LSN : News : Uniqlo launches The Heart of LifeWear aid initiative

Pizza Hut Canada launches a PlayStation-compatible pizza warmer

Pizza WRMR by Pizza Hut, Canada

Canada – Pizza Hut Canada is bridging gaming and snacking with its latest innovation: the Pizza Warmer, a gadget designed to sit atop Sony’s PlayStation 5 Slim console. Inspired by the iconic Pizza Hut roof, the Pizza Warmer uses the console’s heat to reheat leftover slices during gaming marathons. Equipped with an aluminium tray and a flip-top lid, the gadget allows users to warm several slices simultaneously, ensuring a seamless gaming-to-snacking experience.

While designed specifically for the PS5 Slim, the Pizza Warmer can also be adapted for other similarly sized gaming consoles. For DIY enthusiasts, Pizza Hut Canada is offering a free downloadable 3D printing file of the Pizza Warmer on its official website.

This playful innovation not only highlights Pizza Hut’s approach to catering for gaming culture but also shows how brands can creatively merge functionality with fandom to spark consumer engagement, a topic we explore further in Gastro Gaming Market.

Strategic opportunity

Brands can drive engagement by merging functionality with entertainment, creating playful, shareable innovations that align with consumer lifestyles, such as gaming or entertainment trends

Porsche and Aimé Leon Dore restore customised 993 Turbo

Porsche and Aimé Leon Dore 993 Turbo, France

US – Porsche and American fashion and lifestyle brand Aimé Leon Dore have released their latest collaboration, a bespoke 993 Turbo. Finished in Mulberry Green – a signature shade developed by the fashion brand – the car showcases features such as Turbo S-inspired exhausts, a customised whale tail rear wing and Turbo Twist rims.

The car’s interior includes dark brown leather, lambswool accents and a customised Porsche and Aimé Leon Dore logo on the headrests and steering wheel. The gold Unisphere gear knob is an ode to Queens, the New York borough in which Aimé Leon Dore was founded, with the phrase ‘A team from outta Queens with the American dream’ incorporated on the door sills.

The partnership marks the fourth restoration of one-off classic Porsche sports cars since Aimé Leon Dore first collaborated with the car manufacturer in 2020. A clothing capsule collection, 993 Aimé, will be unveiled alongside the car’s launch.

In Not Your Parents’ Car, we explore how car brands are adapting to target Gen Z. By collaborating with a revered streetwear brand and highlighting craftsmanship, customisation and heritage, Porsche is appealing to next-gen consumers.

Strategic opportunity

What cross-sector collaboration could make your brand indispensable to the next generation of tastemakers? Think out of the box to build brand relevance among younger, tech-savvy consumers

Uniqlo launches The Heart of LifeWear aid initiative

Photography by Angela Roma

Global – Fashion retailer Uniqlo is marking its 40th anniversary with The Heart of LifeWear, a global campaign donating one million Heattech thermal garments to vulnerable communities this winter. Recipients include displaced individuals in Jordan, victims of Japan’s Noto Peninsula earthquake and vulnerable elderly people and children around the world.

In North America, 80,000 items will support those facing poverty and homelessness, while UK organisations such as Crisis and Social Bite will distribute 10,000 items locally. Lightweight AIRism clothing will also be donated, tailored to regional climates.

‘Through our new global initiative from this winter, The Heart of LifeWear, Uniqlo seeks to make a positive impact on the lives of as many people as we can who are living in such situations, aiming to help make life better and more comfortable – even just a little – for people in need around the world,’ said Koji Yanai, senior group executive officer at Fast Retailing Co, the parent company of Uniqlo.

In our Wellbeing Wear report, we unpacked how clothing designed for physical, psychological and environmental protection is more important than ever in such a fragmented, unpredictable world.

Strategic opportunity

Amid economic and political uncertainty, brands should embrace civic behaviours such as impactful giving. By addressing community needs, companies strengthen ties with their regional audiences while reinforcing a purpose-driven identity

Stat: Local strolling beats social scrolling for Gen Z and Millennials

Fluz. Identity by Koto, US

US – A new American Express Shop Small Impact Study reveals that younger consumers are rediscovering businesses not through social media, but by simply exploring their neighbourhoods. The 2024 survey found that 90% of Gen Z and Millennials discover new businesses while walking around their communities, surpassing the 80% who rely on social media for similar discoveries.

This shift has fuelled a growing interest in supporting small, local enterprises, particularly during the holiday season. According to the study, 85% of consumers overall intend to shop small this year, marking an 11-point increase over the past decade. In addition, 55% of shoppers say prioritising local businesses is a key focus, underlining a cultural move towards community-centric spending.

The optimism is palpable among small business owners, 95% of whom expect robust holiday sales – up 12 points from last year. As proximity proves powerful, brands should re-imagine hyper-local engagement to attract these on-the-go shoppers – a topic we explore further in World Retail Congress 2024: Let’s Get Hyperphysical.