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Food and beverage also remains an effective way of keeping customers in store for longer. Sarah Andelman, founder of consultancy Just An Idea and formerly Paris concept store Colette, points to continued novelty as key to preventing these spaces from feeling formulaic. “The way to make it feel new is by offering something you didn’t have last month — yes, we have the new collection, but also in the café we just launched a matcha collaboration with this guy from Japan that’s available for only one month,” she suggests. Ralph Lauren’s Ralph’s Coffee chain consistently does very well, she says.
Others are leaning into art, design and culture. Jacquemus’s LA store features vintage jewelry, while its London location offers art from the designer’s personal collection. JW Anderson has expanded its assortment beyond fashion into lifestyle and cultural products. Andelman recalls Tiffany’s Basquiat installation displayed in its New York flagship in 2023, which turned the store into a cultural destination rather than a simple point of sale.
While many brands have long talked about turning stores into ‘lifestyle destinations’, that ambition has rarely translated into formats that genuinely extend how consumers use retail spaces. But recent openings point to where physical retail is heading next. In October, Frasers Group opened a Liverpool flagship for Sports Direct, complete with an Everlast gym on the top floor that includes a Hyrox station, a reformer Pilates studios, as well as saunas and ice baths. Kith’s London post, which opened in November, features a restaurant with pastrami sandwiches and caviar sliders, a cereal and ice cream bar, and a cultural hub with a premium sound system.
By 2026, experts expect more brands to adopt a truly multi-purpose retail model, where stores function as social venues, wellness spaces or cultural hubs.
Localize in a globalized world
Major groups are scaling back their store networks, in part because top customers increasingly visit the same flagship locations across cities. If a customer can buy the same product in London, Paris and Shanghai, what motivates them to walk into the store while abroad? The answer lies in hyper-local storytelling.
Andelman points to Louis Vuitton’s flagship differentiation. “Even if it’s the same products, the approach is different — in New York, you have the books with the coffee, or there are different chefs working in each city, whether it’s Paris or somewhere in Asia,” she says. Another example is the brand’s different window installations across different cities, created in collaboration with artist Yayoi Kusama. “These little moments can attract content online and bring attention to you, because people come in to discover the architecture, the exclusivity of the service, or even the chocolates for Valentine’s Day,” she says. Collaborations with brands on exclusive products are likely to become even more competitive for retailers, as limited-availability drops draw attention and drive sales.
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