sited at Walton-on-Thames

15-Nov-2007
Forty-something fashion brand Planet has opened a new-format store at Walton-on-Thames in Surrey.
Hindmarch makes London debut

15-Nov-2007
Anya Hindmarch, the designer of handbags and small leather goods, has opened the first of two London stores on Bond Street.
John Lewis opens in Cambridge

15-Nov-2007
A 145,000 sq ft (13,470 sq m) John Lewis store opened in Cambridge last week, replacing Robert Sayle, the department store the retailer has owned since 1940.
Move over outlet centres

15-Nov-2007
Now that there are so many value players around, the line between outlet centres and the high street has become blurred. John Ryan asks if there is still a call for such schemes
Sainsbury’s web offer stymied by store size

15-Nov-2007
Sainsbury’s online non-food growth is being constrained by its store sizes, chief executive Justin King has said.
Shopping centres are top terror target

14-Nov-2007
Shopping centres are among the top targets for terrorists in the run-up to Christmas, as Gordon Brown warned that attacks could hit “anywhere and from any place.”
Inflation surges in October

13-Nov-2007
The annual rate of inflation jumped to 2.1 per cent in October, compared with 1.8 per cent in September, according to the Consumer Price Index (CPI).
Onlien record for Dixons

13-Nov-2007
The Consumer Price Index (CPI) for October showed the rate of annual inflation jumping from September’s 1.8 per cent to 2.1 per cent. The bulk of the increase was due to rising petrol prices, but there was also a substantial upward movement in the price of food, particularly meat and also in the price of strawberries and bananas. This contributed to a rise in the Retail Price Index where inflation rose to 4.2 per cent, against 3.9 per cent in September.
Carrefour mulls India wholesaling venture

13-Nov-2007
Carrefour is considering going it alone in India following its failure to find a suitable partner to set up a joint venture in the country.
In praise of the suburb

12-Nov-2007
Surrey. It’s a state of mind more than a place – a universe peopled by hefty four-wheel drivers and the gin and Jag set.
Windows to watch: Gap, Oxford Street

9-Nov-2007
Gap is well known for its minimalist windows, where moods, seasons and themes are reduced to symbols with mannequins in front of them. It comes as no surprise then, that Gap’s store halfway along Oxford Street features white, abstract Christmas trees that have been internally illuminated.
The sky's the limit

9-Nov-2007
Occupying a space the size of 50 football pitches and with high expectations to meet, Heathrow’s £4 billion Terminal 5 is pulling out all the stops. John Ryan checks out the nearly completed site
Debenhams to give its home department a makeover

9-Nov-2007
Department store group Debenhams is to develop a new format for its home department.
Hawkin’s Bazaar toys with new format for Derby store

8-Nov-2007
Hawkin’s Bazaar, the games, toys and entertainment retailer, has developed a fascia and interior for its store at the Westfield Derby scheme, which opened last month.
Orange opens business store

8-Nov-2007
Mobile phone network Orange has revamped its store at the east end of Oxford Street to meet the needs of business customers. The shop will target small business users and store features include a private sign-up area and business advisers.
A punt on Oxford

8-Nov-2007
Boots has taken a gamble on its Oxford store with a new interior that could be the future mould for the chain. John Ryan asks if it will pay off
B&Q’s store makeovers are moving too slowly

5-Nov-2007
Hurrying through the two-floor B&Q in Sutton, it’s hard not to notice that something is afoot. Signs are everywhere, apologising for the fact that building works are under way as part of creating a newer – and presumably better – B&Q that will have more of what shoppers want.
Anya Hindmarch takes bags to Bond Street

5-Nov-2007
Anya Hindmarch, the designer of handbags and small leather goods, has opened the first of two London stores, on Bond Street.
Green giants

1-Nov-2007
Much is said about green stores, but what about green sheds? John Ryan discovers that not only do they reduce your carbon footprint, but they have long-term bottom-line benefits too
Habitat opens larger Cheltenham store

1-Nov-2007
Habitat opened its relocated store at Cheltenham last week, doubling its floor space in the town.
Swedish stars

