“In a move that will no doubt come as great news to shopaholics, Virgin America has officially launched touch-screen shopping as a new feature on its Red seat-back TVs.
Purchases come with two points towards the airline’s Elevate Frequent Flyer Program for every one dollar spent. The upgraded entertainment platform also adds next generation, enhanced terrain-view Google Maps so you can see the actual topography of the areas over which you’re flying.” (via AOL)
Tesla, the über cool electric car company, has hired Apple´s former retail guru to design their new showrooms.
Fast Company explains… Lucky for Tesla, then, that it snagged George Blankenship as its vice president of design and store development. Blankenship previously spent nine years working with Apple to amp up its retail strategy. Before that, he opened hundreds of stores each year for the GAP.
Blankenship is charged with helping Tesla expand from its network of 13 showrooms to 20 by the end of the year–and even more beyond that. While Blankenship has never before worked in the auto industry, he sees lots of similarities between his work in clothing and computing and his current position at Tesla. “This is about technology, innovation, and a great pipeline of products that need to be explained to the customer,” he tells FastCompany.com. “It’s just like when I was at Apple.”
The retail guru wants to do the same thing for Tesla. Whereas traditional auto dealerships are often in mammoth buildings that are set apart from retail districts, Blankenship hopes to put Tesla showrooms right in the thick of popular shopping locations.
But Tesla has a unique challenge: While consumers weren’t that excited about Apple when Blankenship came on board, Tesla practically has more hype than it can handle. The challenge is to make potential customers understand what Tesla is about. And that requires a comprehensive customer experience strategy.
“We want to figure out the best, most comfortable way to create an environment where people aren’t just looking at the car–they see how it’s part of their future,” Blankenship says. It won’t be easy.
The Carl´s Jr. Foot Long Cheeseburger…
Consumer Reports released their annual customer satisfaction results from American retailers with some surprises at the top of the list…
1. Costco (85)
2. Dillard’s (82)
3. Kohl’s (81)
4. JCPenney (80)
5. Target (79)
6. Sam’s Club (78)
7. Sears (77)
8. Macy’s (77)
9. Meijer (77)
10. Walmart (73)
And below are some profiles of the top scorers… (click here to see the profiles of all top retailers)
COSTCO
Snapshot
414 warehouses in 40 states. $50 yearly fee. Costco has a wide range of goods but not a lot in each category. Private-label Kirkland Signature products are claimed to be at least as good as national brands, and all of Costco’s merchandise comes with a money-back guarantee.
Costco doesn’t accept manufacturers’ coupons but sometimes distributes its own. Instant rebates are fairly common. Customers with an Executive membership ($100) qualify for 2 percent back on purchases, up to a top rebate of $500 per year. (You’d need to spend $2,500 to recoup the extra $50.)
After a lifetime of inefficient cheese placement thanks to a 3 year internet crusade, Subway could be re-designing their cheese distribution technique…
Three years ago, a Left-Handed Toons comic (seen after the jump) illustrated the insanity of Subway’s cheese distribution policy. The triangular cheese slices were lined up in a row with overlapping corners, and even worse, some parts of the sandwich were rendered cheeseless.
The comic kickstarted a small movement encouraging the sandwich chain to start alternating the orientation of their cheese slices, as seen in the image above, which would provide for a more equitable cheese distribution.
McDonalds has long been the spiritual home for many groups including unhealthy people, children, expatriots (present company included on all three accounts) but as a result of their revised 24hr opening policy in China, many Golden Arches are becoming the real home for certain marginalized people.
“Some Shanghai residents have started to take advantage of 24-hour fast food restaurants like McDonald’s and KFC, which offer uncomfortable yet reliable temporary shelter for people who can’t–or don’t want to–pay rent in the ultra-expensive city. Many of the McRefugees are employed, albeit with underpaying jobs in security, housekeeping, and hospitality. And apparently, restaurant officials are looking the other way. Shanghaiist explains in its translation of a Southern Weekly article:
In response to questions about people sleeping over at McDonalds, a spokesperson named Mr. Lu said the store “doesn’t explicitly allow it, but doesn’t explicitly disallow it.” But for all the stores in the Tianyaoqiao Lu area, KFC has the most serious McRefugee problem. “Because there’s sofas there, [McDonalds] only has hard stools. In the winter, people will even bring their blankets and bedrolls into the restaurant.” (Fast Company)
(image via Webshots)
While many individuals are struggling to compete and make themselves better/leaner/more efficient than everybody else, Fast Company has compiled their 2010 list of people who go against the grain in order to innovate and approach business creatively…
“This year’s 100 Most Creative People offers our own, idiosyncratic perspective on business. The selections reflect the breadth of news ideas and new pursuits at play in our business landscape. From interface designer Yugo Nakamura to HBO Documentary Films president Sheila Nevins to futurist Ray Kurzweil, we can attest that creativity is alive and well in 2010.”
