What’s 2015 Been Like?

The end of November is in sight and it’s all set for the holiday selling season. That’s the way things are normally. And for those whose business it is to design and fit out new stores, this is traditionally the time of year to reflect on jobs well done while roasting chestnuts on an open fire (or whatever your holiday inclination leads you to do when celebrating).

Yet, on this side of the Pond, it’s a bit like being called to your action stations. This week alone, supermarket Waitrose opened a big store in south London, fashion giant H&M will open three stores, including its biggest in the U.K. to date in Cardiff, and cycle-wear brand Rapha has opened its second London store. There are several others on the calendar before we reach the month’s end and you can’t help thinking, isn’t this the time of year when retailers should be maximising their sales potential, and designers and storefit contractors should be formulating their 2016 strategies?

Yes to both in fact, but such has been the pace of activity in 2015, that there was always going to be a tail of projects reaching the finishing line in the penultimate and final months of the year. In the spirit of reflection, therefore, what has marked out the last 11 months since we were full of optimism about the year ahead? The short answer seems to be that where most U.K. design consultancies were worrying about the lack of business from their backyard, this year has been characterised by a return to form of high street retail and a rash of new stores in consequence.

There’s a lot to be said for taking it easy at some point, but for most of those who have been active in the sector, 2015 will be the year when breaks from the quotidian grind were indeed few and far between.   

John Ryan is a journalist covering the retail sector, a role he has fulfilled for more than a decade. As well as being the European Editor of VMSD magazine, he writes for a broad range of publications in the U.K., the U.S. and Germany with a focus on in-store marketing, display and layout, as well as the business of store architecture and design. In a previous life, he was a buyer for C&A, based in London and then Düsseldorf, Germany. He lives and works in London.