How retailers are thinking about in-store experience

To connect with shoppers and reach new customers, retailers have been increasingly launching store concepts, aiming to differentiate themselves from the competition.

Some concepts, like The Vitamin Shoppe’s “Hometown” fixture, aim to bring more localized merchandise to consumers. Launched in March, the concept is featured in stores across Los Angeles; Frisco, Texas; Paramus, New Jersey; and more, and spotlights products from brand partners, including Gorilla Mind, Bucked Up and EHPlabs.

Similarly, Coach has been expanding its “Play” concept, which is localized to the cities in which it operates. The concept was an attempt to win over Gen Z shoppers, which previously viewed the company more as “their mother’s brand,” Giovanni Zaccariello, Coach’s senior vice president of global visual experience and store design, said in March.

Other retailers have also leveraged store concepts to target the demographic, including Bath & Body Works and Urban Outfitters.

“Retailers and brands must continue to adapt to evolving demographics, shopping behaviors, tendencies and trends in how we work, live and play,” Michael Brown, a partner and Americas retail leader in the consumer practice of Kearney, said in an email.

A number of retailers have also forged partnerships with popular brands to create store-within-a-store fixtures to showcase products from the brand and attract a new customer set.

Shop-in-shops certainly aren’t new. Department stores have been leasing space to other companies — like brands, restaurants and hair salons — for decades in an effort to offer a more holistic shopping experience.

These partnerships often serve both parties involved. Some tie-ups “will provide convenience [and] awareness for customers and a ‘bump’ in add-on revenue for the retailers,” Brown said.

The best store concepts, however, need to serve a purpose: to reach new and existing customers and make the space a destination, according to Brown.

Here’s a look back at some of the store concepts that launched in 2025.

1. Warby Parker’s shop-in-shops at Target

Warby Parker has been working to expand its presence offline by opening dozens of new stores per year. Now, the brand is taking those efforts further by bringing its products to the stores of one of the biggest household names: Target.

The two companies announced a partnership in which Warby Parker would open shop-in-shop locations within select Target stores. The first stores to add the concept were located in Illinois, Minnesota, New Jersey, Ohio and Pennsylvania, with more locations set to open throughout 2026.

Warby’s own employees will run the shop-in-shop concepts, and customers can access the brand’s selection of glasses, sunglasses and contacts, as well as vision screenings and eye exams.

Co-CEO and co-founder Neil Blumenthal said the concepts will intentionally mirror the experience of its stand-alone stores.

“When you’re shopping in Target, you’ll see a Warby Parker store. You’ll literally cross that threshold and these stores look like any other Warby Parker store,” Blumenthal said earlier this year.

Target has offered a number of shop-in-shops before — some more successful than others. Target’s partnership with Ulta Beauty will come to an end in August about five years after launching.

“Shop-in-shops like Warby Parker in Target provide customers convenience and Warby Parker lower cost, high traffic locations to expand their footprint as every digital business has ever had to do for long-term success,” Brown said. “Warby Parker gets a deal on the space and Target gets one more reason for customers to shop them over a competitor.”

Entering Target also lends the potential to introduce new customers to the Warby brand, expanding its reach further, Brown added.

2. Urban Outfitters’ On Rotation 

Urban Outfitters’ new store concept is designed specifically for Gen Z.

Dubbed “On Rotation,” the space features lounge-style installations and highlights a revolving roster of brand partners. The concept launched with Nike as its first partner and included over 150 apparel and footwear products.

On Rotation debuted in cities such as New York, Washington, D.C. and San Diego.

“Urban Outfitters has always been a destination for discovery, especially for Gen Z, who are expressive, engaged, and intentional in how they shop and show up,” Cyntia Leo, head of brand marketing and communications at Urban Outfitters, said in a statement when the concept launched.

In August, the retailer introduced its second iteration of the concept, tapping Levi’s as its partner. The space, the company said, is intended to possess “the energy of a vintage flea market,” featuring both new styles from the brand as well as vintage pieces.

Gen Z has increasingly become a focus area for Urban Outfitters. In addition to the On Rotation concept, the retailer has launched a separate localized concept targeting the demographic. The concept debuted in Houston and California, and the company last month announced plans to expand further.

3. Ikea’s shop-in-shops at Best Buy

In a first for Ikea’s U.S. business, the Swedish furniture company teamed up with electronics retailer Best Buy to bring its products and services to more consumers.

