del for its global flagships only to shelve the plan in the wake of the GFC after just one store was completed. 2. Anthropologie, Regent St, London. Literally a living gallery of fashion, homewares and indulgences. From a design point of view this store is awesome: a wall of living plants behind the counter, stunningly detailed visual merchandising, ample colour and warmth… as much a place to be as a place to shop. Unfortunately, the US chain’s bold foray into England doesn’t seem to be working. They simply don’t seem to be able to convert browsers into buyers, but this reflects the product and pricing not the store design. The Americans need to review the style of merchandise. 3. Bertrand bookstore, Barcelona. Light, bright and welcoming, one of the best bookstores we’ve ever seen anywhere. Bertrand has found new ways to display books – and new ways to read them: as our image shows, special nooks to encourage children (and big kids!) to relax with a book. At the rear is a theatre area for author talks. Great sight lines, no towering internal bookcases to block the light – and most surprisingly, the majority of books are displayed spine outwards! 4. All Saints Regent St (London) and Soho (New York). One of the edgiest apparel brands out there, All Saints has opened a brand new store in New York’s Soho and continues to update its twin flagship in Regent St, London. Both feature walls of antique sewing machines (where do they find them all?), masses of recycled timber lining, retired industrial equipment – oh, and trendy fashion for 20-somethings. Besides awesome instore design, All Saints has some of the besttrained, and best dressed floor staff you’ll see in retail anywhere, all kitted out in the store’s funkiest merchandise and many who seem to have stopped by on their way home from a catwalk… 5. Neil Barrett, Aoyama, Tokyo. It’s 18 months old now, but still looks new. This is where the design of a store can overwhelm the product (high end men’s and women’s apparel), but as architecture it’s simply beautiful. The store was designed by Iraqi born, London-based architect Zaha Hadid and sits in the exclusive enclave of stores in Tokyo’s Aoyama district, close to the more midmarket Omotesando. We could have chosen 10 stores we loved in just this district, but for its simplicity and overt statement this one wins. Prada makes it too. 6. Vincon, Barcelona. Could this be the best homewares store in the world? It’s wonderful. Unlike most homewares shops it’s free from clutter and has an inspired, varied range of products, all displayed in a historic building the width of a whole block. Upstairs is an open air terrace where outdoor furniture is displayed. A truly eclectic mix of giftware, toys, electronics and furniture. A destination in itself. A browser’s heaven. 7. Isetan Men’s, Shinjuku, Tokyo. Undoubtedly this is the best menswear department we have ever seen in a department store anywhere in the world. Refined, elegant, subtle, welcoming and with a range of goods you’d never expect to find… like a wall of walking sticks, small collections of unique products like CDs, or a magazine amidst the fashion. Yet it is not overly expensive – it’s accessible to all. And it’s full of customers, a rare sight in any Japanese department store these days (foodcourts excepted). 8. Levi’s Vintage Clothing, London. From its colour scheme (a medical green) to the signage to the product, this store is unmistakably ‘vintage’. Levi’s has created a very clever brand statement with this store, a few blocks off Carnaby St, displaying and selling recreations of Levi designs of the past, right back to the original dungaree design of 1850. Hand written labels on the shelves denote different years, mainly from the 1950s and 1960s. The store is tiny, with a little staircase leading to an annex room and fitting stalls. Levi has a lot of heritage to be proud of. This is a brilliant way of showcasing it. 9. Prada, Aoyama, Tokyo. Our concession to super luxury… Prada’s flagships anywhere in the world are visually stunning – monuments to the best of retail excess (which isn’t a negative comment, by the way). Japan is short on space, so retailers wanting to make an impact must do so using architectural effects which take up the tiniest of footprints. This soaring glass monument in Tokyo’s Aoyama is simply stunning. Of course the product inside is too, but you expect that of Prada. 10. James Perse, Malibu Cove. Only in LA… A stunningly expensive store design and build, mimicking a cabana house, just a few minutes’ walk from the seaside homes of Hollywood’s rich and famous – and with price tickets to suit. Exclusive hand-picked furniture, custom made bicycle, an uber-expensive pet mattress, cotton Ts and surfboards are amongst the products on offer. This is one of nine distinctly different stores opened by Perse, a designer whose works can also be found in luxury department stores.   This feature first appeared in Inside Retailing Magazine. Click here to subscribe.