IADS Retail Park

In this episode of The I.A.D.S. Retail Park 🎧, Maya and Selvane dissect the I.A.D.S. 100 report, revealing how department stores worldwide weathered the unprecedented 2019-2021 period. 📊 From BHG’s stunning 62% growth in China to Japan’s tourism-dependent stores losing two-thirds of their sales, this deep dive uncovers the strategies that separated survivors from strugglers. 🌍

Why did stores with food sections bounce back faster? How did supply chain disruptions reshape consumer expectations? And what made some retailers completely reinvent their business models while others clung to pre-pandemic strategies?

👉 Click here to read this week’s IADS Exclusive on omnichannel.

🖇️Click here to read The Great Reset: How Department Stores Navigated 2019-2021

For more updates, follow us on LinkedIn at International Association of Department Stores – I.A.D.S., subscribe to our Substack for weekly signals shaping the future of retail, or explore www.iads.org for fresh resources and game-changing research!

In this episode of The I.A.D.S. Retail Park 🎧, Maya sits down with Selvane to decode the conscious customer revolution that’s reshaping retail from the ground up. 🌱 From the explosion of fast fashion to today’s sustainability-first shoppers, they explore how 50% of consumers now actively seek greener options - and what this means for department stores racing to adapt. 🛍️ How do you balance customer demands, regulatory pressure, and investor expectations while staying profitable? Selvanne reveals surprising insights about customer segments, the coming wave of packaging surcharges, and why going “back to basics” might be retail’s most innovative move. Can traditional retailers actually out-sustain Amazon? What happens when conscious customers start buying less overall?

👉 Check out the full exclusive for more expert insights and all the details—link in the episode description!

For more updates, follow us on LinkedIn at International Association of Department Stores – I.A.D.S., subscribe to our Substack for weekly signals shaping the future of retail, or explore www.iads.org for fresh resources and game-changing research!

In this episode of The I.A.D.S. Retail Park 🎧, Maya welcomes Selvane to rethink one of retail’s most overused buzzwords—omnichannel. What if being “everywhere at once” isn’t actually the goal? 🤯 Together, they unpack groundbreaking research from Erasmus University’s Robert Rooderkerk that challenges a decade of retail assumptions. Discover why the smartest retailers aren’t multiplying touchpoints—they’re mastering customer steering. From Holland & Barrett’s market-specific nudging to Coolblue’s pickup-point optimisations, Maya and Selvane decode what it really means to guide customers profitably through personalised journeys. 🧭🛍️ Expect candid conversation about misaligned incentives, store politics, and the downfall of the so-called “halo effect.” Learn how retailers are redefining omnichannel maturity—turning friction into fuel for smarter growth. Is the future of retail really about being everywhere—or just being right where it matters most? 🚦 👉 Click here to read this week’s IADS Exclusive on omnichannel.

🖇️Click here to read Robert’s article in the Harvard Business Review.

For more updates, follow us on LinkedIn at International Association of Department Stores – I.A.D.S., subscribe to our Substack for weekly retail signals, or explore www.iads.org for exclusive insights, market intelligence, and more. 🌐

In this episode of The I.A.D.S. Retail Park 🎧, Maya welcomes Selvane to unpack the untold story of Riyadh’s retail revolution—and why department stores are missing out on a market worth $270 billion and counting. 🏙️🛍️ Step inside the Saudi mall boom as our hosts walk through time-capsule classics like Olaya, entertainment giants like Panorama, and the ultra-luxury labyrinth of VIA Riyadh. But where are the department stores in all this action? Maya and Selvane break down the field report—revealing why Harvey Nichols and Al Rubaiyat feel stuck on defense, and what it will take for department stores to carve out a winning formula in the Kingdom. Expect candid stories from the ground: empty showrooms, eager shoppers, and what happens when malls trade focus for flash. Is this market waiting for retail’s next big reinvention? Or is the department store era running out of time in Riyadh? 🚗🌐 👉 Tap here to unlock the full Exclusive for expert strategy🔗, field notes, and the full Riyadh mall photo gallery📸 ! For more updates, follow us on LinkedIn at International Association of Department Stores – I.A.D.S., subscribe to our Substack for weekly signals shaping the future of retail, or explore www.iads.org for fresh resources and game-changing research!

In this episode of The IADS Retail Park 🏢, Maya and Selvane explore KaDeWe Berlin’s spectacular transformation into Europe’s most ambitious luxury department store. 🛍️✨ How do you reimagine 60,000 square meters of retail space while keeping 80% local customers engaged? Discover OMA’s architectural genius, the power of forty simultaneous pop-ups, and why thirty restaurants on one floor changed everything. 🍽️🏗️ From transparent Louis Vuitton walls to midnight caviar bars, learn how KaDeWe became Berlin’s social infrastructure rather than just another shopping destination.