Over the summer, the retailers announced Ikea would bring its kitchen and storage planning services to select Best Buy stores.

“By bringing together our home furnishing expertise, products, and services with Best Buy’s leadership in appliances and technology, we’re creating a one-stop destination where customers can design their dream kitchen, storage solutions or laundry space with ease,” Ikea U.S. Chief Operations Officer Rob Olson said.

The shop-in-shops span about 1,000 square feet and feature kitchen and laundry room settings from Ikea.

Employees from both retailers will connect to serve customers: Ikea employees will help shoppers plan and order home furnishings, while Best Buy team members will offer assistance with electronics.

“This partnership brings together the best of Ikea and Best Buy to create a truly unique experience that we know customers will love and where they can seamlessly imagine, design and shop for their kitchens and laundry rooms like never before,” Patrick McGinnis, chief merchandising officer at Best Buy, said in a statement.

The concept officially debuted last month in some stores in Texas and Florida. Select Best Buy stores will also serve as pick-up points for Ikea.

4. Bath & Body Works’ Gingham+ concept

Bath & Body Works also cooked up a store design specifically targeted for Gen Z customers.

Gingham+ features a scent bar, tech features, larger aisles and a new layout. 

“We’ve heard from this demographic that many of their purchase decisions are rooted in their ability to try a product first, and while we’ve previously offered this, our new design is more intentional with specific destinations in store to test and learn,” Eduardo Tonietto, group vice president of store design, said in a statement at the time of its launch. 

The concept initially rolled out to 15 of the retailer’s stores with plans to expand to the majority of new stores in its U.S. fleet this year. The space caters to Gen Z customers, who are “looking for a more relaxing and toned down in-store experience” by bringing in a softer, more neutral color palette, according to Tonietto.

The demographic is a focus for the retailer. Aside from the Gingham+ store concept, Bath & Body Works brought its products to 600 college campuses across the U.S. this year.

5. David’s Bridal’s Diamonds & Pearls tech concept

David’s Bridal debuted what it deemed a “store of the future” concept.

The high-touch, tech-powered concept called Diamonds & Pearls launched in the spring. The concept features a curated selection of couture and designer gowns, shoes, accessories and dresses for bridal parties. The store also has a selection of exclusive products not available at other David’s Bridal locations, including gowns from Marchesa Couture and Marchesa Notte.

“With Diamonds & Pearls, we’re taking this promise to the next level. This is where trend meets tradition, where high fashion meets high touch and high tech, and where we bring the full power of David’s and all of our offerings into a modern, elevated setting,” CEO Kelly Cook said in a statement.

The space includes AI-powered shopping tools, personal styling services, Shopify point-of-sale integration for both in-store and online shoppers, alterations and more.

“By hand selecting the products, brands and partners highlighted in our Diamonds & Pearls stores, plus the ability to digitally shop in store with our ‘endless aisle’ technology, we’re bringing sophisticated curation with a seamless, modern in-store experience today’s brides want and expect,” Cook added.

The concept initially debuted in Delray Beach, Florida, with another location opening in Burlington, Massachusetts.

Around the Bob's Discount Furniture office, corporate has a saying: “Value is always in vogue,” according to Ramesh Murthy, the retailer’s COO.

That philosophy has enabled Bob’s to expand at a time when the overall home retail category is stagnating. Furniture and home furnishings store sales have fallen since their peak of $12.7 billion in January 2023 to $11.8 billion this May.

Meanwhile, Bob’s announced plans to open 20 new stores this year. Fellow furniture retailer Ikea is opening eight new locations across the U.S. this spring and summer.

While these two retailers differ greatly, they share commonalities that cater to today’s consumer and have been instrumental in their expansion despite category softness: a focus on low prices and a penchant for convenience that seamlessly blends online and in-store shopping into a true omnichannel experience.

“Customers today want things to be easier, faster, and more accessible,” said Rob Olson, COO at Ikea U.S. “We want to meet people … however they choose to shop.”

If the price is right

Pandemic lockdowns prompted a slew of home renovations and furniture purchases. But in the years that followed, home and furniture retail “ran out of steam,” said Matthew Katz, managing partner at consulting firm SSA & Company. 

Home and furniture retailers such as Bed Bath & Beyond, Conn’s, Mitchell Gold Co., Pirch, True Value, The Container Store, Tuesday Morning and Z Gallerie filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Consumer confidence has waned, new home builds are down and mortgage rates are hovering above 6.5%. Material costs have risen and tariffs could hike prices, especially on home furnishings imported from China.

