World Retail Congress: Coolest stores of 2026
Last week at the World Retail Congress (WRC), top executives from major brands and experts have been intensively discussing the future of retail. The influence of artificial intelligence on the industry was a particularly prominent topic. The agenda in Berlin also included a look at the year's “coolest stores”.
“The current discussion in retail is really exciting. After years where caution was understandable and consolidation seemed inevitable, something has shifted,” said WRC chair Ian McGarrigle. “The most interesting players in the industry are not waiting for conditions to improve; they are creating the conditions themselves through experience, curation and a refusal to be ordinary.”
A total of 50 store concepts that stand out for their individuality were highlighted by The General Store, an Australian retail innovation agency, and presented on Wednesday during the WRC. Topping the 'Coolest Retailers Report 2026' is a fashion house whose flagship has made international waves since its opening.
One: ‘The Louis’ in Shanghai
This is, of course, the huge ship-shaped installation by Louis Vuitton in Shanghai, which combines retail, gastronomy and the history of the French fashion house.
‘The Louis’ – as the ship was named – is the boldest retail statement the brand has made in years, according to the report. “There is nothing comparable worldwide.”
Two: Haus Nowhere in Seoul
The Korean eyewear brand Gentle Monster turns heads wherever it opens new stores. Its multi-storey locations, found in cities across South Korea, China, Japan and the US, often feel more like a contemporary museum or gallery. In addition to its Paris flagship, the brand is also present in Europe through shop-in-shop spaces at retailers like 10 Corso Como in Milan and Selfridges in London.
Installations, ranging from oversized robot heads to unicorn landscapes, are popular photo opportunities and attract many onlookers to the store. Even if not all of them become potential customers, footfall is always high.
The General Store awards second place to ‘Haus Nowhere’ in Seoul's Seongsu-dong district – arguably the “most creative retail environment in the world.” The 14-storey store is the fourth “experimental retail project” by Gentle Monster's parent company, Iicombined, offering “a distinct spatial identity and changing installations” on each floor. These include a giant slumbering puppy and a tea floor. The location also features an exclusive rooftop terrace with 360-degree views, reserved for invited guests. Alongside Gentle Monster, brands such as the Korean perfume label Tamburins and the Korean headwear specialist Atiissu are also featured.
Three: Printemps in New York
The French luxury department store Printemps secured third place with its first location in the US. The New York location, which opened in March last year in an Art Deco complex in Manhattan's Financial District, is described in the report as a multi-layered, theatrical space. The concept sits at the intersection of shopping and hospitality.
At the One Wall Street address, visitors can find the Red Room for shoes and the Playroom, which features emerging French and European brands and a café. There is also the Sneaker Room; the Salon with women's prêt-à-porter and accessories; the Garçonnière with menswear; the Fragrance Cellar with French beauty products; and the Beauty Corridor with holistic skincare brands. The space also includes five different restaurant concepts. Printemps in New York is completed by various art installations, including a façade with giant sculptures made from upcycled fabrics.
Four: Pop Mart – Hirono store in London
Following the top three is the first company with no direct fashion connection, although it did influence trends last year with a small, fluffy monster – Labubu provider Pop Mart. The Chinese toy company is creating a hype with its collectible blind boxes, leading to customer queues and camping reminiscent of sneaker releases over a decade ago.
The company recently opened the Hirono store on London's Brick Lane. This is the brand's first apparel concept, dedicated to the eponymous ‘Hirono’ character series. The store is located in the former Truman Brewery, alongside independent boutiques, bars, restaurants, a market hall and concert venues. It retains the original red brickwork and references the local vintage markets.
In parallel, Pop Mart has invested 45 million US dollars in its expansion, according to the report, with a new flagship in Sydney featuring 600 square metres of retail space spread over two floors.
Five: Casetify in Seoul
Staying with fashion accessories, we return to the Korean capital. There, Casetify has a flagship in the Dosan Park district. Across five floors, consumers can immerse themselves in the product world of the Hong Kong-based phone case provider. Each level has “its own distinctive identity,” according to The General Store.
This includes an infinity mirror installation in the basement, a product level with an oversized sculpture of an ‘Ultra Bounce Case’, a dedicated area for luggage and a Customization Lab. A collaboration café serving edible charm designs and a rooftop terrace invite visitors to linger.
The physical location is used to “transform a functional product into a cultural identity,” the report states. “A clear reminder that the store – when well executed – remains the most powerful brand medium available.”
Six: Anta Sneakerverse in Shanghai
Chinese sporting goods provider Anta Sports takes sixth place with its ‘Sneakerverse’ concept, showing that the sneaker segment can be presented outside the usual clean and urban concepts. The five-storey store is the world's first concept store dedicated to Anta's sportswear sub-brands.
Highlights include a dark, gothic brick façade, an ornate door and a bronze slide that delivers selected sneakers into the customer's hands. There is also a gesture-controlled crystal ball that reacts to movement. These features create the feeling of being in the enchanted shopping street of Diagon Alley from the Harry Potter films. Here, medieval classicism meets digital interactivity without cancelling each other out.
