World Retail Congress 2025 daily recap: Emerging consumer mindsets and luxury storefronts

UK – On the closing day of World Retail Congress 2025, retailers looked to the future, examining emerging consumer mindsets, sustainability pressures and the shifting shape of luxury.

Helena Helmersson, former CEO of H&M Group, delivered a powerful keynote speech on the business of sustainability. She addressed the long-standing friction between profitability and purpose, urging leaders to move beyond relying on consumer goodwill. ‘It is up to us in this room to take our businesses, our industries, our shareholders and our customers there,’ she said, calling for urgent, top-down accountability in retail’s sustainability journey.

In a panel hosted by Deloitte on the future of the consumer, Nadine Graf, president of EMEA, UK and Ireland and emerging markets at Estée Lauder Companies, pointed to cultural shifts unlocking new engagement models. She spoke of Gen Z’s deepening relationship with platforms such as TikTok – not just for entertainment, but also for searching and shopping – as explored in our microtrend report, Content Commerce. Graf also highlighted beauty’s growing focus on longevity, declaring that ‘anti-ageing has become empowered living’, echoing insights from our macrotrend, Longevity Lifestyles.

Luxury retail’s evolution was explored in a headline session with Jamie Salter, founder, chairman and CEO of Authentic Brands Group, and Richard Baker, executive chairman of Saks Global, discussing their joint venture, Authentic Luxury Group. ‘We are building what we believe will be the world’s biggest luxury eco-system,’ said Baker, when discussing the recent launch of a Saks-Amazon storefront. He concluded by forecasting a major shift in purchasing patterns, declaring that buying luxury on Amazon will be the norm within the next five years.

One of the most anticipated sessions of the day was The World’s Coolest Retailers 2025, presented by Matt Newell, CEO and partner, and Reid Nakou, chief experience officer and head of design, at The General Store. Among this year’s top 10 was Sleepacy, a Swedish brand created by Jensen Beds. Its Stockholm flagship store is the world’s first sleep concept store, blending personalised coaching with curated lifestyle products. As explored in our Sleep Enhancement Market report, sleep has emerged as a cornerstone of wellbeing – and retail is waking up to the opportunity.