360 DEGREES Weblog

We’re living in the era of retail-tainment, where we’ve come to expect live music at the Apple Store, mountaineering discussions at REI and product demos at Bed Bath & Beyond. Not surprisingly, well-known talent is stepping into this area because it’s a welcoming and unique environment in which to plug one’s latest project. Marketers, who benefit greatly from the star power, are only too willing to make this all happen. (Sarah McLachlan recently played a live show in a JetBlue terminal; no word on how many fans watched the concert instead of catching their flights.) Now, soul singer Joss Stone is hitting the Nine West flagship store in midtown Manhattan on Sept. 10 for a live performance. She’ll also be at the Macy’s on 34th Street in Herald Square that day to chat with fans and sign copies of her new CD. It’s part of Fashion’s Night Out, an annual charity event in New York, and Stone’s promotion of a co-branded line she designed for Nine West. (She even wrote a song about it!) Stone’s Vintage America collection includes shoes, clothing, jewelry and other accessories. Everyone involved hopes that grooving while you shop will boost the bottom line. You have to admit, it’s catchy.

Thanks to Brandfreak

After weeks of speculation and several teaser videos, today H&M has officially announced that their next designer collaboration collection, will designed by none other than Lanvin’s Albert Elbaz.

“Lanvin is the latest brand to collaborate with H&M, with previous collections designed by the likes of Karl Lagerfeld, Stella McCartney, Comme des Garçons and Sonia Rykiel. In a new twist, the Lanvin for H&M collection will be revealed to the world through a special film which will be launched on November 2. The film will be available for all to see online at www.hm.com. Following the film’s debut, it will be just three weeks before customers have the chance to get their hands on a covetable piece of Lanvin for H&M.”

Designed by Lanvin’s artistic director Alber Elbaz, and menswear designer Lucas Ossendrijver, the collection will go on sale on November 23 in around 200 H&M stores worldwide. The collection of both womenswear and menswear will be revealed to the world on November 2, just three weeks before the clothes hit the store, making the launch of Lanvin for H&M among the most anticipated fashion events of the year.

Retailers are experimenting with numerous different ways to blend online and off for their customers, as we’ve already seen on several occasions. Curbside pickup of online orders has been the theme at both Sears and French hypermarket chain E.Leclerc, while Shutl and several others have been pushing the bounds of near-instant home delivery. The latest spotting? British Tesco, which just last week launched what it calls a “drive-thru supermarket.”

Focusing initially as a trial at Tesco’s Baldock Extra store in Hertfordshire, the new service lets customers order their shopping as usual on the Tesco.com website. From there, they choose a “Click and Collect” option and book a two-hour time slot for picking up their groceries. At any point during that two-hour window, they can drive up to a reserved area in the Tesco car park and show a staff member their shopping reference details. Without ever having to get out of their car, they can then sit back and relax while the Tesco team packs their groceries into the boot. A flat GBP 2 picking and packing charge is simply added to the customer’s shopping bill. During the trial, Tesco holds customers’ groceries in a Tesco.com delivery van for collection; if it’s successful, however, Tesco says it will explore possible ways of adapting its stores so as to make drive-through shopping a permanent feature.

Yesterday marked the opening of LEGO’s new NYC flagship store at Rockefeller Center. To celebrate, a team of LEGO Master Model Builders will be in-store constructing a giant, 15-foot LEGO apple during the day on June 29, June 30 and July 1, 2010. There are also bonuses each day for the first 500 customers. Stop by and indulge your inner child.

Prada is launching its e-store in the U.S. starting July 1. in the beginning luxury websites were merely to promote the brand but these days brands like Yves Saint Laurent and Gucci also offer online shopping directly off the main site rather than sending shoppers to department store websites. Unfortunately you can’t buy Prada clothing on the site but you can pick up purses, accessories and eyewear. The e-store is designed to capture a boutique experience and an e-gift feature lets you order presents online and that can be delivered to the home of the recipient with a personalized card. The Prada site is already very content rich featuring video of runway shows, short films, lookbooks and ad campaign images. Next up for Prada-style e-commerce, Japan.

Just about everyone loves a hot and tasty pizza, so why change something that already works? The K! Pizzacone shop — co-owned and managed by Ingo Pinto — in midtown set out to do just that. Pizzacones, “which taste more like a calzone and have less sauce than a standard slice,” start at $4.90, about twice the price of a regular slice

Free Wi-Fi seems like one of those luxuries that is slowly spreading like wild fire. Yet there are times where you can’t find it to save your life. Sure, there’s a Starbucks on every corner, but you have to mess with one of their cards if you want your internet access. Well, at least you do until next month.

