MAPIC, a world-leading retail real estate event, is hosting the Retail Village concept for MAPIC 2022. The show will be held in a central location within the Palais des Festivals to attract the most progressive, innovative and connected retail brands in the industry. With constant flux and change in the retail industry, the purpose of the Retail Village concept is to increase public exposure to retail and showcase new retail initiatives.
As part of its effort to build a diverse retail mix, MAPIC and its partners have curated these innovative retail concepts that are all connected by their shared values of sustainability, local sourcing, inclusion, and diversity.
SEE ALSO: The Retail Village at MAPIC 2022
Francesco Pupillo, Director of MAPIC commented, “Historically, MAPIC itself brings together retailers and property players looking to promote or negotiate acquisitions and leases – but this well-established relationship becomes much more complex as the most successful companies are not always those that find the best physical locations. It is now those that combine their physical and digital markets to create a fluid, coherent experience – regardless of the channel taken but with a customer-centric approach. The Retail Village at MAPIC will host innovative brands selected for the originality and agility of their concepts.”
The new consumer, including new generations such as Millennials and Generation Z-ers, is making increasingly niche and specialist choices in their consumption habits and becoming less mainstream: from veganism to the circular economy and reducing waste. Property players will need to incorporate smaller specialist brands into their retail mix, especially those that are perceived as more authentic and ethical, so new exclusive concepts along with traditional ones are needed.
Moreover, there is a growing trend among retail destinations, both physical and online, to offer sustainable products, giving smaller businesses better access to the market. However, this will also force bigger, more established retailers to review their operations and add more environmentally-friendly products to their lines.
The Retail Village at MAPIC also serves to highlight the many new retail faces entering this market and provides a platform for growing concepts that are based around the world which are all looking to expand through a franchise network, new physical flagship, or on a digital marketplace.
The Retail Village at MAPIC will cover a number of areas of brand concepts: digital marketplaces, new emerging concepts and DNVBs (digitally native vertical brands).
Fay Cannings, Founder of Seekd (a brand exhibiting at The Retail Village at MAPIC) commented, “With times changing, sustainable consumer choices are more pertinent to creating desirable destinations, Seekd is offering a range of chic, exciting planet friendly designers and brands to shop all under one roof. The Retail Village at MAPIC is the perfect platform for us, nurturing our growth to find partners and investors who share our mission – we want to be discovered in the best places both in the UK, Europe and internationally. The small brands of today can become the household names of the future.”
Most major retail brands have already integrated these changes and adapted their strategy to respond to this new landscape. Many of these names have already signed up for MAPIC 2022 in Fashion (ADIDAS, Primark, Guess, Dolce & Gabbana etc.), Food & Beverage (Five Guys, Nespresso etc.), Leisure (The Big Picture, Kids&Us etc.), Grocery (Monoprix, Naturalia etc.), Health & Beauty (Sephora, Estée Lauder, Rituals etc.), Culture & Media (Apple, Fnac Darty etc.), Home Furniture (IKEA, Electro Depot etc.), Utilities & People Services (Norauto France, Orange, Free).
SEE ALSO: L’Oréal Group invests in Chinese perfume brand Documents
MAPIC will take place from Tuesday 29th November to Thursday 1st December 2022 in Cannes, France. The event curates all thought leadership, innovations and discoveries from around the world and infuses them with insightful learnings from the attending participants during the 3-day event. The theme for this year is People, Planet, Profit, navigating retail towards a more human world – to help the industry drive sustainable change.