Retail Recap: The important openings and partnerships of December 2023

Chloe Burney

29 December 2023

As December comes to a close, the retail sector reflects on an overall positive month, as expected. However, recent reports have revealed that Christmas shoppers continue to be cautious with spending this golden quarter.

Throughout the month, there have been positive trading updates from companies such as Mango and Zara. However, a volatile retail environment led to the downfall of MATCHES, which was acquired by Frasers Group, and Farfetch, which is in talks to be rescued by Apollo Global.

TheIndustry.fashion has curated a list of the retail stores that have opened this month as well as a number of partnerships.

Store Openings

River Island's upsizing at Manchester Arndale attracts French Connection

French Connection is making its way to Manchester Arndale after agreeing to take a 2,189 sq ft unit on a five-year lease at the bustling shopping centre in the heart of central Manchester.

Roberto Cavalli Bond Street

Roberto Cavalli opened flagship store on London’s New Bond Street

Luxury Italian fashion house Roberto Cavalli has opened a new 8,611 sq ft flagship store at 149 New Bond Street in London. Located in a Victorian-era building, the store has several rooms spread over two floors.

In Pictures: Klättermusen unveiled first UK store on London’s King’s Road

Swedish mountaineering brand Klättermusen unveiled its first UK store at 36 King’s Road in London.

The 969 sq ft space from the premium outdoor brand, which is stocked by the likes of END, Mr Porter, Matches and specialist outdoor retailers such as Cotswolds and Neville Sports in the UK, marked the brand's first standalone store in Europe.

Tommy Hilfiger opened a store at Dublin’s Blanchardstown Centre

Tommy Hilfiger opened a new 2,600 sq ft store on level 2 of the Blanchardstown Centre in Dublin, next to the recently opened Calvin Klein Jeans store. The new shop, which has been signed on a 10-year lease, offers the brand’s menswear, womenswear, footwear and accessories.

In Pictures: Loake’s new store on Covent Garden’s Neal Street

British footwear brand Loake has opened its seventh London store at 62 Neal Street in Covent Garden. The 1,000 sq ft store marks the brand’s 27th store in the UK, having also opened at 11 Crescent Street in Cambridge, and at the McArthurGlen Outlet centre in Ashford, Kent this year.

Albaray opened its first physical retail store in Chichester

Albaray, the digital-first womenswear brand established by a team of former directors of Warehouse, has opened the doors of its first physical retail store in Chichester.

Tissot opened first UK store in London’s Covent Garden

Swiss watch brand Tissot, which is owned by the Swatch Group, opened its first standalone store in the UK at 7 James Street in London’s Covent Garden.

Nike rolls out digitally innovative concept store to Trinity Leeds

Nike has been churning out concept stores over the past few years, transforming the experiential retail space. The latest addition? Nike Rise is joining Trinity Leeds next year.

Crew Clothing opened its first store in the tennis town of Eastbourne

Crew Clothing opened its first store in Eastbourne in a prime position in The Beacon shopping centre. The British fashion and lifestyle retailer has for many years been the official merchandise partner of Eastbourne's famous Rothesay International tennis tournament, so has had a high-profile presence in the South Coast town but until now had never had a store.

Under Armour opened its first outlet store in London

American sportswear brand Under Armour has opened its first-ever outlet store in London at The O2, following a surge in Black Friday sales last month.

The store occupies 3,949 sq ft on Outlet Shopping at The O2’s lower level, situated next to anchor stores and fellow sportswear retailers, Nike, New Balance and Adidas.

Moscot opened fourth London store on Marylebone High Street

Heritage US eyewear brand Moscot opened a new 280 sq ft store at 68 Marylebone High Street, adding to its existing London stores on Beak Street in Soho, Long Acre in Covent Garden and King’s Road in Chelsea.

In Pictures: Abercrombie & Fitch unveiled new Carnaby Street store

Abercrombie & Fitch opened a new store on Carnaby Street, one of London's busiest shopping destinations. Located at 39 Carnaby Street, the new store offers the brand’s current womenswear and menswear collections.

In Pictures: French Connection unveiled new Manchester store

French Connection hailed its return to Manchester with a new 1,700 sq ft store in the city's Arndale Centre. The doors of the store were opened today at Lower Unit 30 in the leading retail destination and, in keeping with the city's reputation as an important fashion centre, it features French Connection's "premium fashion buy".

Pop-ups

Flannels launched a new ‘Renaissance’ pop-up for the release of Beyoncé’s concert film

Flannels once again partnered with Beyoncé’s Parkwood Entertainment for a special pop-up with official apparel and exclusive installations to celebrate the release of the singer’s new ‘Renaissance’ film.

Stella McCartney

In Pictures: Stella McCartney launched sustainable 'Stellabration' at Selfridges

Stella McCartney launched a new festive-themed retail pop-up installation at the Selfridges Corner Shop concept, titled ‘Stellabration’ with a focus on sustainability.

Vayder brought LA-inspired menswear to London in Harrods pop-up

Vayder, the newly founded menswear brand, brought its LA casualwear to the streets of London in its first-ever pop-up shop at the capital city's iconic department store, Harrods.

Patrick Grant’s Community Clothing revisited London pop-up for Christmas

Community Clothing returned to homeware store Pentreath & Hall, 17 Rugby Street in London, for its latest Christmas pop-up - running from 5-15 December 2023. Founder of Community Clothing, and most famously a judge on ‘The Great British Sewing Bee’, Patrick Grant, was on the shop floor all day on Wednesday 6 December telling the brand’s story and answering questions.

In Pictures: Lounge made city debut at Liverpool ONE

Loungewear and lingerie brand, Lounge, made its city debut in Liverpool with the opening of its Christmas pop-up store on South John Street. The 4,000 sq ft space – which champions the band’s ‘’Comfort Made Sexy’ tagline – ran until 23 December.

Nadine Merabi

Nadine Merabi opened first pop-up shop as part of wider brand activation plan

Nadine Merabi opened its very first store in the heart of London’s West End at 42 South Molton Street – the six-week pop-up commenced the start of an "activation plan" which sees the brand launching a selection of wholesale partnerships across the UK and US, as well as a series of pop-ups throughout 2024.

Sign of the Times popped up in Chelsea's Peter Jones

John Lewis' Peter Jones embarked on its first circular fashion adventure with a pop-up in collaboration with Sign of the Times, the UK-based luxury pre-loved reseller.

The pop-up, located on Sloane Square in London's Chelsea, is open now and runs until 31 January. It provides shoppers a chance to browse a collection of pre-loved designer pieces including outerwear, bags and accessories.

Partnerships

eBay ramp up pre-loved push sponsoring Love Island All Stars

ITV is recoupling for a third time with eBay UK. This time, the second-hand marketplace is set to sponsor the first-ever Love Island All Stars series to promote pre-loved fashion’s potential.

coach

Coach flexed its pop culture appeal with Lil Nas X partnership

Coach continued to tap into pop culture with its latest ‘The Lil Nas X Drop’, a capsule collection featuring pieces designed by the luxury fashion brand and curated by Lil Nas X.

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Retail Recap: The important openings and partnerships of December 2023

Store Openings

Pop-ups

Partnerships

Features