Fashion
Hugo Boss has given Antwerp a first for the Benelux: the German suit chain's renovated store in Belgium's prime shopping city features a 'made to measure' service.
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Esprit has opened a new store in the city centre of the Belgian city Liège, on the shopping artery Rue Vinâve d'Île. That is a surprising move, given the recent cutbacks in the fashion chain.
Food
In March, French chain Auchan will open its first 'Minute' store in Europe, in the French municipality of Villeneuve d'Ascq (close to the Belgian border). These compact "container stores" have no registers or staff: shopping is entirely done through smartphone.
Furniture
Swedish furniture giant IKEA has announced it will open its first true city centre store in Paris on 6 May. At just 5400 sqm, it will be Ikea's smallest real store ever (excluding pick-up points).
French retailer Casino has opened a second Belgian Franprix store in Brussels. It is a small convenience store with a limited 'on the go' product range.
Belgian handbag brand Delvaux is opening a first American store on the famous Fifth Avenue in New York. The boutique, in a 1927 building, overlooks Central Park and allows Americans to discover the "oldest luxury leather house in the world".
H&M subsidiary ARKET has announced the opening of a second Belgian store in Antwerp next spring. The new store will also serve a few Scandinavian dishes according to the New Nordic Food Manifesto.
Chocolate producer Godiva has plans to open 2,000 bars in which consumers can drink coffee and eat its pralines. The price for that worldwide growth however may be big: the company may have to leave Japan to finance that growth.
French distributor Carrefour will be testing its own registerless store concept next year. Just like pioneer Amazon Go, Carrefour will rely on cameras and facial recognition to achieve a fully automated checkout system.
Belgian sandwich chain Panos has opened its 100th 'City' store in the Walloon city of Namur. It is only the fifth such store in Wallonia, but the chain has expressed its intentions of a rapid expansion in Belgium's southern region.
Textielketen Zeeman blijft internationaal stevig doorgroeien: morgen opent de 1300ste Europese winkel in het Spaanse Valencia. De retailer heeft winkels in zeven landen: België, Duitsland, Frankrijk, Luxemburg, Nederland, Oostenrijk en Spanje.
At the beginning of next year H&M subsidiary Monki plans to open a new concept store in Brussels: after Ghent and Antwerp it will be the Scandinavian chain's third store in Belgium.
General
The Belgian National Lottery's plans to start with its own retail chain are taking shape. The first stores, called Lottery Centers, will open in Antwerp, Ghent and Liège.
Amazon is opening six pop-up stores throughout Europe under the banner 'Loft for Xmas', as the e-commerce giant wants to learn about the peculiarities of physical retail.
Belgian supermarket chain Delhaize has unveiled a new store concept with an innovative mix of fresh meal solutions, 'on the go' shopping and city pick-up points for online shopping. The chain hopes to open 200 of such stores in the next three years.
Amazon goes fashion: the e-tailer is opening a pop-up apparel store in London. Europe's first physical Amazon outlet will only last for five days, but should leave a big impression.