As a result, many consumers are trading down, and value players are poised to take market share from higher price points. “Some of the price-conscious players, like Ikea and others, will have an opportunity to steal share,” Katz said. 

Over the last five years, Ikea has grown its market share in the U.S. by 13.6%, per the retailer. In addition to quality, sustainability and other factors, low price is a key element of its product designs. 

“That’s a big part of why people trust us — we’re committed to making great design accessible to everyone, not just a few,” Olson said. 

Ikea’s sales did fall 5% last fiscal year after it lowered prices in hopes of attracting more consumers. But Jia Li, associate professor at Wake Forest University’s School of Business, expects value retailers to continue to “be in good shape, as long as they find a way to keep their prices down.” 

On the opposite end of the spectrum, high-end home retailers have reported mixed results. RH’s revenue grew 12% year over year in Q1, with executives crediting the retailer's “most desired products presented in the most inspiring spaces in the world, with bespoke interior design services.” In Ethan Allen’s most recent quarter, however, sales dropped 2.5%, with CEO Farooq Kathwari noting “uncertainty in the economy, elevated interest rates and a challenging housing market, that together, have impacted consumer confidence and interest in the home.”

According to Li, price insensitive consumers will continue to shop at high-end stores regardless of economic conditions. “What will be in trouble is those middle retailers,” he said. Consumers shopping in that tier, which includes department stores, are likely to trade down as inflation continues. 

Katz expects “more mixing and matching,” in which consumers purchase high-end furniture but are willing to trade down for accessories, such as a throw pillow. 

“Price will be a big driver for much of this market in the near term,” Katz said.

The shopping experience — on and offline

Value is just one piece of the puzzle. Convenience and omnichannel experiences help retailers stand out, especially for digital-native generations. 

“Their purchase behavior is totally different from the previous generations,” Li said. “If you want to perform well, you must become an omnichannel retailer.”

As Ikea and Bob’s expand their brick-and-mortar footprints, they’re ensuring physical stores and their online presence tie together.

Bob’s offers what it calls an Omni Cart. Consumers can start shopping online, add items to a virtual cart, then visit a showroom to try out the physical product before completing the purchase in store. The process works in reverse too, Murthy said. 

“For furniture, this is unique, and others in the industry are still looking to catch up,” Murthy said. 

Ikea’s remote planning service lets consumers virtually speak to Ikea teams. The retailer also offers in-home kitchen planning, where employees visit the consumer’s home to plan a kitchen together. That service will expand to all stores by the end of this summer, Olson said.

Physical stores remain important in furniture retail, because “people still like to go to the store, take a look, touch it, feel it,” Li said. Just 14% of Bob’s sales are online, compared to the retail industry’s e-commerce penetration of more than 16%. 

At Ikea and Bob’s, stores offer something unique as well: food options. Some Ikea locations have full restaurants with hot food offerings, while others have a Swedish Bistro concept with hot and cold options “for a quick meal on the go,” Olson said. Each Bob’s store has a Bob’s Café with free snacks and coffee, and the retailer 100% matches any donations that customers give in the store. 

Bob’s expansion includes markets such as North Carolina, with high population growth, and a store in Vermont, which “allows us to get closer to a population that has grown up with Bob's and loved it,” Murthy said. 

Ikea has added small-format stores and plan-and-order points, where shoppers can pick up online purchases. The store formats, often located in urban areas, offer convenience to large populations and “allow us to reach people where a traditional large-format Ikea simply couldn’t,” Olson said. 

Ikea’s footprint in the U.S. has grown to 51 stores (up from 40 in 2015), 10 plan-and-order points and 74 pick-up locations.

“It’s been an incredible journey, and we’re just getting started,” Olson said.

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By bringing together POS, mobile, and self-service into a unified commerce platform, Flooid helps retailers create stores that are not only more efficient, but more engaging, adaptable, and customer-focused. 

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Flexible Checkout That Fits Every Customer 

Customer expectations have evolved. Speed, convenience, and choice are now essential to the in-store experience. 

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By reducing queues and enabling transactions anywhere in the store, retailers can improve flow, increase throughput, and create a more convenient experience for every type of shopper. 

This flexibility is further enhanced through partnerships with technologies like Cust2Mate, enabling retailers to introduce smart cart experiences that allow customers to scan and pay as they shop, creating faster, more autonomous journeys. 