Starting July 1st Starbucks is throwing open the doors on their Wi-Fi service. You’ll be able to enjoy free access for as long as you like (provided you’re still sipping on their overpriced coffee). Just sit down, click on the network and you’re ready to roll. No more dealing with their cards, or AT&T’s login. They’re also going to be launching some sort of Starbucks Digital Network that will give you access to exclusive content, community news and local volunteer opportunities. But honestly, the free Wi-Fi is what’s reall

Retail store design is a fascinating subject. What seems like a simple experience, walking in off the street into a shop, is actually a feat of complex engineering designed to showcase not just the products but the style and spirit of a brand.

Pompei A.D. a design firm which I recently covered for their work with Anthropologie has been at work on creating the new visitor experience for The Art of Shaving stores. The firm was selected to redevelop the branding experience for each of The Art of Shaving’s new and existing retail locations– five stores have been completed so far, including two newly opened locations in the Chicago area.

The store concept revolves around “The 4 Elements of the Perfect Shave”: Prepare, Lather Up!, Shave, and Moisturize. A central table explains The 4 Elements in a simple, direct way and these categories are supported by the merchandise, graphics and other interactive elements. The stores use stained rift cut white oak, polished nickel and white Carrara marble for the rich look of a men’s luxury club. Many stores will also include a barber spa for in-store shaving treatments.

“The Art of Shaving’s product line and grooming system is truly revolutionary, and our redesign of the retail environment is intended to showcase the brand and The 4 Elements of the Perfect Shave in a way that is compelling without being intimidating,” stated Ron Pompei, principal and creative director of Pompei A.D. “Throughout the process, we were inspired by the look and feel of a traditional men’s club, combined with contemporary luxuries.”

p.s. The Art of Shaving is owned by Procter & Gamble.

After the iconic Italian fashion and leather goods manufacturer Gucci wrote the success story with London’s most stylish fashionistas in April, it was time to hit Tokyo. In response to the strong demand for one-of-a-kind collections, Gucci has announced the opening of Shinjuku Store for its GUCCI ICON-TEMPORARY pop-up sneaker store for a limited period from June 12th to July 4th, 2010. Featuring a limited edition sneaker collection designed by its Creative Director Frida Giannini, Gucci’s new store will also house two special edition “Gucci Ronson” sneakers, designed by Giannini in collaboration with award-winning musical artist Mark Ronson. As it is with Gucci’s opening, this store will be celebrated with an exclusive party to force the style checkers to get a sneak peek at the fab footwear on display.

Didn’t think you’d ever end up window shopping for beef tenderloin? Get ready for a rethink, especially if you are on Queen Street in Woollahra, Sydney, Australia.

In the well-established suburb, tree-lined streets offer a perfect enclave for cafes and boutiques, and for that most unlikely of things, a supremely cool butcher shop. Victor Churchill is the first, and so far the only, butcher shop established by Vic and Anthony Puharich, the father and son duo behind Vic’s Premium Quality Meat, the leading meat supplier to some of the finest restaurants in Australia, China and Singapore.

A butcher shop — Churchill’s Butchery -has operated in the space since 1876, so it was an appropriate location for what the Puharichs envisioned as a European-inspired designer shop of meaty delights.

To realize their vision, they engaged Sydney-based Dreamtime Australia Design whose many restaurant, bar and resort projects around the world combine traditional and modern elements in a deliciously layered and multi-textured way. This was Dreamtime’s first retail project but too juicy to pass, says Dreamtime director, Michael McCann

The store boasts so many unique, custom-designed and exclusive features that the only way to absorb it all is a real-life visit. The features provoke, intrigue and amuse the customer – starting with the façade with its double-glazed, refrigerated vitrine for viewing the ever-changing array of hanging meat and poultry, plus selections displayed on custom-made copper and glass shelving.

Inside, butchers work at timber butcher’s blocks on a “stage” behind floor-to-ceiling glass while specialty cuts of meat and carcasses, hung from a custom-designed cog gear and metal chain rack, slowly pass by. The backdrop for all this is a Himalayan rock salt brick wall that infuses the hanging meat with flavor and sterilizes the air. In a humorous nod to a recent Louis Vuitton window display, multiple video cameras are trained onto the daily special inside a glass dome on a pedestal.