VMSD - June 2017 - 9

Obstacles and Opportunities
Growth has brought competition. "Our supermarket giants have had their fair share of challenges, largely due to the entry of low-cost
operators such as the German Aldi chain and
U.S.-based Costco," says Tavenor.
The growing presence of Uniqlo, H&M and
Zara has shuttered the once-thriving factory
discount shops of the Melbourne rag trade.
"Signs of stress are evident in many suburban malls," says Tavenor, "with rent reductions
and shopfront hoardings a lot more evident
than before."
And recently, the Myer Melbourne department store, a 100,000-square-foot downtown
landmark for 90 years, was closed for several
months for a serious $300 million downsizing
that left it half the size.-Steve Kaufman

M UR R AY K ASM E NN, ATLANTA

C INDI KATO, SE ATTLE

The Hot Spots
It's warm and sunny in June for much of the
world, but hardy Melburnians are currently
warding off the cold, drizzly mid-winter of the
Southern Hemisphere. Still, they flock to Collins Street, the city's premier luxury shopping
strip just north of the Yarra River, for Prada,
Louis Vuitton, Emporio Armani, Tiffany &
Co., Bulgari, Gucci, Montblanc and Tom Ford,
among many others.
"For decades, our city was best described as
provincial, with established local retailers and
Australian designer brands in every mall and
most shopping strips," Tavenor says. "What's
changed? A doubling in our inner-city population, a boom in the central business district's
high-rise apartment towers and an explosion
of our Asian population, especially students,
bringing a taste for luxury brands and higher
disposable incomes."

Retail Design Expo Review:
Innovations Abound

N

ow in its third year, and continually growing, the 2017 Retail Design
Expo (RDE) drew visitors from around the world to the Olympia conference center
in London's Shepherd's Bush neighborhood May 8-9. The conference and trade
show was again co-located with the Retail Business Technology Expo and Retail Digital
Signage Expo, and featured exhibitors showcasing the latest in design, marketing, visual merchandising, architecture and fixturing products and services.
New this year, the VM Christmas Market offered visitors seasonal-specific strategies and
tools, while the VM Christmas Awards recognized the best in holiday windows, displays and
interiors for the 2016 Christmas season. Among the winners were Selfridges (London), Magasin
du Nord (Copenhagen, Denmark), Pringle of Scotland (London) and Marks & Spencer (London).
VMSD Editor-in-Chief Jennifer Acevedo moderated a panel on visual merchandising
trends with Sue Chidler, global marketing director, Cath Kidston (London); Joanna Quinn,
group visual creative manager, JD Sports Fashion (Bury, U.K.); and Tim Radley, managing
director, VM-Unleashed (Warlingham, U.K.). The discussion centered around the power of
visual merchandising in the retail environment and the challenges VM professionals face in
today's marketplace.
Next year, RDE will be held May 2-3, 2018, in London. For more information, please visit
retaildesignexpo.com. -JA

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of VMSD - June 2017
