As March comes to a close, the retail sector has picked back up from a slow start to the year. There has been a flourish of store openings and pop-ups taking place across the country.

Throughout the month, there has been positive trading updates, as retail returns to pre-pandemic levels. This is backed up by a variety of trading updates shared this month from companies including PVH, Inditex, H&M and Prada Group.

On the other hand, March also saw struggles for retailers such Scotch & Soda, which filed for bankruptcy and iconic menswear retailer Wellgosh, which closed its doors.

TheIndustry.fashion has curated a list of all the retail stores and pop-ups that have opened this month, as well as a number of partnerships from businesses including Tommy Hilfiger, Sandro and Mugler.

Store Openings

Swaine opened its largest store ever on New Bond Street as part of “radical rebrand”

Swaine, one of the UK’s oldest luxury goods brands, founded in 1750 and formerly known as Swaine Adeney Brigg, opened a new 7,000 sq ft flagship store at 126-127 New Bond Street “as the centrepiece of its most radical rebrand in 273 years”.

UNIQLO is set to open joint store with Theory in Covent Garden on 27 April

Having debuted a flagship joint UNIQLO and Theory store on London's Regent Street last spring, Fast Retailing is to open another joint-fascia store in Covent Garden next month. The 1,450sqm store spans three floors and features entrances on both Long Acre and Floral Street.

Joe Browns invests significantly in retail and plans for 10 new stores by the end of 2024

Joe Browns, the fashion and homeware retailer, has confirmed plans to significantly increase its number of bricks and mortar locations, opening 10 new stores by the end of 2024. The announcement significantly increases its footprint from the two existing stores, located in Sheffield's Meadowhall and York.

NEXT returning to Glasgow shopping centre with new flagship store

NEXT signed a 10-year lease for a new 28,000 sq ft flagship location at St. Enoch shopping centre in Glasgow. The new store is set to open its doors this October, strengthening St. Enoch reputation in the local area as a vibrant, go-to destination.

Frasers Group opened Sports Direct flagship at Manchester Arndale

Following on from the flagship store openings in London and Birmingham, Frasers Group opened a third Sports Direct flagship at Manchester’s Arndale on 24 March, as the group’s elevation strategy gathers pace.

Centre:mk continued "upward momentum" with new experimental H&M store

H&M in Milton Keynes is upsizing and relocating to Centre:mk, presenting a new concept store that will offer both fashion and homeware. The new store, set across two floors, will open 1 April 2023.

COS arrived in Edinburgh with new store in St James's Quarter

COS opened the doors of its first store in the Scottish capital, located in the newly opened St James's Quarter retail and residential destination in the heart of Edinburgh.

Australia's Forever New opened its first store in London

Australian womenswear Forever New is opened a new flagship in Westfield London, marking its first store in the UK’s capital city. The new space stocks the brand's elegant and airy dress designs, which embody its "playful approach to print and colour".

M&S added Nobody’s Child pop-up to 30 stores following successful trial

Retail giant Marks & Spencer welcomed eco-conscious fashion brand Nobody’s Child to 30 stores across the UK. The 400 ft pop-up concessions offer a 30-piece capsule collection of Nobody’s Child’s signature styles including the brand's best-selling Alexa and Felicia dresses.

Bloobloom eyewear to open five more London stores following new £5m investment

French designer eyewear brand Bloobloom, which was founded in 2018 and has stores on London’s Carnaby Street and Marylebone High Street, is to open five additional London stores in 2023, following a new £5m round of seed funding.

NEXT set to return to Gloucester Quays outlet following improved sales period

NEXT is to make its return to Gloucester Quays, the outlet and dining destination in the South West. Set to welcome the retail giant later this spring, the news follows a 'record breaking' 2022 sales period for the destination.

Oysho

Inditex opened UK's first Oysho store in Westfield London

The sports brand of the Inditex group, Oysho, has announced the opening of its first store in the UK at Westfield London in Shepherd’s Bush. The new 3,500 sq ft retail space is divided into two floors and boasts an eight-meter high glass façade.

Nike Unite

Nike to open Nike Unite concept store in West Midlands' Merry Hill

Nike is set to open its Nike Unite retail concept at Merry Hill shopping centre, marking the regional debut for the concept, and the first within a shopping centre environment.

Under Armour opened first UK Brand House in Liverpool

Sportswear brand Under Armour opened its first UK Brand House at Liverpool ONE, located on South John Street. The 3,000 sq ft space hopes to offer a "seamless experience" for Under Armour athletes and consumers.