As their product lines seems to expand daily, so does the number of Monocle´s retail outposts… Below are shots from the Tokyo shop.
Filed under: Fashion,Stores | Tags: bond street, Louis Vuitton, Luxury, Peter Marino, Retail
Despite their not completely honest ad campaign, LV created a wave of positive feedback for their latest flagship store on Bond St. in London. “Entered via a bridge over a ‘moat’, its four outrageously luxurious floors include a VIP apartment, a ‘librairie’ of limited edition art and art books, revolving handbag installations and artworks by all the big guns, from Damien Hirst to Gilbert & George.”
(images from Wallpaper via Hypebeast)
Several Louis Vuitton ads have been banned by the ASA (Advertising Standards Association) due to misleading customers about the craftsmanship involved in creating some bags and wallets…
Louis Vuitton has been ordered to sack two of its latest ads over claims that they mislead customers into believing that the hot handbags are hand-stitched.
One offending advertisement features a Cate Blanchett look-alike sewing the handle of a handbag, with the text, “The seamstress with linen thread and beeswax. A needle, linen thread, beeswax, and infinite patience protect each over-stitch from humidity and the passage of time.”
The other ad shows a woman making a wallet, with the questions, “What secret little gestures do our craftsmen discretely pass on? How do we blend innate skill and inherent prowess?”
The answer, apparently, is by machine. According to the Daily Mail, the Advertising Standards Agency received complaints that the ads were misleading, so it challenged the folks at Louis Vuitton, who confessed that sewing machines were used to make their pricey purses because they made items “more secure and [were] necessary for strength, accuracy, and durability.”
(via Stylelist)
Retail Refugees loves innovation in packaging and food concepts, but this just looks nasty… Meet Sushi Popper
“We’re trying to change the norm of boxed foods,” said Furst, who serves as the company’s president. “We’re trying to open people’s eyes and say, ‘This isn’t just another frozen product — this is a frozen product that happens to be extremely good.’ “
Each Sushi Popper includes eight pieces of precut sushi and a bit of wasabi wrapped inside an airtight tube. After opening the top of the tube, diners can add soy sauce from a small stick affixed to the packaging, and grab their first piece of fish. They reach the next piece by pushing up on the bottom of the tube.
“It took thousands of hours to develop something to hold the sushi, to make sure it pushes up correctly and make sure the soy sauce doesn’t leak,” Furst said. “It took us a lot of engineering time.”
According to Furst, the tubed snack is the perfect food for a nation on the go.
(via AOL)
Filed under: Retail Events
Uncle Sam is having a clearance sale, and it’s heavy on genuine cobra-skin boots. Also, python boots. Ostrich boots. And stylish footwear made from lizard, eel and kangaroo. They all have to go as the federal government cleans out the National Wildlife Property Repository, a vast warehouse crammed with 1.5 million miscellaneous items containing bits of creatures great and small.
All the goods in the warehouse, from the shaggy Cape buffalo head to the beribboned walrus penis, have been seized at ports of entry by agents of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for violating laws regulating international trade in wildlife.
Warehouse supervisor Bernadette Atencio sends much of the contraband to schools, zoos and museums for exhibits. Ho-hum items that don’t have much educational value are destroyed; she recently sent dozens of lizard-trim eyeglass cases to the incinerator. Ms. Atencio also disposes of all the medicinal potions that cross her desk—and the occasional bug-infested trophy leopard.
But she can never catch up. The Congressional Research Service pegs the illegal trade in wildlife products at more than $5 billion and perhaps as much as $20 billion a year world-wide. Nearly 200,000 items came into the warehouse last year, overwhelming Ms. Atencio’s staff of four.
The solution? Clean house. In a rolling online auction that started in February and will run through the summer, the Fish and Wildlife Service is selling off 300,000 items. A dozen fur coats made from Siberian weasel sold for $4,450. A box of 270 acrylic key chains, each encasing “one small black salamander,” went for $35. There are table lamps made of clam shells, drums covered with unspecified mammal skin, watches festooned with mother-of-pearl. (via Wall Street Journal)
Not sure about you, but this is pretty creepy and I do worry that it could actually be detrimental to the ultimate cause; that is, to curb the trafficking of illegally killed (or illegal) wildlife products…
Filed under: Art/Design,Fashion,Stores | Tags: Tokyo, Shibuya, issey miyake, Nendo
From Fast Company…
Last year, we told you about Nendo’s ultralight mobile display furniture for some inexpensive(ish) Issey Miyake stores in Tokyo. Six months on, the disgustingly talented Japanese design firm unveils a new concept: Fashion on pins and needles.