1-Nov-2007
Stockholm is on a retail high and its offer has never been so diverse. John Ryan takes to the streets with Echochamber’s creative director Howard Saunders
Asda’s second eco store hit by delay

1-Nov-2007
Asda has hit a setback in its plans to open a second timber-frame store, which was due to welcome shoppers this autumn.
Regent Street shop facelift leads Aquascutum portfolio redesign

1-Nov-2007
Iconic British clothing brand Aquascutum has completed the first stage of its Regent Street flagship refresh.
Putting sparkle in Ernest Jones

1-Nov-2007
Signet has just taken the wraps off a new-look Ernest Jones store at Bluewater, which it hopes will drive diamond sales. John Ryan visits the refurbished outlet to find out more
Ministry goes to Derby

1-Nov-2007
Fledgling menswear retailer Ministry has opened a store at the Westfield Derby shopping centre.
Where Habitat is getting it right

29-Oct-2007
You’ve got to hand it to Habitat – it continues to break high street ground in the face of considerable adversity. Last week, it welcomed shoppers to a new store in Cheltenham. It had an outlet in the town already, but took the decision that demographics and taste in this location combined in a sufficiently advantageous way to make it worthwhile expanding.
Regent Street shop facelift leads Aquascutum portfolio redesign

25-Oct-2007
Iconic British clothing brand Aquascutum has completed the first stage of its Regent Street flagship refresh.
Asda’s second eco store hit by delay

25-Oct-2007
Asda has hit a setback in its plans to open a second timber-frame store, which was due to welcome shoppers this autumn.
Ministry goes to Derby

25-Oct-2007
Fledgling menswear retailer Ministry has opened a store at the Westfield Derby shopping centre.
Putting sparkle in Ernest Jones

25-Oct-2007
Signet has just taken the wraps off a new-look Ernest Jones store at Bluewater, which it hopes will drive diamond sales. John Ryan visits the refurbished outlet to find out more
Harsh but fair

22-Oct-2007
Driving cost out of a supply chain means more than tough negotiations with suppliers over cost. There is the Tesco way.
Currys.digital tunes into digital TV frenzy

19-Oct-2007
DSGi’s Whitehaven Currys.digital store in Cumbria received a surge in sales in the month run-up to the town becoming the first place in the UK to switch off analogue TV.
Designer Villages

19-Oct-2007
Outlet centres used to be where you went for cut-price clothing and a day out. But Italy is setting the trend for designer labels and stunning architecture. John Ryan travels there to find out more
Windows to watch: mechanical wonder

18-Oct-2007
The line between art and visual merchandising is frequently blurred and nowhere is this more evident at present than in Selfridges’ windows, which allow passers-by a view into the new Wonder Room on the western corner of the Oxford Street flagship.
National Geographic shop delayed as costs escalate

18-Oct-2007
Europe’s first National Geographic store, which was slated to open this autumn, has been hit by delays and is now unlikely to open before April.
Harrods T5 prepares for take-off

18-Oct-2007
Harrods has almost completed the construction of its Heathrow Terminal 5 store, which will open in March.
Analysts allay French fears over law reform margin hit

18-Oct-2007
Fears that French food retailers will face further margin pressure and deflation on branded goods following planned law reforms next year have been challenged by industry observers.
Online grocery sales to double in next five years

17-Oct-2007
One in ten shoppers will not visit a supermarket.
Internet grocery sales set to double

17-Oct-2007
Internet grocery sales are set to double over the next five years and one in ten shoppers will no longer visit a bricks and mortar supermarket, according to research from the IGD. The consultancy predicts that sales will hit£5bn, although this will still be less than 8 per cent of the£156bn UK market. Currently the largest online grocer is Tesco, which sells£1.23bn online: about three and a half times the value of sales achieved five years ago. Major supermarket operators commented ...
A world away from the big four

15-Oct-2007
It doesn’t seem so long ago, not much more than a couple of years, that Somerfield appeared to be on the verge of a breakthrough when it opened a market-style format. Stores in the south London suburbs of Carshalton and Dulwich were among the chosen few locations that seemed to presage a new form of convenience retailing.
Moss Bros opens first Simon Carter outlet

