Teabag Window Display, Anthropologie London | Source: The Business of Fashion

LONDON, United Kingdom — The majority of luxury brands have spent the past fifteen years investing in retail networks in both established and emerging luxury markets. Flagship stores, one more extravagant than the last, were built in Tokyo, New York, Paris, and Beijing. The design directive for these spaces was singular and focused, showcasing exclusive products in an environment which communicated a carefully crafted image to the consumer.

Earlier this year, Net-a-Porter announced a trebling in profits. The success of the online retailer contrasted sharply with poor performances in brick and mortar retail elsewhere. This was just one signal that helped to (finally) drive home the importance of the Internet as a distribution channel for luxury fashion. Business models are quickly being updated to reflect this change, but while fashion plays catch up with consumers’ online buying habits, transformations in consumer expectations of the traditional retail channel have also been swift and pronounced.

Having already invested in hundreds of thousands of square footage of retail space in recent years, it is more important than ever for luxury brands to protect their return on investment. Retail spaces must provide shoppers a compelling reason to leave the house, enter a store, and spend money. So, what is it exactly that will lure customers back to bricks and mortar?

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Westfield Mall in White City | Source: Architecture Revived

How Westfield won us over (Independent)
“When the Australian property giant, the Westfield Group, opened its shining, £1.7bn retail cathedral in Shepherd’s Bush, West London, on 30 October 2008, its timing could not have been worse…One year later and the mood music from a number of the centre’s retailers appears more positive.”

Boutiques close as recession reshapes high street (The Times)
“Fashion retailers emerge among the recession’s leading casualties, with independent shops proving less able to weather the downturn than giants such as Next, Marks & Spencer and Debenhams.  Nearly 18 per cent of women’s wear and children’s wear shops closed, and 15 per cent of independent fashion shops.”

Land Securities ends cut price rent as property demand rises (Drapers)
“Retail landlord Land Securities will no longer offer retail tenants rent concessions amid signs of increasing demand for space, leading to claims that landlords are back in the driving seat at the negotiating table.”

Bottega Veneta Unveils Design Competition (WWD)
“Bottega Veneta has launched a furniture design competition for students at The University of Tokyo. Bottega Veneta creative director Tomas Maier was in town to review the 18 contenders’ initial sketches and outline the project to local journalist.”

American cult fashion shop Anthropologie opens in London (Guardian)
“London’s fashion credentials have been given a boost with the cult US store Anthropologie opening on Regent Street. Likened by the industry to the launch of Topshop in New York, the opening is the first for the brand in Europe.”