The displays — for a shop in Tokyo’s ur-trendy Shibuya area — are designed to show off Miyake’s Bilbao bag, an unstructured little confection that doesn’t hang so much as it settles into place. So rather than produce a hard, squat plinth for something that’s anything but, Nendo whipped up these rail-thin steel rods, each varying slightly in height; in Nendo’s telling, they resemble “a field of prairie grass.”
That or something you could prick your finger on. (Each rod is a little more than a quarter-inch thick — too wide, we assume, to do much damage.)
The bags fall over the rods willy-nilly, as if they were “flowers in a light breeze,” to continue the Great Plains similie here. The shelving and hangers echo the rods.
Nendo‘s Oki Sato has inspired envy in the hearts of lesser designers everywhere for his play with lightness and illusion, turning chairs into ghosts and clothing hangers into wire-frame sculpture. Read more about him here.
A shiny red dispenser that looks like a soft drinks machine has been installed in the Moscow mayor’s office with more to follow in the country’s parliament. The firm behind the luxury dispenser says 33 such machines have been installed across the Russian capital in government ministries and upscale office blocks.
The machine dispenses tins and glass jars full of red salmon caviar or roe, in varying portion sizes, costing from the equivalent of about £3.50 up to £15. The more sought-after sturgeon caviar – varieties of which have been hunted to the brink of extinction and command a much higher price tag – is not for sale in the machines. But at a time when Russia is still emerging from a deep economic crisis, publicity about the dispensers is likely to anger many.
Russians traditionally love caviar, sieved and slightly salted fish eggs, and spread the cheaper red variety on buttered bread, washing it down with sparkling Soviet ‘champagne’ on special occasions. But the more expensive black variety is too expensive for most Russians and annual sales of wild black caviar are limited to about nine tons each year.
Via Telegraph
Spotlight on this legendary shoe shop. Coccodrillo, the Antwerp shoe store with the worldwide reputation, has finally given men the floor. The boutique’s new location, directly across the street from the original, is dedicated to masculine footwear. “The store was getting too small,” said co-founder Geert Brulot. “Plus, designers were always asking us to split it up. So when the space became available, we decided to follow our heart.”
The men’s shop takes its cues from its sibling, with its Art Deco via Buenos Aires décor and dedication to high fashion. Right now, that means helping men navigate what Brulot feels is an increasing emphasis on adolescent, androgynous looks — “not something the man in the street can necessarily identify with,” as he diplomatically put it. So while names like Prada, Raf Simons and Dior are well represented, Brulot and his partner, Eddy Michiels, are also working with starchier cobblers like Church’s, which has reinterpreted its traditional brogues in bright colors for Coccodrillo.
Coccodrillo, Schuttershofstraat 8, Antwerp, +32 3 233 20 93.
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BMW held their regularly scheduled company meeting recently where boss Dr. Norbert Reithofer detailed the performance of the German automaker performance over the last year. Aside from the standard financials, he made one interesting comment… that “BMW is the most prestigious brand among Generation Y. Generation Y refers to the young people born between the late 1970s and the year 1994 in the U.S. This consumer group has an annual spending capacity of 200 billion dollars – and the most prestigious brands to this young generation are BMW and Chanel.”
Is this true? As a proud member of Generation Y, I have to say that this may be accurate. Both brands have achieved cult-like status, however, I would venture to say that BMW is more acceessible as a brand than Chanel. Not only because Chanel caters to a female audience (excluding watches and perfumes), but also because the relative price point for a Chanel product is higher compared to its luxury goods counterparts, than BMW. While BMW finds itself competing with brands ranging from Mercedes Benz and Audi to Lexus, Chanel is in a league of its own- perhaps only rivaled in prestige by Hermes and to a lesser extent Louis Vuitton.
What do you think?
Here is the full ranking according to L2 Gen Y Prestige Rankings
The list of brands scoring in the Gen Y Prestige Brand Rankings top 10 (by gender):
| Gen Y Females: | Gen Y Males: | |||
| 1. Chanel | 1. BMW | |||
| 2. Ritz-Carlton | 2. Ferrari | |||
| 3. Four Seasons | 3. Porsche | |||
| 4. Marc Jacobs | 4. Lamborghini | |||
| 5. Cartier | 5. Audi | |||
| 6. BMW | 6. Aston Martin | |||
| 7. Mercedes-Benz | 7. Four Seasons | |||
| 8. W Hotels | 8. Mercedes-Benz | |||
| 9. Prada | 9. Ralph Lauren | |||
| 10. Audi | 10. Ritz-Carlton |
Have you noticed lately how the snacks section of a restaurant menu is getting bigger and bigger? The small-sized portions are apparently the hottest things sizzling up the restaurant industry. They are cheap, don’t leave you feeling stuffed and guilty and are available at hours outside of strict meal times.
