Retail: Notable Seed stories from 2009

San Francisco, Amsterdam, Paris – While the credit crunch caused stores to close across the world, 2009 also provided a glimpse of the multifunctional, multisensory spaces that we expect will become essential for retailers in the coming decade, due to increased online competition.

The BrandNew space in Amsterdam demonstrated how the pop-up trend has gone beyond temporary retail locations and expanded into spaces where customers can explore, touch, see, smell and become fully engaged with their favourite brands. On the net, Tobi’s virtual dressing room highlighted potential of augmented reality, which can allow online stores to re-interpret the physical nature of testing products on the high street. This technology is sure to feature increasingly in 2010. In Paris, the L’Eclaireur store makeover by Arne Quinze captured the mid-recession mood of the luxury industry, with its pared-down, stripped-back, raw wooden features and interior. This is an example of the many Rough Luxe spaces we saw throughout 2009.