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Completing the first phase of a larger remodel, Target recently opened its new design-focused SoHo store in New York City. 

The store concept features a rotating showcase of seasonal styles on the first floor called “The Drop,” a “Broadway Beauty Bar” with changing selections curated by beauty influencers and a “Gifting Gondola” for the holidays with exclusive Target-branded merchandise.

Target’s updated space also includes a seasonal edit called “Curated By” which features selections in partnership with influential people, starting with comedian and actress Megan Stalter. The store also has a “Selfie Checkout” spot encouraging customers to take photos with their haul. 

Target’s updated location in New York City will continue to evolve throughout 2026 and beyond. The SoHo spot will eventually debut experiential areas, as well as cafe and event programming.

"Style and design are part of Target's DNA, and there's no better place for us to showcase what's next for our brand than in one of the style capitals of the world," Cara Sylvester, chief guest experience officer at Target, said in a statement. "This store is a bold reflection of our commitment to style, and it's just one part of our larger investment in Target's design-driven future that grows our roots even deeper in New York City."

The new store format — which went from concept to completion in just four months — debuts under the leadership of current CEO Michael Fiddelke. 

Fiddelke has set out to recapture Target’s “design-led merchandising authority,” as he described it when recapping his core priorities on an earnings call.

“We are a design-led company. And that starts with our authority and merchandising,” Fiddelke told analysts. “Our ability to build a unique assortment of the right, stylish, on-trend products at incredible value — that's so central to who we are and key to our differentiation and future growth.”

Winning back the dollars of consumers through such initiatives is how Target hopes to turn around the business.

The company in November announced it would invest an additional $1 billion into the business in 2026, using a total of $5 billion in capital expenditure to “support new stores and remodels, enhancements to the store experience and advancements in technology and digital fulfillment capabilities.”

In an age where digitization dominates almost every aspect of life, selling pens and paper might seem like a thing of the past.

However, physical methods of communicating aren’t entirely obsolete. The world of stationery continues to exist despite some bigger names in the industry — such as Papyrus and Paper Source — closing some stores or filing for bankruptcy. 

But plenty of small retailers are dedicated to selling something that even artificial intelligence can’t quite mimic: the joy of physical stationery.

This specialized space goes beyond the printer paper or standard back-to-school binders customers might purchase at a big-box store. Nowadays, the product category can encompass a variety of items in the office or desk supplies world, from customized greeting cards your grandmother has to high-quality paper types and pens from Japan. Many countries outside the U.S., such as Germany and Japan, have highly sought-after stationery products. 

Colorful washi tapes, customized day planners, quirky sticky note pads and more are sold to customers who seem dedicated to keeping analog forms of communication and writing a thing of the present. Cashing in on this trend are a variety of independent founders across the country who share a passion for the craft.

The big names

Some of the well-known retailers and brands in the specialty stationery space have included Paper Source, Papier and Papyrus, though many have endured challenges in recent years. 

Papyrus shuttered all of its U.S. stores in 2020, with company leadership citing the “current challenges of the retail industry” at the time. The company still maintains an e-commerce site and also lists retailers such as Target, Kroger, and Albertsons Companies on its retail locations webpage.   

Additionally, Paper Source filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2021. Originally founded by Susan Lindstrom in 1983, Paper Source was acquired by Barnes & Noble owner Elliott Investment Management through bankruptcy. Paper Source still operates its own retail stores, per its store locator webpage, in addition to selling through Barnes & Noble. 

More recently, parent company Barnes & Noble filed a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification with the state of Illinois in January for the permanent closure of a distribution center, impacting 107 employees.

In a statement to Retail Dive, Paper Source said they had worked in the space for ten years. 

“Sadly the lease of the building comes to an end at the start of next year,” the stationery brand said via email. “As a retailer whose business is especially concentrated into the Holiday period, we have to make the move in the summer to be able to meet the seasonality of the year-end.”

Reliance on holiday gifting occasions may be a core vulnerability for some of the larger legacy brands in the stationery space, according to emailed commentary from Devadas Pattathil, CEO of inventory management company OnePint.ai.

“In contrast, indie shops have leaned into hyper-personalization, community engagement, and unique curation,” Pattathil said. “They foster direct relationships with customers through workshops, limited-edition collaborations, and locally sourced products."

Meanwhile, the London-based stationery brand Papier in 2023 marked its first U.S. wholesale partnership through a deal with Anthropologie. 