A study released in March by food service research firm Technomic shows that many consumers are replacing meals with snacks. “There appears to be growing interest among consumers in more frequent, smaller meals,” said Erik Thoresen, director, product innovation. “Restaurants have taken notice and are working to meet this growing need.” Since 2007, snack items skyrocketed 170%. According to Mintel, a market intelligence firm, it’s a trend that will continue. It’s probably one of the few ways that the restaurant industry can fight the still-painful economy.
“By innovating menus with various snacking options, restaurants can boost sales throughout the day and drive guest traffic during non-peak hours,” said Eric Giandelone, director of food service research at Mintel in a release.
A former retail manager at Prada Japan, Rina Bovrisse (pictured), has claimed that the retailer forced employees to buy Prada bags and other items in order to cover up the fact that sales were falling. Bovrisse faced the luxury retailer in complaint court in Japan. That case was ruled “unsettled,” and so a civil lawsuit was filed.
Bovrisse and two other former employees claim that, beginning in January 2009, the company forced its workers to purchase products. The sales could not be entered as employee purchases but had to be entered as a customer’s full price purchase. That way the purchases would give Prada Milan, the worldwide headquarters of the brand, the impression that Japanese stores were meeting their sales targets. Employees were then paid back out of funds that were to be used for the company’s holiday party and were marked as as “campaign” salary. But even then the employees were responsible for taxes on what was considered bonus pay and had to pay additional money. This situation limped along for a while and even after the reimbursements ran dry some Prada Japan employees were told that they needed to continue to purchase products or else the company would be forced to downsize. The requirements continued and Bovrisse says she personally bought $20,000 worth of products. Employees were strapped, they were struggling to pay their bills but were also scared that if they didn’t buy they wouldn’t have jobs. It’s unclear when if ever Prada Milan knew about the program but so far it has denied responsibility for the program.
(via Luxist)
Excerpt from the very interesting talk that Bill Taubman (COO of Taubman Centers of Bloomfield Michigan) at the Luxury Summit conference, held nearly two weeks ago in Las Vegas. (via Luxist)
You said in your Luxury Summit presentation, that the mall is evolving, but with a strong heart. What are the components of this strong heart?
Taubman: One component of the strong heart is understanding that the mall is a social environment, as much as it is a shopping venue. If you look at it this way, the mall is an area where people seek out people, talk, eat and purchase, so another component of the strong heart is the high end shopping experience. The luxury brand becomes the positive, memorable experience. It also becomes part of the consumer mindset and identity. The luxury mall is providing the environment so the brands can become all these things.
How do you see the luxury mall evolving in the next few years?
Taubman: I see the mall evolving into more of an experiential, educational, aesthetically pleasing area than it has been in the past. Of all companies right now, I think the Apple stores provide interesting clues to what the luxury mall physical environments may become in the next number of years. Apple decided they needed a mall environment to properly promote their brand — they could not do it on the web or in big boxes alone. In the Apple stores, you can try their latest products out, there is always someone there to answer questions, in many stores there are video presentations, demonstrations and of course, areas – the Genius Bar in Apple’s case – where more complex questions can be answered.
What we learn from this is how sophisticated the consumers have become, and how multidimensional their expectations, needs and wants have become as well.
Permuto has put together some interesting graphics illustrating the attributes of the most common online shoppers… Turns out if you are in your early-40s, a woman, make about $65,000 a year, and spend around $450 a year online, then the internet has got your number!
Other interesting stats show the breakdown if international ecommerce figures, frequency of online transactions and racial makeup of buyers.
Filed under: Fashion,Stores | Tags: LEED, Louis Vuitton, Santa Monica Place
Louis Vuitton will open their first LEED certified boutique this August in Santa Monica at the upcoming Santa Monica Place shopping center.
Other shops joining LV will be Bloomingdales, All Saints, Ted Baker, Mikael Kors, and Burberry…
Visit Santa Monica Place
The internet and fashionistas have been buzzing about the new Ralph Lauren boutique in Paris which is home to the entire RL collection from Polo and RRL to Purple and Black Labels to the Home collection. Even more appetizing is Ralph´s- RL´s first restaurant in Europe with real American cuisine by none other than Danny Meyer (from Shake Shack, Gramercy Tavern, The Modern…).
