notes from abroad | TRACKING GLOBAL RETAIL In Hong Kong, Political Unrest Challenges Traditional Retail For decades, Hong Kong has been a shopping mecca, a destination for luxury consumers throughout Asia. It’s estimated that the city contributes roughly 5 to 10 percent of global luxury sales. Tiffany &Co. alone has ten stores across Hong Kong and Kowloon. Other brands with only half that number still consider adding to their portfolio. What will happen to the vibrancy of everyday life in Hong Kong -- is this the new... read more ++ PowerShop 6: Compelling Look at the Design Firms who are Changing Retail If 2018 seemed like a bad year for retail, 2019 hasn’t been much better: since June of this year, over 7,000 stores have closed in the U.S. alone. In the U.K., last year’s record number of store closures hit close to 10,000, with many proclaiming the “end of the High Street.” We know that online retail can't possibly maximize a brand’s ability to create immersive experiences, but the cost of building and maintaining sell-through with brick... read more ++ In New York, Mastercard Unveils Immersive Dining Experience – But is it Priceless? If you haven’t noticed, MasterCard, the 53-year old financial services company, is finally moving into the 21st century with an entirely new identity geared towards the ever-evolving Millennial consumer. Earlier this year Mastercard deleted its name and now only uses those familiar merging dots. Then in February, they added a “sonic” identity, an audio tagline designed to be used anywhere the brand is facing or connecting with the consumer,... read more ++ In London, “Pop Up” Neighborhoods are Transforming the High Street It’s a plight that affects countless American cities: block after block of empty storefronts that not only impact the retailers who struggle to remain there, but make once-dynamic streets look like ghost-towns. It's a different story in London, where a start-up called Appear Here is transforming the city's High Streets. Motcomb Street in London's Belgravia district is just one neighborhood that has been revitalized thanks to Appear... read more ++ Client Showcase: b on brand Completes Three New Hotels for Lotte L7 The last of three hotels on which b. on brand consulted, opened this month in Seoul, South Korea. L7 Hotels is a new hospitality product developed by Lotte Hotels Group. In spring of 2017, b. on brand was commissioned to re-establish the concept model including the hotel’s brand experience and design (read about it here.) The key deliverable was a unified brand concept that permitted each property to have its own... read more ++ McDonald’s Flagship Showcases “Experience of the Future” McDonald’s has revealed its latest flagship concept, and it looks nothing like we have seen before. That, of course, is precisely the point. The famous Golden Arches become more background than ever before: in the main dining hall, a more shorthand version appears on a back wall. The 19,000-square foot restaurant in Chicago, Illinois resembles more than a passing resemblance to a late-model Apple flagship, a criticism by... read more ++ In Venice, An Historic Palazzo Becomes Model for a New DFS Retail Concept There is no ideal time of year to visit Venice. The jewel of Italy is notorious for feeling like an ant’s nest, with seemingly no corner not trampled by hordes of tourists. And when it comes to Shopping, the city generally offers little more than an endless repetition of Murano glass doo-dads and other kitschy souvenirs. In fall 2016, DFS, the world’s largest duty free shopping operator, changed all that with the opening of their new... read more ++ B. on Brand Develops New Hospitality Concept for Lotte Resorts and Hotels In Seoul, South Korea, the hospitality market is booming. The fact is, globally, the entire industry has gone through a seismic shift where the "design experience" is an increasingly integral part of every hospitality brand, but Korea is only just now catching the wave. Say hello to L7 Hotels. Lotte Hotels and Resorts is one of South Korea’s premier hospitality and real estate developers with 40 hotel... read more ++ In Korea, Marketing to Women Begins with Men In Seoul, it is virtually impossible to walk through the makeup mecca known as the Myeongdong district and not notice that there are life-size cardboard cut-outs of Korean men in front of nearly every store, each of them winking and smiling, and beckoning shoppers into any one of the hundreds of cosmetics stores that line the streets. But who are they beckoning, men or women? Probably both. That’s because here in Korea, appearances matter... read more ++ Why Florence’s Stazione Santa Maria Novella is a Deco Masterpiece Florence’s Santa Maria Novella train station is rarely noted when anyone tells you they visited this legendary Renaissance city. For many, the station is a rather grey and cold contrast to the ecclesiastical glory of the famous church that lies just across the station’s ragged parking lot of cars, buses, bicycles, and scooters. Completed in 1935, the Stazione Santa Maria Novella is almost Stonehenge-like with its massive block of horizontal stone,... read more ++ Top