“DTC remains the majority of our sales and traffic but we’ve seen wholesale grow rapidly over the past few years since we launched it, and it is now a meaningful part of our business that we’re excited to grow further,” Papier founder and CEO Taymoor Atighetchi said in emailed responses to Retail Dive.

The brand’s planners and diaries are among its best sellers, per Atighetchi. Papier is also seeing success with recipe journals and photobooks. Despite being founded in the United Kingdom, the brand said the majority of the company’s customers are based in the U.S.

“We have built a brand that resonates with the modern consumer and how they think about analog in an increasingly digital world,” Papier said. “We know that there’s a growing desire to ‘switch off’ from screen time and digital distractions - Papier’s products offer offline experiences that are both beautiful and tactile.”

Despite challenges in the niche market, some smaller stationery brands and retailers in the U.S. are thriving, capitalizing on consumer trends promoting self-expression and wellness. Some are even trying to bring a more positive reputation to American-manufactured products in an industry dominated by international brands.

Small business, big growth

“It just continued to grow and grow,” Amy Rutherford said of the stationery offerings she was selling at her store Red Barn Mercantile in Alexandria, Virginia. That growth led her to open another shop in the area called Penny Post, which is dedicated to this product category and has distinct branding from her other ventures.

Rutherford noted that some customer interest in stationery, like with journaling, seems to be tied to mental health practices — taking time to reflect away from screens — and a form of self-expression, as many of the stationery brands she sells create visually unique, sometimes even political, goods.

California-based stationery brand and retailer Shorthand has also found a way to operate more than one store in the same city without cannibalizing sales. Founder and owner Rosanna Kvernmo in an interview with Retail Dive said she is even exploring opening a third location.

Kvernmo began working in stationery in college by creating a small greeting card line. Shorthand, the company that has since developed, has created a larger product line — its most popular product being a notebook. Now, Shorthand also sells products from other brands that make pens, envelopes and more. 

The store experience seems central to the stationery world, according to Kvernmo, which is filled with customers who care about how a paper type feels and how a pen performs. There is an active print shop within one of Shorthand’s locations allowing customers to see products being made, and Kvernmo even keeps the Shorthand email signup old school — there’s a pen and paper in store for customers to write down their contact information.

“The internet can be so overwhelming for shopping and when you go into a store … it's like three versions of the same thing and they've already been vetted for quality ostensibly,” Kvernmo said of the ability to finely curate selections in-person so customers aren’t paralyzed by choice. 

The presence of stationery in the U.S. may not be new, but several business owners for this story noted that some countries — particularly Japan — have had a long-standing stationery fandom. 

“In both Germany and Japan, there has been a concerted effort to preserve domestic manufacturing,” St. Louis Art Supply Product Director Carson Monetti told Retail Dive via email. “These are historically export economies and there is a broad consensus around building the capacity to make things well. Governments and businesses have worked together for generations to refine industrial processes, train workers, and build out complex supply chains. We have not done that work in the U.S., so we've lost the expertise.”

Many small stores in the U.S. will seek out specific products to retail from these countries, but even still it is sometimes hard to find a wide range of stationery specifications in the U.S. without going abroad. Quality is particularly high with stationery products made in Japan, Monetti added.

“There is a ton of local competition, which keeps prices low,” Monetti said. “Japanese consumers use way more of these products than we do, and they are much more discerning about pens and paper. All of this adds up to an environment where the stationery giants are still rolling out new products every season, setting and following trends, and trying to outdo one another. It's really refreshing for an American merchant because so many of our domestic brands are in suspended animation.”

The introduction of tariffs could present issues for many stationery companies in the U.S. — and not just for those who import finished products. 

“There are no U.S. alternatives to many of the products we source overseas, so we will have to pass on the price increases to customers,” Monetti said. “We are also a small American manufacturer — we make watercolors and inks here in St. Louis under our Federal Color brand. Even that part of our business will have to raise prices if the tariffs are implemented, because the packaging and raw materials come from all over the world.”

When Suann Song — a graphic designer by trade — created the stationery brand Appointed through a Kickstarter, she set out to create the perfect notebook — one manufactured in the U.S. with the type of quality consumers find abroad. She saw a need in the market for gender-neutral, timeless stationery that seemed harder to get in the U.S.

