Watch out

Bucherer

In recent years, luxury has begun to lean into the idea of creating holistic spaces versus simply polished showrooms to sell products.

For many retailers, such as Tiffany’s and Louis Vuitton, that has meant opening up cafes or restaurants, while others have added more immersive elements to the shopping experience.

In the case of Rolex-owned Bucherer (formerly Tourneau-Bucherer)—the Swiss watch and jewelry brand founded in 1888—that has meant collaborating with artists.

In March, the brand partnered with American contemporary artist Christopher Florentino, who creates under the name Flore, for an exhibition at its New York flagship, part of what Bucherer USA CMO Carina Ertl calls its broader “art program.”

“The store is literally designed like a gallery space, and we have a professional art hanging system,” she told Retail Brew, adding that the brand has had shows featuring everyone from Andy Warhol and Pablo Picasso to solo shows of Terry O’Neill.

“Even though we’re a multibrand retailer, we are also a brand in its own right, so we really try to showcase more than just the creation of fine watches and luxury jewelry pieces,” she said.

Beyond art, Bucherer’s New York flagship, called “TimeMachine,” features multiple bars serving drinks, part of a broader push to create a full-scale experience with the ultimate goal of engaging everyone from ultra-high-net-worth clients to younger, aspirational consumers who increasingly value experience alongside product.

In chatting with Retail Brew, Ertl opened up about why art matters for the brand, the evolution of its identity, and reimagining itself as a hospitality space.

Keep reading here.—JS

From The Crew

How retailers are pivoting their way through chaos

Retail in 2026 is anything but predictable. Faced with global trade disruptions, shifting consumer behavior, and economic uncertainty, brands are being forced to adapt fast—or fall behind.

From Oura’s rapid expansion into dozens of international retail partnerships to Build-A-Bear’s evolution into a global IP brand, retailers are rethinking where they compete and how they grow. Others, like Dibs Beauty, are taking unconventional approaches to gathering customer insights beyond digital channels.

This deep dive explores how leading brands are tackling inventory challenges, refining omnichannel strategies, and using creativity, data, and agility to stay competitive. If you want to understand how modern retailers are pivoting through uncertainty, this is a must-read.

STORES

More doors

Shoptalk

It’s still early days for tech giant Meta’s push into physical retail, but a top executive from the company recently said it thinks of stores as a candid way to get quick feedback from people.

“Our stores exist to do what physical does best: let people try a new category and tell us immediately what clicks and what doesn’t,” Nicola Mendelsohn, head of global business group at Meta, said during her session on “AI and Human Creativity Shaping Tomorrow's Shopping Experiences” at Shoptalk last week. “That feedback helps us improve everything from hardware design to software experience and then scale what we learn across our partner and retail footprint.”

Meta has five retail stores in the US dubbed “Meta Labs.” The social media giant opened its most recent store on Fifth Avenue, one of New York City’s most important retail corners, in March. The space lets visitors experience Meta’s AI-powered glasses and virtual-reality headsets firsthand.

Keep reading here.—VC

RETAIL

Sell by

Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Retail sales got a higher-than-expected increase in February, rising 0.6% to $738.4 billion and 3.7% YoY, the Commerce Department said this week.

The boost marks a notable uptick after declines over the last few months, including a lackluster December. Sales dipped 0.1% in January, revised from the 0.2% reported last month.

Most categories saw sales bumps in February. Department stores saw the biggest sales increase (3%), though sales were down 5.4% YoY. Sales also rose month-over-month for health and personal care stores (2.3%), clothing and clothing accessories stores (2%), sporting goods stores (1.3%, and the greatest YoY sales jump at 11.3%), and at miscellaneous store retailers (1.1%). Nonstore sales, made up largely of e-commerce transactions, rose 0.7%, and electronics stores were up 0.5%.

Keep reading here.—EC

Together With Walmart Business

Stock smarter, not harder. Running low on office essentials? Walmart Business has your back. They make it easy to order the supplies you need and get them ASAP—either with same-day pickup or fast delivery. Keep your office stocked with all the must-haves, like coffee, snacks, and those pens that keep disappearing.

SWAPPING SKUS

Today’s top retail reads.

Freight-ening fees: Amazon is imposing a 3.5% fuel and logistics surcharge on some sellers. (Bloomberg)

Summer glow-up: Saks secured $500 million in credit and expects to be out of bankruptcy this summer. (the Wall Street Journal)

Share the load: JetBlue is increasing the price it charges for checked bags in response to rising oil prices. (the New York Times)

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☕ How Bucherer markets luxury watches