Retail news and archive

AI-powered retail intelligence platform Radar raises 170 million dollars in funding

Radar, an AI-powered retail intelligence platform, has raised 170 million US dollars in Series B Funding, bringing the company’s total valuation to 1 billion US dollars. The funding round was co-led by Gideon Strategic Partners and Nimble Partners, with participation from Align Ventures. Radar aims to use this round of funding to accelerate the...

Retail

Madewell expands US retail footprint with three new store openings

Madewell is expanding its US retail footprint, as the lifestyle brand prepares to open three new stores in key markets this summer. The first to open is Madewell's debut store in Sag Harbor, Long Island, which started welcoming customers on May 20. The opening builds on the success of the brand's 2024 pop-up with Goop. Located at 102 Main...

Retail

Lululemon expands to Greece though franchise, opening debut stores in Athens

Canadian athleisure brand Lululemon is set to open its first-ever stores in Greece through a new franchise partnership with Arion Retail Group. The partnership and international expansion are in line with Lululemon’s wider retail strategy for growth across Europe. The brand’s debut Greek store, located in Kolonaki, central Athens, will open its...

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Retail|REPORT

Shopping street under the microscope: The secret of Gerard Doustraat in Amsterdam

Anyone familiar with the vibrant neighbourhood of De Pijp in the South of Amsterdam quickly thinks of the Albert Cuyp market, traditional pubs and lively, compact streets. However, those looking for unique shops increasingly find themselves on one particular street: Gerard Doustraat. This is not a run-of-the-mill street with large chains but a...

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Retail|Interview

Ana Luisa to triple retail footprint as it opens debut stores in Florida & California

Physical retail has always been a shifting landscape, especially for fashion and accessories retailers, and 2026 is no exception. Over the coming year, retailers will have to grapple with ever-changing patterns when it comes to consumer behaviour, technological advancements, economic volatility, and logistical complexities. For some players,...

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People|The voices of retail

Laurent Capizzi of Kiabi: “Our support makes the difference over time”

If one profession in fashion reigns supreme in emotional intelligence, it is this one. Far from the clichés, sales advisors embody the most vibrant and perhaps the most human face of this vast industry. To create a multifaceted portrait of this field-based role, FashionUnited chose to speak with those who view sales as an opportunity for...

Retail

Consumers predicted to spend record 38 billion US dollars this Mother's Day

This Sunday marks Mother’s Day, a global celebration that honors mothers and mother figures within families and friends as well as motherhood and maternal bonds. Dating back to the early 20th century in the United States, the day has evolved into a national holiday where it's common to give gifts to mothers in consumers' lives. And despite...

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Retail|Commentary

Programmed desire: how fashion stays desirable when AI fills the shopping basket

Fashion has always been about seduction, desire, belonging and differentiation. Aura, as people much younger than me call it. We covet a look, a feeling, a style, a lifestyle. This desire is triggered by inspiring people on social media, catwalks, in pop culture, advertising and within our circle of friends. The sources of this desire have...

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Retail

World Retail Congress: Fashion retail between an AI boost, consumer pressure and a new desire for connection

At the World Retail Congress (WRC), a look at current developments in fashion retail – between artificial intelligence (AI) and consumer pressure – revealed that the rules of the game are noticeably shifting. The decisive factor is how companies react and what priorities they derive from this. Before discussions on the WRC stages this week...

Retail

Emotional resonance: Art of shopkeeping in digital age

As the World Retail Congress (WRC) 2026 unfolds against the backdrop of ‘Retail’s Roadmap to 2030’, a high-level panel of industry veterans today asserted that the survival of physical retail depends not on matching the efficiency of algorithms, but on mastering the ‘art’ of the human connection. Leaders from KaDeWe and Coach as wel as the...

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People|Interview

Karlijn Hendriks, head of HR at Hunkemöller: “A little friction can be a good thing”

How important are people to Hunkemöller? “A designer will say ‘no product, no sales’; a property specialist ‘no stores, no shop window’; and marketing ‘no customers, no turnover’. Without the right people in the office and in the stores, however, absolutely nothing happens,” says Karlijn Hendriks, CHRO of Hunkemöller. “I firmly believe that...

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Retail|Report

How AI is redefining the role of physical stores, and what retailers should know

Artificial intelligence (AI) is not only changing how we shop online, but it's also transforming physical retail. While stores are still viewed as essential “anchors” for commerce in 2030, AI, together with shifting consumer behaviours, continues to reshape the purpose of physical retail. A new study released by ICSC and McKinsey & Company,...