About a decade later, the company’s top seller is still that notebook, though the brand’s offerings have expanded greatly since. Appointed operated a Washington, D.C., store for many years until just this February, when the brand shuttered the location (which served as an all-in-one design studio, office, retail and manufacturing space) to instead increase its production capacity with a new facility in New York state.

The move has been about a year in the making, Song told Retail Dive, and will allow for more frequent product releases and restocks.

Maintaining Made in America requirements hasn’t always been easy, but Song has been dedicated to meeting its required standards since the Appointed brand was founded.

“It was almost more from a practical standpoint,” Song told Retail Dive. “I could quality control, I could do smaller runs. You could have faster turnaround when you're sourcing stateside.”

However, sometimes this has meant working harder to create certain products. Another popular product from Appointed is the brand’s task planner, which is released annually with tabs for every month. Song said that the company’s employees used to arduously collate the pages all by hand. 

“If you really look at the planner market, there's very few or no planners in the U.S. made with tabs just because the machinery to make them is pretty extensive,” she noted. 

Thankfully, Song was able to find a small company in Oregon that made a limited number of machines each year that could meet the specifications Appointed needed to make this process more efficient. 

“I took a small business loan out for that. It was like a $50,000 purchase,” Song said. “And that changed everything for us … When someone gets a good planner, they habitually will buy it and then they'll tell their friends about it, so that's nice because you just see the organic growth year after year.”

While AI was top of mind for the more than 10,000 attendees at the Shoptalk Spring conference, The Home Depot doesn’t see it overtaking the physical shopping experience.

“Twenty-five years ago, the conversation was, ‘Is the store going to be relevant in an age of e-commerce?’” Jordan Broggi, executive vice president of customer experience and president of online at Home Depot said during a Wednesday session. But now in the age of AI and agentic commerce, “the store has never been more relevant than it is today.”

But even though the home improvement retailer views the technology as just one avenue for customers to shop within its overall ecosystem, it has made significant strides with AI over the past year.

Home Depot about a year ago introduced Magic Apron, a suite of generative AI tools to help connect customers with the right products. Magic Apron is designed to offer support to customers through a variety of ways, including answering questions and summarizing product reviews. 

Earlier this year, the retailer added to its Magic Apron capabilities through an expanded partnership with Google Cloud. Now, customers can engage with the tool using plain language and receive conversational advice and personalized product recommendations. The technology can help users sort through extensive product information, which for a typical DIY customer, can be overwhelming, Broggi said.

“One of our customers’ favorite use cases with Magic Apron is just, ‘Hey, is this faucet compatible with that valve?’” he said. 

But Home Depot also understands customer shopping preferences vary: Some customers want to engage with AI tools for assistance, while some know exactly what they want and can search for it quickly on the retailer’s website. And still, others prefer speaking to an associate in store before making a purchase, according to Angie Brown, chief information officer at Home Depot.

“It’s creating the experience that works for a variety of different customers, across a variety of different journeys, and meeting them in the moment for what they need,” Brown said during the Wednesday session.

Providing a more frictionless experience across the entire shopping journey is one of AI’s biggest assets, Broggi said.

“Customers want to be helped, and they want to be helped in the right moment by the right tool,” he said. “And if that's a human, that's a human. If that's a chatbot, that's a chatbot. It's really about: Can I be helpful in the moment?”

Burlington Stores is halfway done with refreshing its chain of 1,115 locations. Remaining locations are expected to be completed by the end of 2026. 

The ongoing reimagining of the off-price retailer’s in-store experience favors an open layout with a format that is designed to enhance the customer experience, per the company. 

The refresh includes organized aisles and signage that showcases trends.

Burlington Stores intends to maintain its relevance and compete with the likes of TJX and Ross by streamlining and updating its chain of stores. The company is calling the effort Store Experience 2.0.

”Now, instead of a difficult-to-navigate and endless sea of racks, you’ll find a store layout that’s much more welcoming, inviting, exciting,” CEO Michael O’Sullivan said on a recent call with analysts. Burlington’s store, merchandising and marketing teams have all collaborated on the new layout and design. “We’re really excited about it. It reinforces who we are.” 

O’Sullivan said feedback from customers on the new store layout “has been overwhelmingly positive.”

Burlington intends to open 100 net new stores this year and another 100 in 2026, according to O’Sullivan. Burlington earlier this year acquired the leases from 46 former Joann locations following its bankruptcy.

