As a reflection of the changing nature of the retail industry and the consumer shopping experience, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield aims to be the first point of contact for digital-only brands that wish to engage with consumers through one-of-a-kind in-store experiences. The Group offers the brands of tomorrow the best platform to scale their businesses across the US and Europe through flexible spaces and dynamic retail experiences.
Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield has partnered with Verishop, the premium online lifestyle-shopping destination, to bring the industry’s most innovative digital-first retail brands to flagship destinations in the US. Westfield Century City launched Verishop’s retail roll out with the company’s very first pop-up shop, for Ghost Democracy, which opened in October 2019. The test of the incubated brand at the centre laid the groundwork for further strategic openings throughout Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield’s network of shopping destinations in the US.
Verishop’s incubated brands will open 14 pop-up or full-store concepts at Westfield Century City, Westfield World Trade Center (New York City), Westfield Garden State Plaza (New Jersey) and Westfield San Francisco Centre (San Francisco area). The brands will inhabit both temporary and inline spaces, with the flexibility to change if the company chooses to showcase new concepts or brands.
Verishop: incubating digital brands and enhancing seamless shopping experience
Verishop is the multi-category e-commerce platform that curates the best global brands with the fastest free shipping online. The company also has a brand incubator programme, which helps visionaries create digital brands around unique ideas that fulfil underserved demand from consumers. The first two from the incubator — Ghost Democracy, which was built in collaboration with L’Oréal veteran, Rex Chou; and LETT, a luxe leisurewear brand created by Reformation veteran Justine Liu — will be featured in the initial eight shopping destinations.
The shops, which began opening in time for the 2019 holiday season, will continue their phased roll-out during the year. As leaders in the omnichannel retail revolution, the Group is working with the most innovative brands to reimagine both physical and digital retail touchpoints and create a truly seamless shopping experience. The Group unique platform and service offering not only helps to support and grow a brand’s business, but also provides a place where visitors can discover the most up-to-date and exciting new concepts.
Ghost Democracy and Lett were created with unique identities and customer experiences in mind, and we’re excited to bring them to Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield flagship centres’ locations where each brand can shine. Verishop aims to help customers find cool, new brands, and the customisation and flexibility of Westfield physical spaces gives another way to provide that discovery experience. The ability to create one-of-a-kind shops has enabled us to give shoppers an in-person experience to compliment what we’ve built online.Imran Khan
Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield is at the forefront of offering digitally native vertical brands (DNVBs) the very best platform to scale their businesses in the US and Europe. With Verishop, we have the perfect operator; one that brings exciting, dynamic shopping experiences to our customers as well as one that demonstrates the opportunity that exists for DNVBs to grow their retail footprint in targeted, strategic ways.Jean-Marie Tritant