In my opinion, Europe is at the forefront of retail innovation. So, on my annual Retail Study tour, I immersed myself in the London, Milan, Venice and Oslo markets. Here are the top 5 trends I spotted.

1. Connective precincts that mimic convenient online browsing and “save cart” behaviours
As retailers build their omnichannel presence, I saw many examples of brands banding together in one precinct to replicate the convenience of multi-window online browsing and cart filling. They have moved beyond the department store model, with each brand having retained its own distinctive assets and aesthetics while making it easier to browse and compare all brands in one seamless visit.
This trend was driven by the luxury sector with examples of watches and timepieces at Urmaker Bjerke in Oslo, where consumers could seamlessly roam, browse and speak with brand specialists within one building. Another example was the stunning Fondaco dei Tedeschi in Venice, which has a full range of luxury fashion, footwear, and cosmetics. Each level was dedicated to women’s, men’s, food & beauty with like-minded brands clustered together to match the consumer segment’s needs. Gone were the red ropes, security guards and forced lines we see out of the front of most luxury high street precincts (which is a massive plus for this impatient shopper who doesn’t like to wait). Both examples ensured you received the entire brand experience, aesthetics and service without the hassle of traversing the often long and weather-impacted high streets like via Montenapoleone in Milan.
I’d love to see this roll out to mainstream categories, particularly youth fashion. It takes a brave brand to collaborate with its direct competitors, but this approach mimics modern-day online shopping behaviours and will drive consumers back to pleasurable brick-and-mortar browsing and convenient cross-shopping.
2. Indulgence playing to self-treating and our desire for immediacy
Taking full advantage of our “I want it now” mentality and the Lipstick theory (where we desire to self-treat ourselves in times of economic downturn and restriction), highly indulgent and decadent retail experiences are exploding across Europe. The staid gifting boxes are being pushed to the back of the store and replaced with open displays of oozing chocolate, decadent unpackaged sweets stacked high and a “choose your own adventure” style of pick and mix. Brands such as Donutelier on London’s Canarby Street precinct had lines out the door, with shoppers lured by the voluminous displays of bespoke doughnuts and Instagram-able fit-outs. Or the allure and ultimate indulgence of breaking off a corner from a giant slab of Laderach Swiss chocolate to eat as you stroll the shops.
3. Gen Z remains the elusive generation and many retailers are failing
As many of us are coming to learn, they are a tricky generation to crack. You think you have ticked all the boxes, but they just haven’t responded. Often, when they do respond, it wasn’t your doing. It was TikTok. I saw many retailers trying to tailor their brands and retail experiences to this generation’s short attention spans and desire to combine social with commerce, but the stores were empty. Urban Outfitters is a prime example. Walking into the store, they seem to be ticking all the right boxes – inclusion with gender-neutral dressing rooms, a vintage clothing precinct to tap into the current nostalgia and sustainability trends, pop culture seeping into their novelty product ranges, photo experiences to capture and share the moments. But Gen Z was not buying. The stores were somewhat empty, but a quick Google search revealed that sales had plummeted, and a rethink was underway.
So, where was Gen Z shopping? They were in the stores in my next trend, where the experiences were highly creative, immersive, shareable and more reflective of the brand.
4. Building brands instore through creative and immersive experiences
If you know what you need and need it quickly – e-commerce is now our go-to. If you want to browse seamlessly, easily compare between brands or fill your cart until payday – e-commerce is now our go-to.
But with so much of our lives now online, consumers actively seek out social experiences and ‘IRL’ entertainment. No longer is the role of bricks & mortar stores purely to touch, taste or try before buying. The brands that are winning and the stores that were heaving during my study tour are those that tangibly bring their brand promise to life in-store in creative, sensorial and experiential ways.
From Alo, who align with their yoga foundations by using indoor gardens and affirmations to bring a sense of zen and calm from the hectic high street to Gym Shark, who embody their fitness-focused consumer with locker rooms as change rooms, sweat rooms where you can exercise and Joe’s Juice bars inside stores.
Cosmetic brands such as Benefit and Too Faced shop fit-outs were highly themed and downright fun – mimicking the Shopkins and dollhouses crazes Gen Z grew up with 10 years ago. Or the Golden Goose flagship in Milan, which brought to life the highly customised, vintage style processing their sneakers undergo to justify the +€400 price tag. It felt like you were in a cool vintage factory come nightclub. Getting swept up in the sensorial experience pretty much guaranteed you’d be opening your wallet (well - it worked on me!)
The results? Yes, it increases dwell time and browsing, which results in more sales per visit. But ultimately, it’s a long-term strategy. A memorable, physical brand experience that drives high brand desirability, loyalty in the form of repeat visits & online purchases and the ultimate currency – shares and buzz on social media
5. Culture moves quickly, and inauthentic or slow imitation fails hard
The Adidas vs Nike wars continue and Adidas is still winning)
I’ve been watching the Adidas vs Nike retail war for some time. A few years ago, it seemed each brand occupied its own positioning corner – Nike in Sports Performance and Adidas in Street Culture. However, as Street Culture started to build, Adidas began to win, and Nike started to flail; Nike started to look at what Adidas was doing and outright replicated its retail strategy.
What makes it worse is that Adidas has continued to innovate and push forward, making Nike seem like the uncool nerd desperately trying to replicate the cool kids looks….about a year too late!
Making a head-to-head comparison in London and Milan flagships, Nike has started to localise their store fit-outs by city, heroing the merch of the local professional sporting teams and national sporting icons and introducing a range of (ugly) streetwear.
While Adidas continues to surge forward. Innovative in-store experiences to launch new lines, on-trend, nostalgic collab lines like Peachy Den and taking personalisation and localisation to a whole new level, such as tattooing your shoes or building mini football stadiums.
The Nike brand has sadly lost its way on all fronts, particularly in its retail stores. Here’s hoping for a revival of an icon brand, where it finds its own place in the activewear world and builds integrative retail experiences to match.
That wraps up another study tour download. I try to keep it succinct and choose a top 5, but I have plenty more key takeaways and examples to share across many categories. So, please reach out if you are keen to hear more or get your category on my list for my next tour in June 2025. anne@viamarca.coma.au
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