The company remains bullish on its 2.0 store merchandising and operations initiatives, which have instituted new systems, processes and tools to give the company’s buyers more flexibility and control over external events like fluctuating tariffs.

“A couple of years ago, we would not have had the transparency and the agility to make these kinds of adjustments,” O’Sullivan told analysts. “We expect that as the year goes on, the environment will continue to be volatile and dynamic. Our Merchandising 2.0 capabilities are going to be very important for our buyers and planners to manage through this external volatility.”

In February 2024, Lego transformed its Battersea Power Station store in London into a flower shop. 

All the flowers were made of Lego Bricks, of course, and employees put together 220 sets to create “Le Florist.” 

Guests are immersed into an experience, Martin Urrutia, Lego’s head of global retail experience and innovation, said to an audience at the National Retail Federation’s Big Show regarding the floral transformation. “A couple of months ago we landed a spaceship in the center of the store. We have Santa’s chair — made of Lego bricks — with a fireplace. That’s what delights and creates memories for shoppers.”

That’s because physical retail spaces can be considered a media channel, a place for storytelling and a way customers can see and engage with a brand, according to Urrutia.

But retailers must have the fundamentals in play. That goes back to stock availability, the correct physical location and streamlined communication, per Urrutia. And while experiences can be created within a store, employees enable storytelling.

The toy maker has also been bridging its online and in-store efforts. In fall 2024, the company began hosting gaming-themed workshops both digitally and at select locations. 

Lego has also been experimenting with livestreaming and found that the best possible studio for the venture may be its own stores.

“We already have the product. We have the set,” Urrutia said. The company also has found that its own employees make exemplary livestream hosts. 

“They do a great job talking to customers every day. So why not allow them to be on livestream? They are great stars,” Urrutia said. “They’re very authentic. We love the passion that they bring.” 

Lego has also removed some of its standard shelving to create a personalization studio where customers can create customized Lego Minifigures. Shoppers can pick between preselected designs or create something new by adding text, decorations and drawings to their figures. 

“We're removing the space from products, but we believe that will make the store visit unique and we’ll keep shoppers engaged to come and visit again,” Urrutia said.

Instagram user Jacey Adler recommended the experience as a dating idea in New York City that “isn’t just going to bars or restaurants.” 

 

 

 

 

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The notion of being able to draw in adults for a toy retail experience may be of particular importance as the cohort accounts for more toy sales than preschoolers. Nearly half of all adults had purchased a toy for themselves within the previous 12 months for reasons including collecting, socialization and enjoyment, according to a June 2024 report by Circana. 

Thus, the storytelling that takes place within Lego stores is part of the larger consumer draw. Urrutia urged other retailers to think about the story they are telling to shoppers when it comes to in-store experiences. 

“The expectations are to deliver best-in-class experiences where the brand will come to life,” he said. 

Puma has created its first AI Store Concierge, a multilingual AI assistant that provides advice to Puma’s customers. At launch, the tool is focused on performance running products.

Stored within a large digital display, the concierge tool can detect the language a customer speaks, including French, Arabic, Spanish, Mandarin and English. Through a conversation in that language, the tool can then provide information about product fit, performance insights and whether an item is in stock.

The company will debut the AI concierge at its Las Vegas flagship store. Puma intends for the tool to work in concert with store associates, who can use the information the concierge gathered to offer customers more personalized advice.  

As retail’s AI race heats up, Puma is embedding the technology into an in-store interactive display. The company teamed up with Google Cloud and LiveX.AI, a holographic AI agent provider, to create the device.

“Puma will be one of the first companies to introduce an AI Concierge in a store,” Rui Pedro Silva, vice president of direct-to-consumer technology at Puma, said in a press release. “By integrating this technology directly into the store environment, we’re making product exploration faster, more intuitive, and more accessible. With this first example of the AI Concierge, we will gather feedback and explore how to further scale this technology on our direct-to-consumer channels.”

Puma is launching its concierge tool in Las Vegas almost a year and a half after opening its flagship store in the city. The 25,000-square-foot store features an F1 racing simulator, an interactive arcade and a customization studio where shoppers can personalize their clothing and shoes, according to a 2024 press release. 

Alongside changes to its store experience, Puma has been trying to refresh its brand. About a year ago, the company revealed its largest global campaign to date across digital, social, TV, retail and other channels, as it looked to evolve its brand identity and attain long-term growth. Earlier this year, Puma appointed Nadia Kokni as vice president of global brand marketing, bringing prior experience at brands such as Adidas, JD Sports, Tommy Hilfiger, Hugo Boss and H&M.

