Archive - Insider Trends

The store as verification in a digitally saturated world

A spot in Sephora isn’t just a marketing and sales boost. It now says to the customer that you’re legitimate.

Jul 11

Normal, Søstrene Grene and the strange appeal of “prison stores”

Welcome to the prison store - a format that makes little sense in the context of modern life, and yet continues to be wildly successful.

Jul 2

June 2025

Labubu, and why queueing is interesting to the quick commerce generation

Young people - a generation brought up in a world where queueing in retail has been designed out - are choosing to queue.

Jun 17

Shoptalk Europe debrief: Less AI, more shop talk

Retail conferences have to reflect the brilliant diversity of interests and personalities we see within the industry itself.

Jun 10

New Balance, Gant and the challenge of going back to your roots

Revamps ought to be a moment to try to break out of saturation somehow - even just in that store, just in that moment.

Jun 5

May 2025

Planting the flag: My top 5 brand homes around the world

Proof that, with passion and commitment, brand homes can be a success anywhere

May 28

Why heritage architecture can help retail be memorable

And being memorable is a major competitive advantage.

May 22

The new homes of department store shoppers

This isn’t everything for everyone. This is the right things, just for you.

May 13

IKEA Oxford Street: The flagship that isn’t a flagship

Marketing and selling aren’t mutually exclusive in physical retail. And the new IKEA flagship reminded me of that perfectly.

May 6

April 2025

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