The Slowretail blog exists more than two years now  (by the way: also in German with even more content). The increasing click rates and the positive feedback on the initiative from around the world give us right: There is life beyond entrenched retail concepts and globally consistent store chains. We stand for the preservation of valuable examples in trade and promote traditional and innovative merchants as a communications platform. Now we are about to push our activities,  not ‘fast’ but always gently and appreciatively to our real Slowretail main actors.

We are looking for substantive supporters, Slowretailers, to overwhelm us with examples of exciting retail from all over the world. You can tell us your favorite shops around the corner, traditional markets, kiosks, etc. Tell us about dealers eligible initiatives, advertising communities in the cities and municipalities, district festivals. From related books, studies, dissertations. Or you can sketch your ideal store of the future, as if it already existed, and what is unique about it.

As an aid for the collection of the facts of a Slowretail hero to be presented in the blog, you can download a simple checklist and submit it to us. If desired, you are mentioned in the post as “Slowretail scout” – or concealed. And if you like we can also talk about how you can become active as a guest author on the blog.

We love good retail and look forward to your support, that it no longer remains the exception in front of our doors.

photo: Rajboori

An exciting example of linking traditional craftsmanship with modern lifestyle is the Indo-Canadian home-textile label Rajboori. Now, the industry experienced founder of the brand, Mitun Chakrabarti, wants to attract the European market and presents the collection at the trade fair Maison&Objet in Paris, Sept. 4th to 8th, 2009.

photo: Rajboori

Rajboori stands for traditional silk handicrafts from India.The colorful bedspreads, quilts and pillow covers are made from organic Peace Silk in small factories in India, manufactured all by hand. The design, which combines traditional designs with modern aspects, is unique and created by New York-based designer Stephen Burks.

Rajboori currently seeks for distribution partners and fairtrade-affine stores in Germany and neighboring countries. Here you’ll find the exhibition invitation Rajboori @ MaisonObjet for download, follow this link to the Rajboori blog.

Good luck & success, Mitun!

photo: Rajboori

The web-project Worldchanging recently gave some new interpretations of effective retail, beyond ancient rules like space-efficiency, low staff-costs and huge product margins.

Here is the post to be found.

published in Springwise:

photo: A Vida Portuguesa

Taking a firm stand in the face of globalization, A Vida Portuguesa has tracked down Portugal’s unique brands and opened a store dedicated to products that have resisted the urge to keep up with changing times.

At the store, located in a former soap factory in Lisbon’s traditional-yet-hip neighbourhood of Chiado, customers can find over 1,000 products that have maintained their original packaging, that are made by hand, or that represent traditional Portuguese craftsmanship. Soaps, pencils, mugs, jewelry, notebooks, coffee, tea, blankets and even toothpaste—everything on stock holds a fragment of the nation’s collective memory. Some items are widely available and familiar throughout Portugal, while others were almost impossible to find and buy before the store opened.

photo: A Vida Portuguesa

A Vida Portuguesa appeals both to nostalgic adults delighted to find the brands of their youth, and to younger generations attracted by old-fashioned products and retro packaging that provide an alternative to mainstream brands. It’s a testament, once again, to the enduring appeal of (still) made here, a trend that rewards brands for staying true to their local roots and identity. Time to starting collecting, curating and selling forgotten and enduring favourites in your neck of the woods?

A Vida Portuguesa, Rua Anchieta 11, 1200-023 Lisboa, Portugal

photo: A Vida Portuguesa

photo: www.hamburg.de

Frans Prins is actively involved in new green lifestyle and he now starts a new fair for organic fashion in Berlin: thekey.to. Coinciding with the new Bread & Butter trade show at the former airport Tempelhof thekey.to will be held in early July 2009 at a secret location in Berlin.

Besides all the other embarrassing fairs for organic and fair traded fashion in Germany, this event finally promises real new spirit for the scene. Therefore, it is probably advisable to keep the vision-free, mid-aged eco-generation out: Only those who have the key to the event may enter.

Barbie celebrates her 50th birthday at colette, March 9th-28th ! Barbie embodies glamour, fashion and feminity for over 5 decades. She naturally settles down at colette for her birthday, where designers make theirs her environment.

An amazing event for 50 years of success and for a tribute to the icon of the biggest designers.

For the occasion, a “Barbie room” will be installed on the first floor presenting Jeremy Scott’s collection of Barbie clothing and accessories as well as various exclusive products: MP3 players, Barbie Rocks of Beverly Hills jewellery, Stila Make-up, stationery, Dylan’s Candy Bar sweets and also a brand new line of beauty products.