👉 Tap here to read the full Exclusive!

For more insights and updates, follow us on LinkedIn at International Association of Department Stores - I.A.D.S., check out our Substack, visit our website at www.iads.org for additional resources, and learn more here!

In this episode of The IADS Retail Park 🧘‍♀️, Maya and Selvane explore the wellness revolution transforming department stores worldwide. From Galeries Lafayette’s 3,000-square-meter Wellness Galerie to Saks Fifth Avenue’s Botox services, discover how retailers are reimagining traditional beauty salons. 💆‍♀️✨ What happens when department stores become wellness destinations offering hyperbaric chambers, mental health counseling, and IV drips? Learn about five distinct approaches, from “2.0 beauty salons” to holistic wellness ecosystems that challenge everything we know about retail spaces. 🏥

👉 Tap here to unlock the full Exclusive for expert insights and all the juicy details!

💊 For more insights and updates, follow us on LinkedIn at International Association of Department Stores - I.A.D.S., check out our Substack, visit our website at www.iads.org for additional resources, and learn more here!

In this episode of The I.A.D.S. Retail Park 🎧, Maya and Christine pull back the velvet curtain on Saks Global’s high-stakes transformation—where American luxury takes one last swing for the fences.🛍️💸 How do you merge two titans with a $2.65 billion deal, outpace overdue vendor bills, and stay glamorous when Amazon’s knocking and Costco’s calling? 💼✨ The hosts dissect Saks Fifth Avenue’s bold makeover, Neiman Marcus’s behind-the-scenes drama, and a cast of competitors ready to steal the spotlight. Expect inside stories on talent shakeups, brand mix shakeouts, and why Saks is racing the clock to prove it’s still retail royalty. Is this Saks’s finest hour—or a final act? Step inside the drama, and discover how luxury is being redefined for a digital-first age.

👉 Tap here to unlock the full Exclusive for expert insights and all the juicy details!

🕵️‍♀️For further updates, follow us on LinkedIn at International Association of Department Stores – I.A.D.S., explore our Substack, or visit www.iads.org for more resources!🔗

In this episode of The IADS Retail Park 🎧, Maya and Christine take listeners inside Mecca’s ascent from local Melbourne boutique to powerhouse beauty authority. Find out how Mecca flipped the script on global competition—capturing over 30% of the Australian market even as Sephora set its sights Down Under. The hosts reveal Mecca’s secrets: brand-agnostic strategies, immersive flagship concepts, and a community-first culture that built fierce customer loyalty and €1 billion in sales. Step into the new 4,000 sqm Melbourne flagship offering over 80 services, and see how local innovation can beat international scale in today’s consolidated market.

👉 Read the full exclusive on Mecca’s rise and check out photos 📸 from inside the flagship store. For more insights and updates, follow us on LinkedIn at International Association of Department Stores – IADS, check out our Substack, visit our website at www.iads.org for additional resources, and learn more here!

In this episode of The I.A.D.S. Retail Park, Maya sits down with Selvane to explore I.A.D.S.’s groundbreaking experiment with Web3 technology. During their 2022 General Assembly, the association issued POAPs to member CEOs and Academy graduates, diving headfirst into digital assets to understand their practical applications for retail. 🚀 The conversation reveals the ambitious brainstorming process that considered everything from metaverse storefronts to NFT awards, and why budget realities led them to focus on POAPs over costly virtual worlds. They discuss the challenges of educating members about crypto wallets, the complexities of Web3 regulations, and the decision to prioritize community value over monetization. 💎 What does it cost to build a functional metaverse store? How do you distribute digital certificates to traditional retail executives? Can Web3 technologies align with non-profit values? Tune in for practical insights into Web3 experimentation, lessons learned from real implementation, and why starting small might be the smartest approach to emerging technologies. ⚡

👉Click here to read the exclusive on the A window into Web3.

For more insights and updates, follow us on LinkedIn, check out our Substack, visit our website at iads.org for additional resources, and learn more here!

In this episode of The I.A.D.S. Retail Park, Maya explores Dubai’s department store landscape with Selvanne following I.A.D.S.’s research visit to Dubai Mall and Mall of the Emirates. They examine how international brands like Debenhams, Harvey Nichols, and Galeries Lafayette thrive through franchise partnerships with local operators. 🏬The conversation reveals striking contrasts in execution, from overcrowded experiences to luxury excellence, and discusses the phenomenon of brand over-representation across multiple locations. ✨How do franchise models balance global identity with local needs? What’s driving innovation in Dubai’s retail scene? Tune in for insights into franchise success and why Dubai has become a crucial testing ground for department store evolution. 🌍

👉Click here to read the exclusive on the Dubai Retail Tour.

For more insights and updates from the world of retail innovation, follow I.A.D.S. on LinkedIn, explore our Substack, and visit iads.org for additional resources, and learn more here!