Everywhere I go, I see them.

Relatively small, beautifully merchandised stores that appear, at first, to be fashion stores that do some adjacent lifestyle products.

But then as I walk further, there’s more.

Homewares and accessories appear from nowhere, and then jewellery.

I turn a corner and there’s beauty and wellness. I turn again, and I see food and drink, right next to books and stationery.

In a sense, I’m in a department store. Except this one, rather than being vast, uninspiring and difficult to navigate, is engaging and surprising.

What’s more, far from fighting for survival, these department stores seem to expand their categories and offering all the time.

I think they tell us a lot about the future of physical retail.

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