The store openings are coming thick and fast at present as high-end names, sports brands, premium labels and beauty names set foot in the UK or expand their existing presence there, with London the key destination.

London landlord The Mercers’ Company has announced a flurry of leasing activity in Covent Garden, with leading fashion and beauty brands, Nobody’s Child, SpaceNK, Whistles, and Lipault, committing to over 11,200 sq ft of prime retail space on Long Acre and Neal Street. 

Nobody’s Child is opening its largest store to date at 3 Neal Street after its successful pop-up on Long Acre last May. SpaceNK is almost doubling its presence on Neal Street and has opened a brand-new upsized space with a double-frontage. Whistles, part of TFG London, has selected 117 Long Acre to launch its new London flagship. Spanning two floors, the 3,669 sq ft space will be the first of a new store concept for the brand with a gallery-inspired aesthetic and digital screens. 

It will open on 11 September. And Samsonite-owned French luggage brand Lipault has opened at 120 Long Acre. The 1,206 sq ft location is the brand’s fourth store in Europe.

The new Marc Jacobs Fall 2024 collection takes centre stage in a pop-up on the second floor of Selfridges Oxford Street until 15 September. The Atrium space has been transformed into a “tongue-in-cheek take on classical architecture – busts and statues are slung with bags, while wall murals feature Kiki Boots and Tote Bags”. The new collection “straddles 80s punk and glamour via red and black satin two-pieces, a zebra sequin mini dress, and studded denim”. It includes the debut of the new ‘The’ items range, like The Jean and The Shirt. The arrival of the collection marks the return of Marc Jacobs ready-to-wear to Selfridges.

Stone Island has opened a new store in Harrods, London, “as it continues to enhance its retail network in lighthouse cities”. It’s in the Menswear department on the second floor and covers 40 sq m, following the retail concept developed in partnership with OMA/AMO, “with the choice of design and material elements highlighting Stone Island’s reputation for fabric research and innovation”, Stone Island CEO Robert L Triefus said: “Harrods represents a powerful crossroads with local clients and tourists from around the world converging in an elevated and engaging retail environment.” 

Castore opens at the Derbion in Derby this month, signing a 10-year lease for a 1,771 sq ft unit on the second level of the centre next to Foot Locker. The store will showcase the brand’s collection of men’s and women’s sportswear in addition to various sports team-branded clothing including Red Bull Racing, England Cricket and McLaren Formula One. The arrival of Castore further expands Derbion’s sports and fitness offering which currently includes big name brands such as JD, Lids, Sports Direct and Foot Locker. The announcement comes hot on the heels of news that JD will be expanding its presence at Derbion, more than doubling the size of its current unit to a 20,175 sq ft space.

Charles Tyrwhitt has announced the opening of its first store in Cheltenham, the brand’s eighth opening in the past 18 months. It brings its global store count to 44, with more openings planned later this year. The Cheltenham store showcases the full range of menswear, and includes one-on-one styling appointments and interactive touchscreens for customers to browse the entire collection. The store also features a recycling initiative for old shirts and suits.

Swedish footwear label Myrqvist opens its UK flagship store on Jermyn Street in London at the end of this month, the brand’s first retail space outside of its native country. The boutique has a “contemporary, Scandinavian aesthetic and spans 1,069 sq ft of retail space across two floors. It features considered leather detailing throughout, which is sourced from the same tanneries used for the shoe designs.

Footwear retailer Office has opened its latest store in key UK mall. The new store marks a return to the city following its closure of its previous store in Midsummer Place. The new 5,400 sq ft space showcases the brand’s extensive range of women’s, men’s and kid’s footwear collections as well as brands such as Birkenstock, UGG, Dr Martens, adidas, Nike, On Running and New Balance.

Kidswear label Trotters London is expanding its concession space in the West End of London’s Liberty department store, “after an exceptionally successful partnership spanning two-and-a-half years, during which Trotters has become a beloved destination for Liberty‘s discerning customers”. The almost-double-szied space opens on 10 September in Liberty’s newly dedicated children’s department on the third floor.

PureSeoul, the UK-based K-Beauty store, will open next month at Hammerson’s Bullring & Grand Central, marking the brand’s Midlands debut and only its second store outside London. The 800 sq ft store will offer over 900 different types of products across make-up, skincare, and haircare. There will be a dedicated wall of over 60 different types of sheet masks and a TikTok display highlighting viral bestsellers from social media. Customers will also be able to access personalised one-on-one skincare advice from staff specialising in Korean beauty.

And not forgetting Europe… Independent Luxury Eyewear Brand DITA has opened a flagship store on Dutch Pieter Cornelisz Hooftstraat. The Amsterdam flagship joins the same block as Dior and Hermes in one of Europe’s most exclusive retail locations. Covering 198 sq m across two floors, it’s the brand’s largest store to date and joins its line-up across the US, as well as Australia and Japan, plus nearby London, and Paris.