15-Oct-2007
Moss Bros has opened a Simon Carter men’s fashion store next door to its Covent Garden flagship. Simon Carter is a range aimed at the same customer as Ted Baker, according to Moss Bros chief executive Philip Mountford.
The way that food retailing should be

15-Oct-2007
John Lewis has finally revealed its Oxford Street food hall and it is worth a visit.
Carphone eyes £56m profits for first half

15-Oct-2007
Carphone Warehouse is expecting pre-tax profits of £53 million to £56 million for its first half, according to a trading update released this morning.
Retailers fear Budget means £100m tax hit

15-Oct-2007
Proposals to allow shire counties and the Greater London Authority to tax businesses to fund local projects will cost retailers £100 million.
The new green

12-Oct-2007
It’s one thing to build an eco store, but another to make an existing store green. John Ryan visits Bournemouth’s M&S to assess its green makeover
Next to roll out new Meadowhall format

11-Oct-2007
Next is to roll out its new shopfit to all new space and about 12 per cent of its existing 460 stores over the next year, following the opening of a flagship at Sheffield’s Meadowhall last week.
Moss Bros opens first Simon Carter outlet

11-Oct-2007
Moss Bros has opened a Simon Carter men’s fashion store next door to its Covent Garden flagship. Simon Carter is a range aimed at the same customer as Ted Baker, said to Moss Bros chief executive Philip Mountford.
Orange rolls out new format after trial run

11-Oct-2007
Mobile phone network Orange has begun rolling out the store format unveiled at Cribbs Causeway this summer.
King vows to stay put if Delta bid comes off

11-Oct-2007
Sainsbury’s chief executive Justin King intends to remain at the supermarket’s helm if the mooted bid from Qatari-based fund Delta Two goes through.
No pain no gain

11-Oct-2007
After a gloomy 24 months, the lettings market is beginning to pick up, but often because owners have cut the rent rather than a rush of new retailers eager to take space. John Ryanreports
Carphone eyes £56m profits for first half

10-Oct-2007
Carphone Warehouse is expecting pre-tax profits of £53 million to £56 million for its first half, according to a trading update released this morning.
Retailers fear Budget means £100m tax hit

9-Oct-2007
Proposals to allow shire counties and the Greater London Authority to tax businesses to fund local projects will cost retailers £100 million.
Moss Bros opens first Simon Carter outlet

8-Oct-2007
Moss Bros has opened a Simon Carter men’s fashion store next door to its Covent Garden flagship. Simon Carter is a range aimed at the same customer as Ted Baker, according to Moss Bros chief executive Philip Mountford.
Orange begins roll out of ‘modular’ fit

8-Oct-2007
Mobile phone network Orange has begun rolling out the new format that it unveiled at Cribbs Causeway this summer.
The way that food retailing should be

8-Oct-2007
John Lewis has finally revealed its Oxford Street food hall and it is worth a visit.
New-look Next gets thumbs up from Wolfson

5-Oct-2007
When a new store opens, it is usually quite easy to spot the chief executive. He’s the one around whom large numbers of suits are clustered, soaking up the praise for the way things look and keeping the staff on their toes.
So how green is Wal-Mart?

4-Oct-2007
Head: So how green is Wal-Mart?By John Ryan
Don’t go on the first day

4-Oct-2007
One of the more rewarding aspects of covering retail design is that you get to see things before customers do. This means, for example, that the evening before the near-riot that took place when Primark opened its Oxford Street flagship this summer, the press were invited in to sip champagne-style cordial and consider the new store.
Marks and Spencer ticks green boxes with energy-slashing eco store

4-Oct-2007
Marks and Spencer welcomed shoppers to its first eco store in Bournemouth yesterday. The retailer expects the 51,000 sq ft retro fitted shop to use 25 per cent less energy and have a carbon footprint 92 per cent lower than a conventional branch of the same size.
The great outdoors

4-Oct-2007
Fat Face has pioneered a new look at its Princesshay store in Exeter, targeting the Southwest’s outdoor pursuit fans. John Ryan heads for the hills to take a closer look
Rules of attraction