Pop-ups

Shein took on brick-and-mortar retail with trio of UK pop-ups

Chinese ecommerce giant Shein branched out with in-person experiences across the UK, this time it took on Birmingham, Bristol and Cardiff. The global fast fashion e-commerce site is continuing to build its in-person retail with touch points all over the UK.

Boohoo announced its debut pop-up shop enabling shoppers to buy in person for the first time

Online fashion giant Boohoo announced an in-person pop-up experience in the UK's capital city, showcasing the brand’s spring collection. Targeting Gen Z consumers, the pop-up was open for two days only, 25-26 March 2023, at 6-10 Great Portland Street, London, W1W 8QL.

Rocket Man Elton John at Selfridges

In Pictures: Rocket Man Elton John launched pop-up at Selfridges Corner Shop

Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Hello Selfridges. The department store introduced a new Elton John pop-up to its Selfridges Corner Shop, transforming the creative retail space into a glittering representation of Elton John's world.

Kat Maconie’s sculptural shoes visited London’s Carnaby Street in pop-up

British footwear designer Kat Maconie brought her 80s-inspired footwear designs to the heart of London at a pop-up on Carnaby Street. The pop-up opened at 29 Carnaby Street on 10 March 2023 and is running until 1 July 2023.

Odd Muse made its brick-and-mortar debut in Covent Garden

Digital fashion retailer Odd Muse opened its first brick-and-mortar presence with a pop-up shop in Covent Garden. Odd Muse’s 3,000 sq ft pop-up store opened this March, located at 4 Slingsby Place, Covent Garden.

Partnerships

Sandro launched UK rental service with HURR

Paris-based fashion brand Sandro launched its first UK rental service in partnership with leading rental platform HURR, giving customers the opportunity to rent pieces from the current SS23 collection.

Mugler for H&M

H&M previewed Mugler collaboration and unveiled campaign music video

Global retailer H&M confirmed that its designer collaboration with the house of Mugler is due for release 11 May 2023, launching a new campaign to showcase the collection.

Ulla Johnson launched PreLoved in partnership with resale tech company Archive

New York-based womenswear brand Ulla Johnson partnered with re-commerce company Archive to launch Ulla Johnson PreLoved, which will facilitate peer-to-peer sales.

Umbro and MTV partnered up on 90s nostalgia-evoking collection

Sports brand Umbro looked to the acid house days of the late 80s and early 90s for its collaborative collection with MTV, the pioneering music video channel. The collaboration was described as being inspired by a "time when working class kids, football fans, and students came together in disused warehouses, abandoned office blocks and country fields to rave together".

Shawn Mendes for Tommy Hilfiger

Shawn Mendes promoted new Tommy Hilfiger collection with Regent Street flagship visit

Multi-platinum singer-songwriter Shawn Mendes, who recently joined forces with Tommy Hilfiger on a sustainable collection, took over the brand’s London flagship store on 20 March. The Tommy Hilfiger X Shawn Classics Reborn collection sees timeless classics recoded in new styles.

Gucci made the move into pre-loved with Vestiaire Collective

Gucci made the move into pre-loved in partnership with Vestiaire Collective, in a bid to make circular fashion an integral part of the lives of its customers. The Gucci Preloved service employs Vestiaire Collective's SaaS platform to offer a personalised service whereby customers can take their bags to participating Gucci stores to be evaluated and valued.

Mr Porter and Arket launched exclusive collaboration men’s and kidswear collections

Mr Porter and Nordic lifestyle brand Arket launched exclusive limited edition menswear and childrenswear capsule collections for the first time, “inspired by nature”.

The Teletubbies made their way into wardrobes with Christian Cowan collaboration

First collaborating with Koi footwear, the Teletubbies joined forces with British fashion designer Christian Cowan for a capsule collection in a continuation of its 25th anniversary celebrations.

M&S installation on South Bank

M&S revealed ‘love your boobs’ art installation on London’s South Bank

Retail giant M&S collaborated with body casting artist Lydia Reeves to celebrate boob diversity, forming a key part of its ‘love your boobs, it starts with a bra fit’ campaign.

Gap Inc brought Athleta to the UK via JV with Next.co.uk

Gap Inc made another of its brands – this time activewear line Athleta – available to shoppers in the UK and Ireland as part of its joint venture deal with NEXT.

Napapijri teamed up with Superga for latest collaboration

Italian outerwear brand Napapijri continued its recent slew of collaborations, this time joining with Superga for a footwear capsule collection.

Rihanna returns to Fenty x Puma following Super Bowl performance

Global sportswear giant Puma announced Fenty’s triumphant return on social media with a simple statement by CEO Arne Freundt, which reads, “she’s back”.

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