Limited edition collaborations with designers selected by colette will also be available, among which Married to the Mob t-shirts, a Bless hairbrush, an Uslu Airlines 219c pink nailpolish, a hat-bag Azumi & David, Linda Farrow glasses, Alexis Mabille bow ties, a Goyard trunk, a Jawbone headset, Domestic stickers, Bruno Frisoni stilettos, original creations by des créations originales de Andrea Crews… Even the water-bar will be Barbie style with a special edition of dessert Le Baiser by Ladurée.

Also, March 9-15, come check out our Barbie and Ken windows and the high security exhibition of the very first Barbie and Ken dolls, only on March 12th.

photo: dunhill.com

For some reason the brand Alfred Dunhill is well known for tobacco-products today. But it’s more: It’s one of the rare worldwide pure men’s brands. Now Dunhill steps forward into it’s own past and opens amazing “Homes of Alfred Dunhill” worldwide – London, Shanghai and Tokyo have been realized already.

It feels like being part of ‘Le tour du monde en quatre-vingts jours’ by Jules Verne, esspeccially if you start the Home-tour in London-Mayfair.

Spread over three floors, Bourdon House caters to every modern gentleman’s need.

photo: dunhill.com

The ground floor boasts the dunhill luxury product offer: menswear, leather, accessories, gifts and gadgets. The first floor provides the Discovery Room – housing custom menswear and leather, Alfred Dunhill limited edition products and elegant museum pieces from the brand’s archives. Alongside the Discovery Room are a spa with two treatment rooms and a traditional gentleman’s barber. The basement accommodates a private screening room – replete with state of the art sound system created by the esteemed British technology experts Meridian – as well as a discreet bar.

photo: dunhill.com

Second stop: Shanghai (see picture on top). Huai Hai Road 796, a magnificent and perfectly restored 1920s neoclassical style villa in the former French concession, reflects Alfred’s own legacy as a curator of the very finest offering not only superlative product but the ultimate in services and experience too.
Besides men’s clothing and vintage leather goods in the ground floor, this mansion offers ShanghART, a leading contemporary art gallery, and KEE, a fine dining restaurant.

Last stop on this decadent travel is Tokyo’s Kinza.

photo: dunhill.com

Here the sortiment is added by a ‘vintage luxury goods’ shop-in-shop. As a leather specialist Dunhill introduces selections of vintage leather luggage from Bentleys, the renowned London antique boutique that specialises in rare travel cases. Owner Tim Bent’s choice of vintage dunhill products and luggage from the 1920s takes pride of place, alongside vintage leather menswear from Old Hat, a destination vintage clothing shop in London.

One may be able to make the trip in 80 hours.

photo: www.reise-weblog.de

Now we have just a few weeks left before christmas and it’s time to name the most exciting christmas-markets in the world. Beyond sport-socks-traders and similar stuff.
The german commercial website www.weihnachtsmarkt-deutschland.de lists a lot of inspiring markets already, e.g. those which take place in castles.

Please add a comment with your favourite location below!

photo: www.streetsblog.org

This report really reconfirms my statement: Let’s move around the corners and develop retail with sense and sustainability!

from: “Thomas Daily News International, issue Nov 21st, 2008:

Retail: Rents in global luxury locations keep on rising

Fifth Avenue in New York (€1,051/sqm/month), Causeway Bay in Hong Kong (€1,031/sqm/month) and the Champs Elysées in Paris (€644/sqm/month) are still the most expensive retail locations in the world.
According to “Mainstreets Across the World,” the recent market report compiled by Cushman & Wakefield, prices in 94% of the 236 retail locations monitored are either still rising or remaining stable, despite the global financial crisis. As in 2007, the ranking of the German locations is led by Kaufingerstrasse in Munich (€280/sqm/month), followed by the Zeil in Frankfurt (€240/sqm/month) and Schildergasse in Cologne (€230/sqm/month), Tauentzienstrasse in Berlin (€220/sqm/month) and Königsallee in Düsseldorf (€220/sqm/month). The top international retailers pursued expansion during the past twelve months in the so-called emerging markets, and considerably boosted rents in some established locations. C&W registered a 182% price rise on Colaba Causeway in Mumbai, followed by a 114% jump on Valikonagi Caddesi, in the European part of Istanbul, and by +100% on Mumbai’s Linking Road.