ISSUE 019
IN SITU this week is a NYC retail round-up, and looks at why localising experiences is the more beneficial option for global brands.
IN SITU is a platform dedicated to the intersection between culture, brand strategy and music. Sometimes the focus will be on one strand more than another, but always sitting in that sweet spot.
ISSUE 019 AT A GLANCE
LONG READ Cultural observation opinion piece: Retail as Brand Experience: NYC Round Two
VERBATIM Quote from cultural tastemaker: Aisha Al-Abdallah - Brand Strategist
SHORT READ Belief relating to strategy and/or insight: Core belief #14: Localising is open-minded, not short-sighted
MUSIC CORNER Album recommendation: Destin Conrad - LOVE ON DIGITAL
LONG READ
RETAIL AS BRAND EXPERIENCE: NYC ROUND TWO
After a brief IN SITU hiatus, I’m back in NYC. It felt like the perfect opportunity to do another retail round-up of what’s happening out here as a follow-up from ISSUE 007.
HAPPIER GROCERY: “Happier Grocery connects consumers with products defined by quality, sustainability, and ethical sourcing. Our space serves as a portal to discovery, encouraging exploration, learning, and a deeper connection with every aspect of daily life.”
Dubbed “the Erewhon of NYC” by TikTok, Happier Grocery feels more like a Dean & DeLuca replacement, especially given it’s Soho location. However, it definitely sits in the same category of grocery-turn-lifestyle store, where you can pick up some kale along with a hoody and a magazine. With it’s own brand products alongside third party, Happier is focusing on discovery in a big way. By putting like-minded brands together, even if consumers aren’t aware of them, their grouped presence encourages curiosity.
With the top floor focusing on fresh - cafe, deli, produce and takeaway, and the ground floor focusing on ambient, wellness and frozen goods (with some merch thrown in) it could technically be a one-stop-shop, but obviously hitting a higher price point for your shop. There is also a membership option, which hits on the community angle nicely, especially for a standalone store.
PALOMA WOOL: “paloma wool is my name and the name of this project, which is about getting dressed and the space and ideas that are created around the act of getting dressed.”
Spanish brand Paloma Wool was established in 2014, but it’s really in the last 5 years or so that it’s taken off in a big way. With pop-ups in key cities such as London, Paris and LA, the brand took the plunge earlier this year with its first permanent space in Soho, NYC.
With raw finishes, high ceilings and lots of space this is really a showroom, not a store. Not least because you don’t pull pieces off the rails. Each item has a reference number and photo showing how it looks on a model. When you enter, you’re given an order form to write down which items you want to try on, or buy, and in which size. These are then dropping into a fitting room for you (with dimmable lights) for your try-on experience.
Resisting the urge to fill up what I’m sure it’s an extraordinarily expensive space with product is brave, but it’s also the right thing to do. Consumers are getting a contemporary, luxury experience, fitting of the location, and shifts them into the mindset that these are investment pieces, not an impulse buy that you end up forgetting about. This aligns with the brand’s mostly younger consumer base, who are looking for sustainable shopping options.
KITH MANHATTAN: “A lifestyle brand and progressive retail concept…Kith offers seasonal collections…through a distinct lens of personal storytelling, effortless styling, and uncompromising detail to fabrication and design.”
What would a retail round-up be without Kith? It was divine timing, as my trip coincided with the re-opening of the Manhattan flagship after a major refurbishment. The 3-floor store now feels as luxury as the newer locations, and with more focus on their own brand. There is one floor each for Kith own-brand (men’s), multi-brand and footwear, and a Kith Treats window at street level.
The renovation is described on the Kith website as follows, “As you move upward through each floor, the materials transition from darker, grounded tones to lighter, more refined finishes, creating a natural progression. Meticulous attention to detail through a luxury lens defines the space, highlighted by the debut of the Kith & Kin Crest logo—a significant moment in the brand’s evolution.” There is much more detail where that came from, showing how much care and attention is put into every single inch of these stores from Ronnie Fieg himself. The most impressive takeout from Kith stores is how each one feels so intensely “Kith”, while simultaneously unique for each location.
Summary Thoughts
Here a few summarising thoughts as to what makes these spaces such forward-thinking retail experiences:
Independent Mindset: Each of these examples illustrates how a brand can serve its customer base on its own terms. Whether it’s how products are showcased, or how decadent the interiors are, they are not following anyone else’s blueprint.
Uniquely New York: Although two of these stores only exist permanently in NYC, all three retailers exhibit a New York state of mind. The architecture, the product curation and VM are all specific to a NY consumer, and that localisation is appreciated.
Smart Use of Space: No matter the square footage, these stores are giving space to their stock. They understand that the retail experience is more than the product itself, and extends to dwell areas, design features and architectural moments.
Which retailers are doing something different in your city? Let me know!
VERBATIM
AISHA AL-ABDALLAH - BRAND STRATEGIST
HOW CAN BIG BRANDS THINK SMALL WHEN IT COMES TO RETAIL?
“What bigger brands can lift from the independents is an approach to retail that thinks like hospitality. Consumers become guests, user journeys are instead holidays, and the focus is on how you want each person to feel when they leave. That's how you increase dwell time and keep them coming back.”
SHORT READ
CORE BELIEF #14: LOCALISING IS OPEN-MINDED, NOT SHORT-SIGHTED
One might think that localising a store or activation feels small and unimaginative. When in fact, localisation is not only harder than you may think, but tends to be more effective too.
The most influential consumers are looking for something unique - always. Whether it’s what they wear, who they listen to or where they shop, standing out is better. This means that if a global brand is opening a store or putting on an event in their city, they expect it to feel like it could only be there, and only for them. This could mean anything from local vendors and artists, to a locally-meaningful site or design style. It’s easy for global brands to copy & paste from city to city, but what’s harder and delivers far more of a special experience, is keeping the brand identity alive while also honouring the host culture.
MUSIC CORNER
DESTIN CONRAD - LOVE ON DIGITAL
After 4 EPs, Destin Conrad has released his long-awaited debut album, LOVE ON DIGITAL. The Tampa native makes the kind of R&B that makes you want to cry and party at the same time, drawing from his own experiences and influences. The album boasts strong features, such as Lil Nas X and Teezo Touchdown, as well as long time collaborators Sasha Keable (co-writer) and Kehlani.
Destin is a big fan of the UK scene, spending a lot of time in London where he’s built up a community. He even did a DJ AG live stream while he was over here promoting the album. But no matter where he is in the world, it’s clear that Destin is onto something with his brand of R&B, and with a tour coming next, this is only the beginning.
Check out my recent interview with Destin for Clash Magazine here.
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