27-Sep-2007
Are the design rules for selling online the same as those that are used on the high street? John Ryan investigates the art of retailing on the web
Duo steps out in new design as it opens trio

27-Sep-2007
Footwear retailer Duo Boots has opened stores in Edinburgh, Manchester and Amsterdam.
Raft of top shopfitters buck downturn trend

27-Sep-2007
Shopfitters are enjoying a mini-resurgence, according to a report from sector research company Plimsoll.
Ted Baker uses horse theme in Dublin shop

24-Sep-2007
Ted Baker is preparing to open a store in Grafton Street, Dublin, as part of a push to open more international shops.
Whole Foods window displays turn to home

24-Sep-2007
Whole Foods Market has removed the window scheme that accompanied the launch of its Kensington store in June and replaced it with a series of displays to support the food retailer through its first autumn season.
Playboy opens first European store

24-Sep-2007
Playboy opened its first standalone European store this week on London’s Oxford Street.
Great expectations

24-Sep-2007
The HMV store in Merry Hill is the entertainment retailer’s best hope for turning its prospects around. John Ryan visits
A New Look needed for windows

10-Sep-2007
Sometimes, you have to ask why retailers do certain things and nowhere is this more the case than in the vexed topic of window displays.
HMV unveils hi-tech store of the future

7-Sep-2007
Next-generation store debuts at Merry Hill centre in Dudley
Asos hires ex-New Look chief to head marketing

6-Sep-2007
Hash Ladha tasked with driving web traffic and conversion rates
Price inflation eases in August

5-Sep-2007
Non-food continues to keep inflation in check
London store prices inflation falls in August

5-Sep-2007
Month of price stability 'welcome respite', said LRC
Bibby Line takes 51 per cent stake in Costcutter

4-Sep-2007
Liverpool group takes control of symbol group
Co-op seeks advice from shoppers

3-Sep-2007
Ballot to establish priorities on ethical issues
Hunter buys Sanders Garden World for £15m

3-Sep-2007
Move reinforces Scottish entrepreneur’s position in sector
Business as usual

30-Aug-2007
John Ryan revisits high-profile former flagships
Bridgford revenues to rise

28-Aug-2007
Shopfitter Bridgford Interiors has claimed it is on target to raise its revenues by 30 per cent to£30 million in 2007, thanks to a raft of new contracts and framework agreements with retailers.Bridgford associate director Alan Palmer said that work on fitting out Asda Living stores in Dartford and Tottenham Hale, as well as a programme of nine fitouts for new Tesco Express stores, had contributed to a positive result for the company.The shopfitter has also been awarded ...
Moss Bros unveils Cardiff flagship

28-Aug-2007
Formalwear retailer Moss Bros last week opened its largest store to date, a two-floor 7,000 sq ft (650 sq m) unit in Cardiff.The shop, in the city’s central Hayes district, has been put together by design consultancy Inca and an in-house team and is “cleaner and more streamlined”, according to a Moss Bros spokeswoman. The company said it represents “the pinnacle” of a blueprint being rolled out more generally across the chain.The flagship store stands in the listed ...
Less haste, more service

28-Aug-2007
Consider some of the phrases that pass for customer service in the UK. “Thank you” is just basic good manners, but the words are still held up as part of a customer-centric view of retailing. “Have a nice day” is an American import – and one that sits uncomfortably with almost any Anglo-Saxon, Welsh or Scots accent, yet still we persist in using it. “Do you need any help?” For the great majority of shoppers in our culture, the answer to this question is a curt “No”, which seems to mean: ...
Out of Pocket

6-Jul-2006
Consumers are worse off than at any time in the past five years. John Ryan examines why - and what it means for retailers
Gap unveils trial of new concept in UK at Guildford store revamp

24-Sep-2004
Fashion retailer Gap has just opened a revamped store at Guildford in Surrey.
Judges agree on Retail Interiors Awards winners

24-Sep-2004
Following two days of judging, under the chairmanship of Circus partner Dilys Maltby, categories for the seventh Retail Interiors Awards - and the stores to go in them - were decided early last week.
Strong upturn for shopfitting industry after tough year start

2-Jul-2004
Strong upturn for shopfitting industry after tough year start

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