2024 was somewhat subdued when it came to new store openings, likely a result of economic uncertainty. However, many notable retail experiences launched around the globe, ranging from high-end luxury to highly accessible. Here is a selection of some of our favorite new stores from 2024.
1. Best Use Of Color
Trinny London is one of many digital-first beauty brands to capture a passionate fan base. An age-inclusive brand that emphasizes ease and personalization, Trinny London opened its first physical store in the UK in 2024 and followed up with a pop-up shop in New York City. Using its signature bold lemon yellow on the exterior, inside sparkling silver and white creates a powerful backdrop for the products, which are packaged in bold colors. Simple but powerful, expect to see more Trinny London stores in major cities in Europe and North America in the next few years
Image Source: Trinny London Official Website
The redesigned website differentiated the charity as a champion of the cause while ensuring that Canadian caregivers were at the forefront of the mission. Impactful landing page imagery, strong, emotional copywriting, and calls to action gave the CareMakers team a powerful tool to drive traffic and spread awareness. Coupled with their new and improved content section, the new logo, and brand standards, the website design spoke to the intended audience with a strong, cohesive branded message that utilized the Blink Factor to emotionally captivate website visitors.
2. Most Intriguing Concept
Customized keyboards may seem like a niche product, but if Laboratory RF in Singapore is an example of how tech companies are going to tap into personalization, we think this is a sign of things to come. Laboratory RF is a place not just to buy, but to create. Using keyboard parts and bold displays to help consumers build their unique board makes the experience tactile, engaging, visually exciting, and novel. You might never have wanted a customized keyboard before, but this retail concept will make you reconsider.
Image Source: Laboratory RF Official Website
3. Most High Art
Image Source: Dover Street Market Official Website
4. Best Cross-Cultural Experience
Canadian brand Sukoshi Mart opened its largest store to date in Ottawa this year as well as their first US store in New York City. Bringing Asian lifestyle and beauty products to North American consumers, Sukoshi Mart is an experiential store to get lost in. Leaning on many high-profile partnerships, including BTS and Studio Ghibli, Sukoshi Mart is not an adaptation of an Asian brand, but a concept born in North America by entrepreneurs of Asian descent. This could be the secret sauce that’s giving the brand an edge, with rapid growth expected.
Image Source: Sukoshi Market Official Website
5. Most Strategic Concept
Chick-fil-A’s highly anticipated giant drive-thru prototype opened in a suburb of Atlanta this year. Built for speed and volume, this concept is remarkable not because of its visual beauty but as an innovative design built to achieve specific goals that are above and beyond industry standards. As of yet, there’s no news on how successful the launch has been in terms of achieving their ambitious goal of serving a meal every six seconds, but stay tuned for more on this later this year.
Image Source: Chick-Fil-A Official Website
6. Most Holistic Experience
Mixed-use is a buzzword in the world of real estate, but it’s not easy to get right. The new Waterworks building in Toronto is a best-in-class example where residents live above a celebrity chef’s flagship restaurant, a brand-new YMCA, a European-style food hall, and other food and beverage offerings. All of the food and retail spaces showcase the historic beauty of the old civic building. Civil Works, the cocktail bar that overlooks the food court is adorned with stunning windows, glamourous vintage décor, stunning lighting, and cocktails with names like “Overhead Tonnage” and “Forger’s Flash.” A seasonal outdoor patio, SOBR Market’s flagship store, and Lee, the namesake restaurant of celebrity chef Susur Lee, both allow the natural beauty of the building to shine. The overall experience feels cohesive, elevates the neighborhood, and has made the building one of Toronto’s most desirable condos.
Image Source: Waterworks Food Hall Official Website
7. Best Curation
Kith Kids, a spinoff on the adult Kith brand, opened its flagship store in 2024. This is an experience as much for parents as it is for kids. You won’t find a hectic rainbow palette or cartoon characters at Kith Kids. A dreamy pastel palette and puffy cloud shapes portray an innocent and carefree experience of childhood. Products are integrated as part of the design in carefully curated merchandising displays, and a treats bar where kids and parents can get a customized ice cream round out the experience, complete with a pistachio colored 50’s diner community booth.
Image Source: Kith Official Website
8. Most Likely To Take Over The World
Danish wellness brand Rituals was on track to open 250 new stores in 2024, primarily expanding in the UK, mainland Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. The brand’s Mind Oasis spa concept is also expanding, with a new location scheduled to open in Berlin in 2025. With a signature blossom tree as a powerful example of the Blink Factor, the brand is ahead of the curve on all things wellness, including mental health. While there is no news of a North American expansion yet, if you visit Amsterdam, the brand’s flagship House of Rituals should be on your list of stores to visit.
Image Source: House of Rituals Official Website
9. Coolest Launch
When retailers open a flagship in China, they know they need to go all out. Supreme’s new Shanghai store is a perfect example of how to give the people what they want and a little bit more. Although perhaps a bit late to the game in opening a store in China, the brand is highly coveted in the market and the store lives up to the cool factor it’s known for.
Image Source: Supreme Official Website
10. Most Accessible
Lulu’s Bridal tapped into an unmet need in the market: the cost of outfitting a wedding has become potentially outrageous, but the desire for a luxury bridal experience has never been higher. In 2024 Lulu’s just opened their first bridal boutique on the second floor of Lulus on Melrose. With a bridal concierge service and a Venus De Milo design, brides-to-be can get the kind of experience they see on Instagram, at an accessible price.
Image Source: Lulu’s Official Website
What To Look For in 2025
- Direct-to-consumer luxury fragrance brand Maison de Aromique is planning to open a flagship store along with several other US store openings in 2025.
- Subway plans to roll out a new look that’s lighter and airier over the next year.
- Netflix intends to open Netflix House, a dining and entertainment experience, in 2025.
