In order for retailers to better understand the process of experience-first luxury design, co-founders Jeremy Bergstein and Dave Skaff outlined five steps for architects, designers and retail companies to create thought-out spaces from the onset of the build process:

1- Consider the ‘New Retail Architecture’ – Physical architecture and digital architecture have to get to know each other. Enterprise technology influences almost every element of the modern customer experience. These systems are too critical to the core service the store delivers to ignore early on. You need to build on a strong foundation before you can architect any type of shoppable brand space.

2- Think Beyond the Space – Customers are interacting with your brand inside and outside of store lease lines. Understand early on how your customers are engaging with the brand so you can enchant them and build experiences to meet them where they are.

3- Leverage Historical Data – Don’t underestimate the power of data, and be prepared to make changes along the way. Data can inform everything from hyper-optimized regional store marketing and assortments to store displays, experiences and layout.

4- Give Customers What They Want – Now that you know your customer, “architect” your space so guests will stay longer and give them an opportunity to have a personal moment with brand and product.

5- Allow For Flexibility – Remember that key elements like flexible checkout and fulfillment are now table-stakes for a complete customer experience. Flexibility impacts physicality in an store environment.

The Science Project (TSP) is a luxury retail design firm based in New York City. From Kate Spade to Perry Ellis and Barneys New York, they have continually pushed the boundaries of what truly defines “experience” in meaningful, well-thought-out ways that work across the digital, data and built environments and push the traditional boundaries of architecture.

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Business Tech, 06 March 2016

People who have a lot of money like to spend that money – and they like to invest in everything from classic cars to stamps and coins.

According to property group Knight Frank’s latest Wealth Report for 2016, the world’s ultra-high net worth individuals (worth more than $30 million) have increased spending on luxury goods by over 200% in the past decade.

Not all asset classes have grown equally, however, with super wealthy people finding favour with big buys such as classic cars, wines, coins and art over things like furniture, Chinese ceramics and diamonds.

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As it celebrates its centennial, LVMH perfumery Acqua di Parma is reflecting on an Italian tradition—the art of handwriting.

The fragrance house has teamed with fellow Italian heritage brand Aurora on a collection of pens that reflect the Acqua di Parma codes in their manufacturing, materials and design. As handwriting is on the brink of going out of style, luxury houses have sought to revive the traditional communication form, saving and promoting their own heritage at the same time.

Writing history
Acqua di Parma was founded in 1916, just three years before Aurora’s establishment. According to the perfumer, Aurora was the first Italian fountain pen manufacturer, with a following today that consists largely of collectors and enthusiasts.

Aurora’s pens for Acqua di Parma come in fountain and ballpoint styles. The fountain pen has a 14-karat gold calligraphy nib and water-based ink, while the ball pen features oil-based ink.

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Sales of super-yachts rose 40% last year despite number of millionaires and ultra rich falling, according to wealth report

The global super rich continued to splash out on super-yachts and luxury goods last year, despite a decline in their overall wealth in the wake of financial market turmoil.

According to the latest wealth report from estate agents Knight Frank, published on Wednesday, sales of super-yachts – boats longer than 24 metres – soared 40% in 2015, with the rich roaring off to ever more far-flung destinations, such as the Antarctic and outposts in Asia, rather than their traditional ports of call in the Mediterranean and the Caribbean.

The number of ultra rich – people with $30m (£22m) or more in assets – fell 3% last year. There are now 187,500 with assets in excess of that benchmark, down from from 193,100 in 2014. This was the first decline since the financial crisis. Between them, they controlled $19.3tn in assets, down from $22tn the year before. This reflected the rollercoaster global stock markets, the slump in commodity prices and slowing economic growth in China and other countries.

The number of dollar millionaires around the globe also fell from 13.6 million in 2014 to 13.3 million last year. Together, they hold assets worth $66tn – more than the value of all global shares added together.

But the report believes that the decline in the number of millionaires is just a blip, and predicts that by 2025, there will be more than 18 million of them.

So-called investments of passion such as art, cars, stamps and jewellery remain popular among the super rich. Knight Frank’s art index rose by a muted 4% last year, but a number of records were set in the world’s auction houses.

Pablo Picasso’s Les Femmes d’Alger notched up a new record for a painting sold at auction after fetching more than $179m, while Reclining Nude by Amedeo Modigliani went under the hammer for $170m to a buyer from Shanghai.

Classic cars increased by 17% in value last year, while coins went up 13%. Knight Frank’s overall luxury investment index rose 7% in 2015. This compares with a 5% drop in the value of London’s leading share index, the FTSE 100, and a rise of just 1% forprime London residential property.

Andrew Shirley, the editor of the wealth report, said: “Although no classic car managed to beat the record set by Bonhams in 2014 when it auctioned a 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO Berlinetta for $38m, eight of the 25 cars ever to have sold for over $10m at auction went under the hammer in 2015.”

Wine and luxury watches both posted 5% increases. A Hong Kong-based billionaire set a record for a gem or piece of jewellery when he paid $48.4m for the Blue Moon, a rare fancy vivid blue diamond auctioned by Sotheby’s in Geneva in November. The day before, he paid $28.5m for a vivid pink diamond sold by Christie’s.

The value of investment-grade Bordeaux wines slumped as a result of a sharp fall in demand from China, but they have now started to recover, said Nick Martin of Wine Owners.

Even furniture values, which generally had a poor year, set a new auction record for a living maker when the Lockheed Lounge sofa by the Australian designer Marc Newson sold for £2.4m in April 2015.

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MARCH 1, 2016 / WRITTEN BY ALICE CAVANAGH

A young shopper’s entry to luxury fashion used to be perfume. But execs at LVMH and Prada must have noticed millennials’ habit of blowing their paycheck on food, because both companies recently battled over two of Milan’s most historic cafés.

Instead of launching their own restaurants (Ralph Lauren’s Polo Bar), opening an in-store franchise (Rose Bakery in Dover Street Market), or collaborating on pop-ups with a mega chef (Noma + Club Monaco), the luxury firms bought up centuries-old institutions near their boutiques around Via Monte Napoleone.

Cova, 199 years old and now owned by LVMH, maintains its gilded aura, while Prada’s Pasticceria Marchesi, built in 1824, has been given a Miuccia-esque makeover—complete with eye-catching packaging—for its second location. Wes Anderson recently designed the Bar Luce in the nearby Fondazione Prada—another dream collision of food and fashion—so imagine what he could do for the rumored Dubai Marchesi. As the late Louis Vuitton president Yves Carcelle once said, “I’ve nothing against Starbucks, but I think it makes more sense to have a Cova next door.”

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A regarder pour bien comprendre en Chine le primat du politique sur l'économie et le social.

La lutte contre la corruption, menée par le Président ‪#‎Xi‬ ‪#‎Jiping‬, s'inscrit pourtant dans une promesse faîte au peuple de lutter contre les "tigres" (les chefs autoritaires) et les mouches (les petits chefs imbus de leur autorité), accusés de favoritisme et d'être corrompus. Il n'y a donc ici que l'application d'une promesse politique, dont le but essentiel est de rassurer le peuple sur la détermination du pouvoir politique à éradiquer la corruption. C'est ici flatter le peuple, en jouant sur son désir de revanche sociale, une politique en partie entachée de démagogie et d'arrières pensées un brin cynique.

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