Not every store matters.
These ones do.

Welcome to
Must See Stores

We track what's opening across retail.
Then we filter hard.

What's left are store concepts, format moves, and design decisions that signal where retail is heading. We show you the ideas that are likely to scale, not just look good.

This is about patterns, not noise.
And why some stores matter more than others.

250+

20+

Years of retail insight

New stores tracked each year

30,000+

Retail and design leaders follow our work

Stay Informed

Store concepts and format shifts worth paying attention to.
Delivered once a week.

Foresights Hub

This is where we connect the dots. From standout new concepts to curated city guides, we look at what's emerging, and what it signals for how retail formats are evolving.

Less reaction. More perspective.

Latest store concepts

The latest new concepts showing where store design and format innovation are heading next.

City Guides

Curated routes to the most important stores in leading global cities.

Early signals from retail, highlighting the patterns and shifts worth paying attention to.

Signals

How we look at retail

Retail is currently saturated with "new formats" that are nothing more than expensive marketing stunts. Most industry reporting focuses on how these stores look.

We focus on how they work. With over 20 years of on-the-ground forensic analysis, Must See Stores was built to bridge the gap between aesthetic trends and commercial reality.

We provide a regular, curated feed of new store formats, deconstructed to reveal:

• The scaling blueprint: we separate vanity projects from repeatable, high-yield models

  
  

• Strategic intent: we decode why a layout has changed and what it signals about a competitor's next move

  
  

• Operational foresight: we identify the design and tech decisions that will soon become industry standards

Must See Stores is for those that understand that in retail, being second to a structural shift is often as good as being last.