Here are some pics from Luxist of the new watch section at the RL Paris boutique which houses the brand´s relatively new collection…
Given the nature of the brand, Ralph Lauren watches has found most of its sales occurring in-store at overall Ralph Lauren stores. The new tactic here is to be included in the overall store and Ralph Lauren atmosphere, but to have a slightly separated space given the more complex and intimate nature of selling expensive watches. (Luxist)
Filed under: Stores | Tags: Berlin, frozen yogurt, Pinkberry, Yogurtland, Yoli
At last… While you lucky folks in the US have been enjoying your Pinkberry and Yogurtland for the last few years, we here in Berlin have been forced to slum it with regular ice cream… 
With the newly opened Yoli, we have our very own frozen yogurt store!
Filed under: Retail Events,Stores | Tags: beck, Colette, Paris, Photography, Retail
A new exhibit kicks off at Colette called “Music Loves You”… “Discover the films and photos of crowds and fans immortalized by Beck, Drew Carolan, Josh Cheuse, Lenny Kravitz, Nick Zinner, Philip Andelman, Poppy de Villeneuve, Stefano Giovannini. A tribute to all that contribute to make a live concert so special and unforgettable.” Images below by Karl Hab (via Hypebeast)
Filed under: Fashion,Market Info,Stores | Tags: Uniqlo, NYC, rents, cushman, fifth avenue
In their bid to take over the world, Uniqlo has signed a lease for the highest rent ever in the history of NYC retail- USD300,000,000 over 15 years!
Uniqlo owner Fast Retailing Co., Japan’s biggest apparel seller, announced the deal today, with broker Cushman & Wakefield Inc. and landlord Crown Acquisitions disclosing the price. The space lies at 666 Fifth Ave. near 53rd Street.
“Uniqlo identified this location as being the one that they were willing to make the biggest bet on,” said C. Bradley Mendelson, the Cushman & Wakefield broker who represented landlords Carlyle Group, Crown Acquisitions and Kushner Cos. “They’re one of the biggest retailers in the world; they’re just small in the U.S.”
The contract shows Fifth Avenue’s appeal even after U.S. consumer purchases fell for two straight years, the first such decline since the 1930s. Fast Retailing entered the Russian market earlier in 2010 and plans to open its largest store in Shanghai next month.
(via Bloomberg)
Filed under: Advertising,Art/Design,Fashion,Market Info | Tags: consumption, Demi Moore, The Joneses
In case you haven´t already seen the trailer or the movie, here is the preview of “The Joneses”… This is the new movie featuring David Duchovny and Demi Moore all about buying, spending and setting trends…
As the potential in China for retailers continues to grow, Levis is making news by introducing a completely new brand to the region. With a lower price point (around $50) and strict Chinese distribution, I expect that this move will convince a lot of other brands to do the same.
From Levis Press:
The denim giant joins Hermès International in the push to develop a brand for China. The luxury firm has taken a majority stake in Shanghai-based Shang Xia, which is creating, manufacturing and will sell a collection of clothing, accessories, furniture and other lifestyle products using Chinese raw materials and artisanal know-how. The first Shang Xia store is to open this year in Shanghai.
Levi Strauss’ goal is to develop the new brand’s store base with an even balance of franchised units and company-owned units. The stores are expected to average about 1,000 square feet, which is similar in size to existing Levi’s stores in China. Shop-in-shops within department stores will showcase the brand, as well.
Like Levi’s other stores in China, the new brand’s shops will offer a “top-to-bottom experience,” Gimbel said, with an array of merchandise for men and women. The denim will feature Levi’s signature five-pocket design, but will have a “distinct style and flair,” he said. “There will still be that Levi Strauss & Co. authentic denim craftsmanship, but it will have its unique identity.”
From SlamxHype:
Tailing off the recent success from their new store ventures opening in Los Angeles, London and Mallorca, Monocle sets their eyes on Hong Kong. Teaming together with Asian retailer Lane Crawford, Monocle are set to open their new store inside Lane Crawford on April 15th 2010. Offering seasonal collections and collaborations from Monocle the store will celebrate the first Asian home with a cocktail party for 1,000 subscribers, shoppers and Hong Kong friends.
Monocle Shop at Lane Crawford
Shop 126
88, Queensway
Admiralty, Hong Kong
Filed under: Market Info,Stores | Tags: amazin, Apple, Recession, urban outfitters
While the majority of major retailers have been hit during the recession, Forbes reports that among others Apple, Amazon and Urban Outfitters have not only managed to stay afloat, but to do exceedingly well in recent times!
Apple, which has taken the retail world by storm with its own outlets. Customers regularly crowd into the small, cozy Apple Stores to scoop up Macs and iPods, vaulting Apple to the top of the industry for revenue per square foot. Apple Store sales have nearly doubled over the past three years to $9.6 billion.
Amazon.com continues to roll up higher sales — almost 80 percent growth over the past three years — even though some industry analysts see the company maturing in the U.S. Once little more than an online bookseller, Amazon has become the go-to spot for shoppers looking for convenience and reasonable prices on a wide range of merchandise, including consumer electronics.
