🤝 What's the link between an Anglo-French diplomatic deal signed 120 years ago, Retail, next week's World Retail Congress edition in Paris, and theInternational Association of Department Stores - IADS getting on stage?
Today, the British Guard and the Garde Républicaine were swapped in Elysée and Buckingham Palace to celebrate the 120 years of the "Entente Cordiale", a nice friendship agreement after a few centuries of war. An opportunity for great pictures.
📢 Next week, retailers from the world will gather in Paris for the World Retail Congress. You should go there to have another glimpse of Entente Cordiale...
Contextually, department stores are all the rage IRL and in press these days. In fact, the actuality is quite heavy with updates in the sector, from SIGNA Group of Companies' woes affecting Selfridges and THE KADEWE GROUP (among others) & potentially opening a highway for Central Group's full ownership, to the change of leadership at John Lewis & Partners, both at CEO and chairman levels, showing a "back to retail basics" new direction, or the new strategic plan at Macy's, from which press only retains the closure of a number of stores, without emphasizing the fact that they also go big on new store format openings.
😖 Haters doing their job, we hear all across the planet that the format has no future.
And yet...
➡ ... I am just leaving the latest exhibition at MAD Paris, showing the birth of this new retail concept in Paris during the 19th century (opened until Oct 24), preceding the much-awaited one at Cite de l'architecture et du patrimoine about where the concept is going now and tomorrow (opening in Oct, the IADS is a partner).
➡ ... Even though Greece is a highly fragmented retail market, there was much attention given to our lecture about department stores at the ESEE - Hellenic Confederation of Commerce & Entrepreneurship event last Saturday. And I was quite impressed when hearing about the 2023 results of attica Department Stores S.A. in Athens.
➡ ... everyone remains fascinated by a format that manages to generate growth even in difficult times (ok, not OpenAI growth, but still), at the cost of permanently reinventing itself (not a recent feature).
⭐ That's why I am excited by the privilege of interviewing on stage Michael Ward, CEO of Harrods, and Nicolas Houzé, CEO of Galeries Lafayette, in exactly a week's time! Both companies are celebrating venerable birthdays (respectively 175 and 130 years old) and yet, are very much alive and kickin'!
That's not so often that you have both leaders of these iconic companies, representing the best of their countries' retail, on the same stage, and the International Association of Department Stores - IADS is excited to listen to them. It will be probably less spectacular than having the Queen's Guards at Elysée, but certainly much more interesting for anyone in retail willing to learn about brand management, strategic steering and international development. Join us!
