The future already exists
(It's just not easily found in the UK.) feat. IKEA, Clueless, The Simpson's + more!
Hello,
I’m Adam, a brand strategy consultant. I’ve worked for the likes of Landor, Futurebrand and Winkreative. After a very busy and enjoyable first five months of 2025, I am currently available. Please say hi if you’re interested in working with me. No job too small, etc. etc. Always up for a chat. Let me know if you’d like to see my portfolio - I’ve freshened it up.
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I started this several months ago, left it in my drafts. So, it’s not ‘fresh fresh’, but it’s still very much relevant to my thinking. Over the coming days I’m going to write about friction in retail and experience, partly inspired by this article (thanks ). If you have any great friction-related thoughts and / or retail experiences, dear reader, do ‘lmk’.
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SEEKING THE FUTURE
(THE UK IS BROKEN, BUT THAT’S OK, WE HAVE THE INTERNET... YIKES)
From time-to-time I work on retail-specific briefs. A favourite thing about these jobs is getting to scour the world to see what’s new and exciting in the world of shopping / attention / experience. While London continues to host major openings for many brands (Ikea*, Lulelemon, Fanatics, Lindt… and soon, Guinness) the most boundary-pushing openings tend to be overseas. This said, we do have some of the best gallery cafes in the world, so that’s something.
*I really need to write up the brilliance of the Frakta pop-up that Ikea did… soon.
The UK is in an interesting spot right now. London tends to get the major openings due to footfall and an international audience. But there’s also an exciting crop of smaller independents who are pushing the envelope on retail design (see recent post JOY TO THE WORLD for a few pointers). Meanwhile you see the Gail’s effect pushing further into the ‘shires with the likes of Molton Brown seeking to waft their fragrances to the well-heeled WFH crowds in upmarket towns with a bunch of new stores in the works.
From 2012-2018 I had a plum1 job at Winkreative - working my way up from being a copywriter / strategist to leading a small strategy dept. Of the many perks was the travel. I saw so much on these adventures that opened my eyes to what great retail could be.
Tokyo and Seoul in particular have long been seen as bellwether cities, indicating where truly progressive retail is headed, and rightly so, but now the focus is broader - Taipei, sure… but what about Jakarta or Sharjah?
Seeing projects like DONUT OF CURIOSITY2, RACKS, and SPACE_AVAILABLE pushing the boundaries make me want to see what else is happening out there… Anyone need a hand with a project in Asia? ;-)
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LSD : LISTEN | SEE | DISCOVER
LISTEN
The David Zwirner podcast. I really enjoy these conversations. Sometimes with big names like Julianne Moore and Paul Smith (really enjoyable listen, as ever), sometimes with folks I’ve not heard of. But they’re usually fascinating, erudite, and get me thinking in different ways. They’re also well under an hour which, in my book, is essential for a good pod.
Also, this conversation with Simon Armstrong (Monocle Culture with the ever excellent Rob Bound), the book buyer for Tate (dream job, tbh), is enlightening. I love the idea of the bookshop being the final room of the exhibition. The chat is roughly halfway through through this episode
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SEE
This has been open for a while now, but it’s stuck with me: M&S Food - Brixton. A real head-turner of a store. Lovely use of the existing railway arches, decent murals, proper rotisserie chicken counter… Matt Bowker on Linkedin has a nice write up about it. The staff are really friendly too. Well worth a visit.
“The retailer has a long history in Brixton; it was home to London’s first-ever M&S store, opening as the “Original Penny Bazaar’ in 1903 at Arch 574 on Brixton Station Road.
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DISCOVER
The ever-interesting Consumer Price Index. “Additions include virtual reality (VR) headsets, men's sliders, exercise mats, pre-cooked pulled pork, and fixed tariffs for domestic gas and electricity.” What a world!
Bar the pay: that wasn’t good. But it was made up for with trips, dips and dinners galore. Another world that time and place. I miss it every now and then.
SERIOUSLY. THIS NAME!!! YES.