London

Sotheby’s are planning an auction on Nov 17 in Geneva which will feature a collection of some 400 lots of rare natural-coloured diamonds and historic jewels estimated to fetch in excess of 29.5 million. One of the most anticipated pieces is a pear-shaped fancy vivid blue with a modified brilliant cut weighing 5.96 carats – […]

I might like alternative media and applaud creative marketing concepts but I think this one goes a little too far perhaps. Right Guard developed a campaign using “Pitvertisers” who wore shirts with small video screens in their armpits.  When they lift their arm to expose their armpits it plays an advertising message about deoderant.  These […]

Bloomingdales in Manhattan are doing a total makeover on their 5500m2 main floor, due to be finished in October 15.  To launch the new layout they have organised 525 different events in cosmetics alone through December. The renovations apparently are costing between $US45-55million including vendor contributions for which the vendors are hoping to see a […]

Burberry opened its new 800m2 store at the ION Orchard shopping center in Singapore this week. The store will carry the full range of men’s & women’s wear as well as their children’s range, accessories, fragrances & timepieces.  To mark the opening of their 6th store in Singapore, Burberry will launch an exclusive collection of […]

A few months ago, Oakland Mall in Michegan announced they would be offering small startups & minipreneurs access to low cost/no cost kiosks as a way of creating a sense of excitement in the mall. The 12 72ft square kiosks are provided for the tenant and include display cases, counters & shelves. All the tenant […]

Ferrari’s new London store showcases some seriously amazing retail design from Massimo Iosa Ghini. Aside from the obvioius – its bright – each area of the store features a slightly different look to delineate the categories. The design features include transparent glass floors, lacquered finish to the walls and a rather amazing led style curtain. […]

Monocle Magazine have released their top 20 retail oulets in the world (reproduced in PSFK ).  Flicking through the links its hard not to agree that these are truely outstanding examples of what good retail can be: Demasié in Barcelona for beautifully packaged confectionery and great interiors. Roden Gray in Vancouver for its rough interiors […]

More than just your standard licensed branded product, the Johnnie Walker Blue Diary is not only a place to note your appointments but its your pass into exclusive events such as the Monaco Grand Prix 2009, the Johnnie Walker Gold Championships, a bespoke blending experience with a Johnnie Walker Master blender to create your own […]

The May Fair Hotel in London has launched its own channel on Youtube as part of its marketing effort to show its classy, prestigious but unpretentious. I’m not sure that the best example of this is to showcase an interview with Paris Hilton as a “typical guest”. It suggests that a subtext of their strategy […]

The new Mind Chair is the creation of Peter Marigold & Beta Tank in London. It looks average but what it does is display high-definition moving imagery into the mind of the person seated in it. It uses a science attributed to Dr Paul Bach-y-Rita which transmits a high definition image via a persons skin […]

Sprinkles is a brilliant food concept store out of the US.  They’ve taken the simple cupcake to a new level with their innovative flavours, strong sense of design and merchandising.  In the last decade, numerous cupcake shops have opened up in metropolitan cities around the world, following the direction of Manhattan’s Magnolia Bakery, often credited […]

The Thomas Pink concept store due to open in T5 in March should be interesting.  As well as selling Thomas Pink merchandise of course, the store will have a mineral water bar in the centre where you can sip on the latest mineral waters whilst watching FTSE reports from the London markets.  Shoppers will also […]

The UK’s first SMS service for finding the nearest toilet launched in London today. Just text the word “toilet” and SatLav, run by the Westminster City Council, points you the nearest public toilet. Someone should build a recommendation system on top of that and name it George, after the Seinfeld character who knew the location […]

Giorgio Armani S.p.A. is awarding a long term license to EMAAR Hotel & Resorts for the operation of a collection of luxury hotels and resorts. The agreement foresees the opening of at least seven luxury hotels and three vacation resorts within the next ten years. Following the signing of a Letter of Intent in 2004, […]

Hilton Hotels Corporation anticipates doubling its portfolio in Middle East & Africa over the next five years in line with the company’s strategic focus on development and growth. Currently with 43 properties and 15 new openings scheduled over the next three years in the Arabian Peninsula, Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, Morocco, Algeria, Africa and Indian Ocean, […]