The casual dining sector is crowded and struggling, but some chains have carved out distinctive niches and rung up strong sales growth. Chipotle Mexican Grill, Texas Roadhouse and Buffalo Wild Wings have steadily opened outlets while growing revenue 47 percent to 61 percent since 2006. The keys: nice decor, friendly service, consistent food and, of course, low prices. Sounds simple enough, but too many chains trying this model fail to distract customers from the fact that they’re out for a discount meal.
Filed under: Art/Design,Fashion,Retail Events,Stores | Tags: Innovation, Retail, Shopping, Travel, Wallpaper
Among top reasons for travel are experiencing new cultures, relaxation, and bonding with friends/family. Though most would be less inclined to admit it, shopping is probably also at the top of the list. As much as one tries to deny it, memories and photographs sometimes simply cannot provide a “real” and “tangible” enough souvnir for travellers, so shopping is the safest way to bring something home that will last.
Shop-aholics however need no longer be afraid to admit it. With the new issue of Wallpaper* magazine, the style authority has released its annual “Retail Directory” which identifies the top of the heap in terms of retail design and innovation- and more importantly shopping that merits travel in itself! Among our favorites are…
Beverly Hills
1.310 246 3060
Milpark
27.11 482 5012
Brussels
Tel: 32.475 989589
Clerkenwell, EC1
44.20 3328 3560
Big corporate giant versus independent small town shop… it is an old story, but one without as much humor as this one. To me, the entire idea of a legal issue with this is ludicrous, but one that has happened nonetheless.
The South Butt was started two year ago by Jimmy Winkelmann of suburban St. Louis, though he’s now a 19-year-old college freshman studying biomedical engineering at the University of Missouri-Columbia. Winkelmann has said he started the business to make money for college.
The company sells products with the tag line, “Never Stop Relaxing,” a parody of The North Face line, “Never Stop Exploring.” A wavelike pattern and the company name appear near the upper right or left shoulder on jackets and shirts, similar to the logo and placement used by The North Face.
The North Face, a San Leandro, Calif.-based division of VF Corp, sued in December. The lawsuit sought unspecified damages and asked the court to prohibit The South Butt from making, marketing and selling its line of fleeces, T-shirts and shorts.
At issue was the question of parody or piracy. The lawsuit claimed The South Butt marketed apparel that “infringes and dilutes The North Face’s famous trademarks and duplicates The North Face’s trade dress in its iconic Denali jacket,” referring to a popular fleece jacket marketed by the company.
“While defendants may try to legitimize their piracy under the banner of parody, their own conduct belies that claim,” the suit said, noting that The South Butt had twice attempted to obtain a U.S. trademark registration.
In a whimsical response Watkins wrote that “the consuming public is well aware of the difference between a face and a butt …”
(via msnbc)
As digital media value increases rapidly and old-school advertising seems to be more and more ignored, it was nice to see this list of innovative billboards from Street Level.
Can you guess the advertisers in all of the pics?
Regardless how much you think you know about shopping, it can be pretty much guaranteed that the people that actually work in shops know more. A former salesclerk and AOL contributor shares a few secrets of the biz…
“The salesperson knows what size you really wear.
Most customers shuffle through the racks, pick out what they want, pay and leave. However, we do have the needy clients, too. She usually asks for a dress in a size 4; the salesperson suggests an 8. No, she wants a 4. The salesperson finds the 4 and brings it to the changing room. She also discreetly places a 6 and 8 on a chair nearby. Ten minutes later she hears a whisper: “Hello? Sales lady? Could I try the size 6?” She grabs the 6 and passes it along, while also hanging the size 8 on the outside of the door. In the end, the client leaves the store with a size 8 dress tucked into her shopping bag.
Number one pet peeve: return-and-exchange abusers
Colleen Hollis, who owns a children’s clothing store, notes, “We know what brands our store carries. A lady brought back a dress that looked similar to one we carry and it did have our sales tag on it.” But on close inspection, Hollis noticed that while the dress was similar to one she sold, it wasn’t from a manufacturer that she’d ever dealt with. “The customer had bought a cheap knock-off brand and our dress. She kept our dress, took the tag off and applied our tag to the knock-off brand dress to get a refund for the more expensive dress!” She laments, “The extent some people will go through to abuse the system amazes me every day.”
If it’s not on sale, you’re paying too much
In most cases, even when an item is 50% off, a brick-and-mortar store is still making 100% profit on it. This is why Lezlie, a sales associate who didn’t want her last name used, states, “My motto is never pay full price. I always wait for the items to go on sale.” Of course, retailers hide the marked down items in the way back so that you have to pass all the newest pieces, with their 400% mark-up, to get to them. But hunting those items down will give your wallet a break without hurting the store one bit-though I must admit that splurging on the occasional hot-new-thing will make your commission-earning sales associate very happy.”
