London is a popular destination for retailers looking for culture and history. Having been the site of musical and fashion cultural revolutions, brands are keen to tap into this for their own spaces.

Themes this month include entertainment, in order to make spaces exciting to shoppers and encourage them to visit, and partnerships. We found stores offering a giant Connect 4 game, battle of the bands events, monochrome food, and quizzes. Brands are partnering to open dedicated pop-ups, and also to ensure there are a broad range of products within their stores.

Here are the most innovative and exciting retailers in London this month.

Hasbro Hub London, Piccadilly Circus

A new interactive pop-up launched from entertainment brand Hasbro.

The pop-up, which opened on 16 August, is aimed at providing activities and events over the summer holidays. Hasbro has a large portfolio of brands, including the popular Transformers, Dungeons & Dragons, Peppa Pig and Nerf.

Visitors to the store can expect to find a range of games, including an oversized version of Connect 4 and the opportunity to take pictures. Hasbro will also have a claw machine as well as interactive gaming. Customers can purchase collectible souvenirs and limited edition merchandise. 

Finally, the hub will host demos of products, behind the scenes content and artwork.

Image credit – Space NK

Space NK, Oxford Circus

Beauty brand Space NK has opened its latest flagship store this month to debut a new store concept.

The brand has included a variety of new features and activations in store, to reflect the changing style of retail beauty stores.

Upon entering the store, customers will find Viral Drops, a series of tubes on the ceiling which contain a currently viral item. Customers will be able to purchase travel sized versions from brands including Color Wow, Byoma and Rare Beauty.

Fragrances are also a focal point for the store with both Scent Station and Fragrance Discovery spaces. At the Scent Station customers can find out which scent suits them best by taking a body spray quiz, and also test sprays which appear on a conveyor belt. At the Fragrance Discovery space, they can find perfumes that are grouped together by note, and purchase personalised bottles.

The store will carry a range of products from both upcoming and established brands, along with popular Space NK items. Customers will be able to find a Play Space to allow them to engage with these brands and test out products. Finally, the brand partnered with popular soft toy brand Jellycat to create an adorable charm of the Space NK black bag, available exclusively at this location.

Yungblud Store, Denmark Street

Alternative rock musician Yungblud has opened a new store, Beautifully Romanticised Accidentally Traumatized (B.R.A.T) in London’s famous Denmark Street.

The musician sees the space as a place where both his fans and the wider London music community can gather, with a spirit echoing Vivienne Westwood and Andy Warhol.

Visitors will be able to find the Yungblud brand merchandise, including t-shirts and vests, but it is the basement level that is most exciting. The musician has big plans to host a wide variety of events including poetry reading, film showings, tarot nights and live music.

The space was launched with an all-day event consisting of a fashion shoot with iconic London objects, as well as a battle of the bands featuring London acts. In the evening, several artists performed, including Yungblud himself, both at the venue and on an outdoor stage.

JJ’s House, Westminster

Bridal retailer JJ’s House launched its first flagship in Central London.

The brand has been popular as an e-commerce retailer, due to offering a wider range of sizes and sustainable bridal dresses. JJ’s House had tested London as a destination previously with a successful pop-up in 2024.

JJ’s House hopes that it will be able to offer a combination of the best of retail alongside the benefits of its online store. Prospective brides can book appointments for personal styling one-on-one, where they will also be able to look through a choice of fabric and colours. The brand also offers a custom sizing service.

Customers will also be able to purchase bridesmaid dresses and a range of other dresses too, such as mother of the bride outfits. The brand hopes that the ambience of the new space will provide visitors with the opportunity to explore the brand’s full range.

Image credit – Future Stores

Adidas/Office, Oxford Street

A pop-up activation as part of a collaboration between footwear brand Office and sports retailer Adidas was launched at Future Stores.

Celebrating the relaunch of Adidas’ famed Superstars collection, the Future Stores space hosted a monochrome store to match the black and white of the trainers. The launch started with a VIP event for 150 celebrities, press and influencers, who were able to sample a selection of monochrome food, including Adidas doughnuts, cocktails and burgers, and received a gift bag of Superstar items.

The store then opened to the public across 22 to 24 August, offering a range of activations. This included a space for basketball games and an area to try on the Superstars range. Customers were also able to find a range of black and white food, such as macarons, slushies and gumballs. A photobooth provided the opportunity to take a picture and win a pair of Superstars.

Customers could also purchase Superstars at the store, and those that did were able to visit a customisation station for exclusive personalisation and charms, that were only available at this location.

Image credit – The Place London

The Place London, Mayfair

A new store from designer Simon Burstein has launched this month in South Molton Street.

The space includes both his labels The Place London, originally for womenswear, and Leathersmith of London, for menswear and stationery. The menswear department can also be accessed via a separate door.

The store will also offer a range of items from other designers, including up and coming brands. These will include sustainable, bespoke painted pieces from Cord, silk items from Pierre-Louis Mascia, embroidered silk and cashmere from Mii Collection, and AAKS, an accessory brand from Ghana.

The Place London aims to offer luxury and bespoke items that are more affordable, with prices starting from £100. Customers will be able to find womenswear when they enter the store, with Leathersmith of London clothing on a lower level, and Leathersmith of London journals and diaries on a mezzanine floor.