The turnaround efforts come as the retailer continues to struggle financially. After cutting 500 roles in 2025, Puma said last October that it planned to reduce its global corporate workforce by more than 900 positions by the end of this year. In its Q4 earnings report in February, the footwear and apparel brand reported a 27% year-over-year drop in net sales. The company’s 2025 net sales fell 13% from a year prior. 

Interested in helping restore the brand is Anta Sports, which in January acquired a stake of more than 29% in Puma for 1.5 billion euros (about $1.8 billion at the time) in cash. Anta Sports said it isn’t attempting a takeover of Puma but will consider deepening the partnership in the future. 

Walmart plans to test a new strategy for remodeling its Neighborhood Market locations that involves closing the main sales floor for about four weeks instead of working on sections of the store incrementally over several months.

The test will involve an unspecified number of Neighborhood Market stores in Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Texas, Walmart said in a blog post last week. The pharmacies and fuel stations at the stores will remain open while the upgrades take place.

Walmart described its decision to try temporary four-week closures as “an opportunity to test, learn, and refine our remodel process to identify best practices for the future.”

Walmart said proximity to its other stores was a key factor in selecting the locations for the test. The retailer noted that shoppers will be able to place orders online for pickup at those neighboring stores while the upgrades are in progress.

The company said it hopes the process it is testing will be less disruptive to customers and take less time to complete.

“We know that shopping around closed construction areas or searching for relocated items can be frustrating for our customers,” Walmart said in the post. “While we try to minimize that friction with every remodel, these four-week temporary closures aim at going one step further. We want to alleviate as much customer disruption as possible and deliver a better store experience, faster.”

Walmart’s Neighborhood Market stores typically occupy approximately 40,000 square feet — a fraction of the size of its traditional supercenters, which span more than 170,000 square feet on average and comprise the bulk of its fleet. The retailer opened its first Neighborhood Market in 1998 and operated 671 stores under the format as of April 30, 2025.

When the upgraded Neighborhood Markets reopen, they will sport better lighting and what Walmart described as a “more inviting space.” They will also feature improved grocery pickup and delivery areas for online orders as well as refreshed pharmacies.

In addition, Walmart plans to install electronic price displays, upgrade checkout areas to move people through faster and add tools to help employees find products. Some of the stores Walmart selected for the test will also gain reconfigured layouts and expanded aisles, Walmart said.

Marking its expansion beyond Texas, Yellow Rose by Kendra Scott is opening a flagship store in Nashville, Tennessee. 

The flagship location will sell a curated selection of jewelry, hats, boots, apparel and other lifestyle pieces. Shoppers can personalize their hats at the Hat Customization Atelier and shop Kendra Scott’s signature Color Bar experience.

The store will also feature the brand’s first cocktail bar, dubbed Beau’s Bar. The hospitality experience has a menu designed to honor both Texas and Nashville, and is meant to offer “an immersive, elevated experience uniting Western authenticity, luxury craft, and the art of gathering.”

The new Yellow Rose by Kendra Scott store opening marks the Western brand’s continued expansion following its 2023 launch. In 2024, the brand built out its brick-and-mortar presence in Texas with its Austin, Dallas and Houston openings.

Yellow Rose plays with more vintage-inspired merchandise than Kendra Scott and is focused on a Western lifestyle. The stores offer products across categories like hats, footwear, apparel, home goods and more.

“For me, western style has always been about independence, confidence and individuality,” Kendra Scott, founder and chief visionary officer, said in a statement. “With Yellow Rose by Kendra Scott, we’re interpreting those elements through a modern fashion lens, creative pieces that move effortlessly in all stages and moments in life. Nashville felt like the perfect place for our first flagship beyond Texas.”

Along with launching and expanding its Yellow Rose brand, Kendra Scott has added other products to its namesake brand. In 2023, Kendra Scott launched a collection of fragrances in three scents: Ruby Musk, Amber Aura and Jade Blossom. The following year, the retailer debuted its lab-grown diamond collection. 

Kendra Scott is operating with new leadership at the helm; the retailer appointed Chris Blakeslee as its new chief executive in January. Blakeslee joined the company from Athleta, where he served as CEO of the activewear brand from 2023 to 2025. With a new CEO, Kendra Scott transitioned out of the role but remains the company’s majority shareholder, executive chairwoman and chief visionary officer.