“J.Crew associate themselves with heritage in define their collection on the such product. The look at the J.Crew Fall/Winter 2010 Collection with this impressive lookbook epitomizes their heritage influence and we see some really great outerwear combined with knitwear and relaxed tailoring matched with denim and chino’s.”
(via SlamXHype)
Urban Outfitters has just announced that they will now be stocking Pendleton products (collective sigh of hipster relief around the world). While the products are not specifically designed by or for UO, this should open up the Pendleton brand to a new price and lifestyle segment.
Images via Hypebeast
Gadling, the superb travel blog, has put together some helpful tips for shopping addicts around the world. From Morrocco to Toronoto to Beijing and Tahiti, they have scoured the best shops, markets and malls to get the perfect souvenir.
Here is a sample from Mumbai!
Mumbai, India
Mumbai is a bustling, busy, and sometimes dirty city. My favorite shopping destination was Mangadalas Market, where there are plenty of bargains on everything from textiles to clothing, both modern and traditional. This is a great place to find accent pieces (and fabrics to make your own) for your home. Women should definitely check out Naina’s, where you can order customized saris. And, Cottage Industries Emporium has an unbelievable selection of crafts made by skilled Indian artisans.
Filed under: Fashion,Market Info,Stores | Tags: Resort Refugees, Shopping, Travel
Our sister site, Resort Refugees has posted a few interesting products available around the world. Check them out here!
Vivienne Westwood, created a name for herself styling the likes of Johnny Rotten and design consort, Andreas Kronthaler. A defining name in fashion and one made memorable for her association with being so pivotal in punk fashion. With Kronthaler taking over the MAN line and providing his own spin to the Westwood stockpile of pirates, buffalo boys, gigolos and buccaneers has culminated in this latest move. The very first Vivienne Westwood MAN stand along store in London has opened “filled with rough-hewn signatures” like rusted-steel and wide-oak floorboards and nickel-plated rails and cabinets. It’s the perfect backdrop for spring’s gypsy-nomad collection.
(via Slam X Hype)
Travel + Leisure recently put together a list of the world´s top outlet shopping locales. Some are not surprising like Woodbury Commons, but some others (especially the Asian malls) are interesting discoveries. Have you been to any of these?
(Space Outlet in Tuscany)
Mantri Square, India’s biggest mall, has just opened its doors on Sampige Roade, Malleswaram, in Bangalore this week. Its 1.7 million square feet houses 252 retail stores—including international names Marks & Spencer, Adidas, Nike, Crocs, and Benetton—and employs over 4,600 people. Still, it hardly holds a candle to the world’s largest mall: the South China Mall, which clocks in at 7.1 million square feet!
Filed under: Art/Design,Market Info,Stores | Tags: Design, dwr, furniture, post modern
From Fast Company…
“It’s been a tough few months for modern furniture retailer Design Within Reach. The company, which prides itself on authenticity, was exposed for knocking off famous product designs. What started as a catalog-only business had expanded–too quickly–into the retail world, and costly store space was weighing down on the company. Now, as DWR tries to get itself back on track, it will close store locations of its accessories line, Tools for Living. (New York’s SoHo store is presently still open.)
When CEO Ray Brunner left DWR at the end of last year, John Edelman stepped in as his replacement, encountering a staff that was “hand-shy, like a dog that’s been hit,” due, he said, to his predecessors’ “mean and dictatorial” nature.
In December, Edelman told FastCompany.com about the long road ahead, recognizing that saving the company would take time. His goals included doing “better with fewer” stores and creating a tighter Tools For Living collection, making it available in all DWR studios.
So the closing of Tools for Living stores—which featured an overwhelming selection of everything from $25 Swedish fire starters to $200 wooden monkeys—seems to be keeping in line with his original plan. As the company carries out the process of shutting down locations, “Tools for Living as a category will continue to live on in select DWR Studios and on the Web,” Chris Hope, VP of marketing and creative, tells FastCompany.com. “We’re excited about creating a narrower and more focused assortment.”
Filed under: Fashion,Market Info | Tags: Retail, Innovation, J. Crew, Jenna Lyons, Jenna´s Picks
An interesting perspective and some wise words from J. Crew creative boss, Jenna Lyons:
“We’ve just seen an insatiable appetite for nail polish, so we’re looking at other things we can do for women. Women want candy. Someone else said this: “Ask a woman what her favorite thing in her closet is, and she’ll pick the thing she bought yesterday; ask a man, and he’ll pick the thing he bought 40 years ago.” So for men’s, we’re looking into heritage pieces. One is an old coat factory, and one is another American classic shoemaker. What we’d really like to do, especially for women’s, is a shoe collaboration where we maybe go to someone like Manolo Blahnik or Christian Louboutin. Gap did a great job doing that with Pierre Hardy, I thought. Women’s is just harder. Would I love to sell Chanel bags? Sure. Would they let us? No.”