“In a market where Chinese sportswear brands are fighting hard for cultural credibility, Anta delivers the strongest possible spatial argument,” the report concludes.
Seven: Mecca in Melbourne
In a building on Melbourne's Bourke Street that once housed the “world's largest bookshop,” Australian beauty specialist Mecca now operates a versatile concept that extends far beyond a simple beauty product range.
The flagship of the company, founded in 1997, houses a suite for clinical skin treatments; a café; a fragrance hall; a gifting suite with engraving and calligraphy services; a wellness apothecary; and an auditorium for masterclasses and courses from the Beauty School. The offering includes more than 200 brands and 80 services. According to The General Store, it is “without question the best beauty concept in the world right now”.
Eight: Nothing in Bengaluru
In eighth place is not nothing, but the London-based technology start-up ‘Nothing’, founded in 2020. The concept of the brand, which offers smartphones, headphones and watches, is based on making technology exciting again.
With its retail expansion to Bengaluru, the capital of the southern Indian state of Karnataka, the brand has opened its first store outside London, choosing a location that is probably not often featured in store trends. However, for the company, which according to the report achieved a total turnover of over one billion US dollars in 2024, India is its most important market. It saw an 85 percent year-over-year growth in shipments in the second quarter of 2025, making the opening a logical step.
The industrial store concept is based on replica production lines and live demonstrations of hardware longevity, designed to give a behind-the-scenes look and is far removed from a conventional electronics shop. “Customisation, active discovery and community are at the core.”
Nine: Vans in London
Rolling in at number nine is the US footwear specialist Vans, which has its roots in skateboarding. Fittingly, the London flagship on Oxford Street, with its integrated ramps and surfaces, is reminiscent of a skatepark, likely requiring self-control from skaters not to jump on their boards. During daily business, the large ramp is fitted with interchangeable glass modules, which are sometimes removed for skater demonstrations.
The store was reopened at the end of 2024 and features a fully customisable spatial concept. Depending on the day, the retail space can transform into a venue for live music, an art exhibition, a place for children's skate classes or a professional demonstration. To accommodate these possibilities, the storage space of the previous concept was reduced by 50 percent.
“For a brand whose entire identity has been shaped by skate culture, this is the most authentic version of a Vans store and a powerful reminder that subcultural credibility, when genuine, is the most enduring retail strategy of all.”
Ten: Olive Young in Seoul
The top 10 is rounded off by Korea's largest beauty store. This is the Seoul flagship of Olive Young in the trendy Seongsu district.
Spanning five floors and almost 4,630 square metres, the location is about nine times the size of the South Korean drugstore chain's usual stores, according to the report. A Community Plaza with a café, a pop-up zone and an immersive exhibition area greet customers on the ground floor. It is “a conscious statement that Olive Young wants to offer an experience first and foremost, not a sale,” the report states.
On the upper floors, consumers move through various themed worlds, including a live content studio, a skincare ingredient bar, a curated wellness selection and a VIP lounge for members.
According to the report, the location attracted 2.5 million visitors in its first year after opening. Nearly three out of four foreign tourists who visited the district also went to the store.
Top 50 at a glance
- Louis Vuitton (Shanghai)
- Haus Nowhere (Seoul)
- Printemps (New York)
- Pop Mart (London)
- Casetify (Seoul)
- Anta (Shanghai)
- Mecca (Melbourne)
- Nothing (Bengaluru)
- Vans (London)
- Olive Young (Seoul)
- Coach (-)
- Atiissu (Seoul)
- Hoff (Madrid)
- Rhode (Pop-ups, Sydney)
- Harmay (Shanghai, airport store)
- Loewe (-)
- Meadow Lane (New York)
- Charlie Fox (New York)
- Salomon (-)
- Hourglass (New York)
- Nude Project (Madrid)
- Target (New York)
- Allkinds (Australia stores)
- Heaps Normal (Sydney)
- Dossier (New York)
- Zara (Nanjing)
- Clova (New York)
- New Balance (New York)
- Erewhon (Los Angeles)
- Rimowa (New York)
- Arsenal (London)
- Skims (New York)
- Encré (Brussels)
- Musinsa (Seoul)
- Rolex (-)
- The New Trend (Brisbane, Australia)
- All Conditions Gear (Beijing, China)
- Aritzia (New York)
- Alo (-)
- Rapha (Shanghai)
- Camper (Barcelona)
- September Studio (Sydney)
- Dumps World (Sydney)
- Polène (Paris)
- Baby Bunting (Various cities in Australia)
- Nespresso (New York)
- Lululemon (New York, Seoul)
- The Travel Agency (New York)
- Flabelus (London)
- Pazzi (Madrid)
This article was translated to English using an AI tool.
FashionUnited uses AI language tools to speed up translating (news) articles and proofread the translations to improve the end result. This saves our human journalists time they can spend doing research and writing original articles. Articles translated with the help of AI are checked and edited by a human desk editor prior to going online. If you have questions or comments about this process email us at info@fashionunited.com