Allure Magazine, owned by Conde Nast, is gearing up to open its first-ever physical retail store in New York City this fall. The beauty magazine is breaking boundaries to enter brick-and-mortar retail in a new, inventive way. Allure is partnering with STOUR Group to make this possible, a company that specializes in turning online destinations into physical footprints.
The 2,900 SF store in SoHo will feature over 300 makeup, skincare and hair-care products at a time, curated by employees at Allure. The location will be an experiential retail concept, using augmented reality capabilities for customers to virtually try on products. Once live events are safe to be held, Allure’s team will host in-store tutorials and masterclasses on a regular basis.
“Stores these days still try to serve the pre-Instagram consumer that they have been serving for decades and I think consumers today shop through media, through headlines, through influencers and content. That’s really what is driving consumption and the store that we’re going to open is built entirely around that sort of future — this immersive environment which is created by the experts like Michelle [Lee, Allure’s editor in chief] and her team,” said Markus Grindel, Managing Director of Global Brand Licensing at Conde Nast.
Allure’s “360-degree immersive retail experience” will be the key to its brick-and-mortar success, as it enters the landscape for the first time. Creating a physical space will allow consumers to interact with the Allure brand in-person, bringing the magazine to life.
“It makes a lot of sense for us to have this physical space where people can shop our stories and our recommendations. There will be a section in the store always around Best of Beauty Award winners,” said Michelle Lee, Allure’s Editor in Chief.
It’s up to retailer’s today to consistently reinvent themselves to stay relevant. This has become even more heightened during the everchanging waves of the pandemic. The retail lifecycle is a natural force, and thus far, has shown that brick and mortar is here to stay. As technology and retail both evolve, it’s up to players in the industry to continuously meet consumer’s needs in a physical setting.
“Physical stores are becoming a powerful media channel, and very often the first point of contact between brands and consumers. As consumers become increasingly technologically entrenched, they’ll crave far more and better physical retail experiences. And so brick-and-mortar spaces will offer retailers and brands the opportunity to draw the consumer into the brand story, deliver a remarkable and immersive brand and product experience, and ultimately galvanize their relationship with consumers. A relationship that can then live across multiple buying channels,” said Doug Stephens, author and founder of the Retail Prophet, in an interview with Retail Dive.
Source: Allure Magazine Is Entering Brick-and-Mortar Retail – WWD, The Future of Retail – Retail Dive
Photo Credit: Chain Store Age
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About Allure
Allure is the beauty expert, an insiders’ guide to a woman’s total image, with a print audience of 6.2 million and an average monthly online audience of 6.5 million.
Allure’s mission is to investigate and celebrate beauty and fashion with objectivity and candor and to examine appearance in a larger cultural context. Through its journalistic approach and high aesthetic standards, Allure delivers content with credentials, which yields unwavering consumer trust.