Our conclusions: men love heritage and women love novelty…?
Saw this great “perfume sprayer” vending machine on the Arkitip Intel blog this morning. Maybe this concept should be revitalized?
For 10 cents you have a spray of chanel N°5… that was in the 40′S
“McDonald’s fans may be lovin’ it even more this summer if the fast-food chain’s plan to sell sodas for $1 goes through.
Executives from both McDonald’s and the Coca-Cola Co. have been trying to get franchises sweet on the deal at recent regional meetings, according to the Wall Street Journal. Hoping to become the place where people flock to buy beverages, McDonald’s wants to offer sodas of any size for only $1.
The low prices will slash soft-drink profits at Golden Arches restaurants, which rely on soda sales as among their biggest moneymakers.
Though McDonald’s has tried summer dollar-drink promotions in the past, it’s pushing harder for the idea to stick this time around, two franchises told the Journal.”
(via SlashFood)
Superstar retailer, Uniqlo, will make its forray into the Russian market with its first shop in Moscow. With 918 stores already open worldwise, the Atrium shopping center will boast 1,200 sq. meters of space when it opens April 2.
Interestingly, Uniqlo has just introduced its new recycling program in Japan, “which allows Japanese consumers to recycle their unwanted Uniqlo threads at stores from biannually, in March and September, to all year round. The clothes were sent to refugee and IDP camps in Asia and Africa, and disaster victims worldwide. Let’s hope this initiative spreads to the 125 stores dotted around the rest of the world.” (Fast Company)
In a former life, I was a fan of Hooters, but as the promise of skin and cheap flirting became more readily available outside of a buffalo wing restaurant, the attraction wained. Now we see how some restauranteurs have reacted- by making the girls wear even less…
A Texas-based sports bar is launching a full-frontal assault on Hooters‘ dominance in the scantily-clad server category, announcing plans to take its “bikini babe” concept nationwide. “Our competition has been getting stale,” says Doug Guller, who opened his first Bikinis Sports Bar and Grill in North Austin in 2006. “If they’re Microsoft, we’re Apple.”
Guller isn’t the only entrepreneur who suspects Hooters’ sovereignty is waning: Heart Attack Grill, with its sexy “nurse-waitresses” and the Tilted Kilt chain, where servers wear tartan bras and short skirts, are among the more notable recent attempts at improving upon the concept pioneered back in 1983 by Hooters, a chain that’s lately been getting attention for its struggles in Vegas and less-than-flattering cameo appearance on Undercover Boss.
“The market is growing,” Guller confirms. At Bikinis, the standard server costume is cowboy boots, a short denim skirt and a bikini top. Each diner is guaranteed visits from at least three servers. While the Bikinis’ uniform isn’t much racier than what’s on view at most American beaches, Guller said even he was surprised when he opened his first restaurant outside Texas last year and nobody complained.
I wonder why?…
Photo: Bikinis Sports Bar and Grill
Filed under: Retail Events | Tags: air royalty maracons, Colette, nike sportswear
This Hypebeast story is making me hungry… Is it lunchtime yet?
“In celebration of the Nike Sportswear Air Royalty Macarons launch, Parisian boutique colette held a special “cooklette” event, poking a bit of fun at the inspiration behind the pack’s design scheme. In honor of the French delicacies, participants were given the free reign to dress up their macarons in an assortment of color and taste options, making for quite an interesting event. Images of the day can be seen below.”
Filed under: Fashion,Market Info,Retail Events,Stores | Tags: H&M, liberty of london, sonia rykiel, target
Two high-powered retail brand collaborations have been making news around the world the last week…
TARGET X LIBERTY of LONDON
Liberty of London, known for its coveted floral prints and exclusivity in the UK has joined forces with Target for an affordable line of home products. “The collection—reinterpreting Liberty’s limited edition Merci line for spring at a lower price point—plays to both brands’ recent successes with similar collaborations. The upshot, floral-printed apparel for men, women and kids, as well as accessories, bedding, stationery, furniture and bicycles done up in paisleys and other patterns by the centuries-old fabric company, fills the space to the brim. Along with blooming flowers (like daffodils and hydrangeas), props, and build-outs all keeping to the theme too, the shop itself has the dizzyingly gorgeous effect of a classic all-over Liberty print.” (via Coolhunting)
H&M X SONIA RYKIEL
It should be no surprise that this mega-collab between the legendary French fashion house and H&M has literally created violent stampedes around the world…
