From Vibe to Value: Four Stores. Four Stories. One Big Shift.

This week I’ve been writing about a quiet shift I’m seeing across the retail industry, one that’s moving us from vibe to value. Away from empty aesthetics. Toward intentional experience.

So for this edition of Notes from the Shop Floor, I took to the streets, from London to Glasgow, to see how that shift is showing up in real life.

The line-up?

A joyous, sensory masterclass at FARM Rio

A thoughtful, values-led space from PANGAIA

A beautifully built but emotionally flat flagship from ANTRY

And a surprisingly soulless experience at RAINS

What I found were spaces that surprised me, for better and for worse. Some lifted the standard for what retail can be. Others reminded me that style without substance is still everywhere.

This isn’t a round-up of what’s trending. It’s a reflection on what’s working, and what still isn’t, when it comes to meaningful retail in 2025.