When Hospitality Meets Retail

MICHAEL KORS (New York) recently opened its new flagship in the China World mall in Beijing. The 3500-square-foot flagship is designed with the brand’s sleek sophistication and signature soft tones – along with the brand’s first in-store cafe in the Jet Set lounge. The menu features coffees, teas, and a variety of sweet and savory delicacies. The lounge includes a seating area with tables and seating at the bar to welcome guests to sit and enjoy before exploring the store floor.

Michael Kors is yet another retailer offering its customers more than what is on its displays. In the ever-evolving digital era with easier ways to shop at home, some brands are taking notes from hospitality, cafe culture and cocktail lounges to entice customers to visit their brick-and-mortar stores. In doing so, the in-store experience is transformed from simply a place to shop for merchandise.

The new Nespresso flagship in New York. Photo: Courtesy of Nespresso USA

In December, Nespresso (Vevey, Switzerland) opened a 13,900-square-foot two-level flagship in New York’s Flatiron district. A coffee bar and lounge features new blends and treats for guests to try alongside comfortable seating areas. Nespresso also takes its services a step further, offering masterclasses taught by employees for customers to learn a new skill to take with them.

Hospitality was directly designed and built into Tecovas’ new store on 105 Wooster Street in New York. Designed by IA, in collaboration with Tecovas (Austin, Texas), the store is intentionally programmed for personal interaction to reinforce Tecovas’ “radical hospitality” ethos. This includes amenities for guests, such as a full-service bar with a dedicated bartender and a boot and hat customization zone.

Continuing the boozy trend is the new Yellow Rose by Kendra Scott flagship in Nashville, which features an in-store bar. With the flagship as a whole evoking an unmistakably Western style, Beau’s Bar is the brand’s first step into hospitality and offers a mix of cocktails inspired by Nashville and the brand’s home state of Texas.

While retailers and brands have experimented with in store digital integration for more than a decade, and now are racing toward AI integration, some are returning to a more human approach, giving customers a place to feel welcome with drinks and treats to enjoy.