The Australian consulting agency The General Store has presented the 50 coolest stores in the world as part of the World Retail Congress in Paris. According to the consulting agency, the coolness factor is currently of great importance: In addition to design, service and impressive experiences, creativity, cult status and commercial viability were decisive factors in the evaluation.
1 House of Rituals, Amsterdam
A holistic shopping and lifestyle concept with exclusive and unique collections – a journey of personal well-being.
2 Lynk & Co
Spending time with like-minded people, working – a car sharing social club.
3 Veja General Store, Paris
The Veja General Store is not a conventional sneaker store – rather, this store has a shoemaker’s workshop, a clothing alteration workshop and a curated area with books, socks, stationery and care products.
4 ON Running, London
Unpack-run-return and get new shoes. The circular concept of high-performance products is clearly illustrated in the store.
5 Freitag, Schweiz
Friday thinks and acts in cycles because they believe in the next life of things.
6 Quotidiana, Italy
The name says it all: newsstands are transformed into small centers.
7 The (Any)Thing, Netherlands
The (Any)Thing is the first on demand personal cinema in the world.
8 PJ.LOBSTER, Barcelona
The customer is the focus, so we use monochromatic surfaces to eliminate distractions from the product.
9 Ikea, Vienna
A mixed-use, urban retail playground with a “stay all day” philosophy, as in addition to the Ikea store there is also a hotel on the upper floors and a café on the roof. A concept that is perfectly connected to public transport and functions without parking spaces.
10 Saint Laurent Babylone, Paris
Saint Laurent Babylone is a new cultural destination and bookstore in the heart of Paris, dedicated to art, culture and more.
Other stores in Europe and beyond that have been selected are:
Freight Farms , Outlandish , Madhappy, July , Sporty & Rich, Facegym, Casetify, Foxtrot, London Sneaker School, Pickle, Serra, Sabyasachi, Glossier, Harmay, Pink’s WIndow Services, Wethenew, Gymshark, Flannels X, Hodinkee, H&M „Looop“, Peech, MOSH, Thread Together, Ruedu, Nothing, Lalo, The Bridge, CAMP, Canada Goose, Rinkan, Golden Goose, Leica, Atelier 100, The Annex by Superette, Documents Yuyan Study, Diptyque, Fish Butchery, Victor Churchill, My Only Fragrance, Gentle Monster.
The General Store is an Australian-based company specializing in retail strategy and innovation. Services offered include brand strategy, retail marketing mix strategies, consumer behavior insights and more. The report with the 50 coolest stores worldwide was produced with the support of Ebeltoft and Oresa and is intended to stimulate creative thinking through the selection. The examples presented are a wonderful combination of art and science.
