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On this episode of Talking Shop I’m joined by Alain Bejjani—former Group CEO of Middle East retail giant Majid Al Futtaim, and author of the definitive new book, NEXT: Leading Through the New Realities. Drawing on his childhood in war-torn Beirut, and his experience steering a $9.5bn dollar retail and lifestyle empire through a global pandemic, Alain brings an unmatched perspective on leadership under pressure. Today, we break down his crisis survival playbook for retailers operating in distress. We discuss why resilience must always outpace efficiency, the four assets a brand must protect at all costs, and how to turn macro-turmoil into a long-term direction that scales.

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Luxury beauty and wellbeing brand Rituals has officially opened at Festival Place in Basingstoke, and Merry Hill in the West Midlands.

The Dutch retailer offers a collection of body care, home fragrance, and skin care products, home items, and gift sets, to a range of luxurious bath and body products. 

Like all UK and IE stores, the Festival Place and Merry Hill units also have refillable products, in-line with the organisation’s B-Corp certification, and have been fitted with Rituals’ latest shop design.

At Festival Place, Rituals has opened a 3,300 sq ft unit adjacent to EE and opposite MINISO, which recently celebrated one year of trading. The Merry Hill store has been placed amongst the destination’s luxury watch and jewellery brands, spanning 2,000 sq ft of the former Phase Eight unit, the womenswear retailer having relocated into an upsized unit last year.

This news comes as Merry Hill and Festival Place have reported “significant performance uplifts” over the course of 2023. They have both secured sales and footfall increases above UK benchmark figures, and have already added to their tenant mixes in 2024, with the announcement of Harvey Norman having signed at Merry Hill, and the launch of Chopstix at Festival Place.

Jack Gordon, senior asset manager at Sovereign Centros, said: “With Rituals now open at Festival Place and Merry Hill, visitors from across the South East and West Midlands have new opportunities to shop their great array of luxury goods, within two of the UK’s leading retail and leisure destinations. Securing a brand like Rituals at both destinations showcases the value we place on partnering with retailers, helping them to achieve their vision and supporting their growth in locations that match their aspirational demographic. 

“They add a unique, luxury shopping environment wherever they are, so it’s fantastic for Festival Place’s and Merry Hill’s visitors to now be able to experience that.”

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