"The year 2022 was certainly one of the most unusual years for trade assessment and progress, but brought some insights. At the beginning of 2022 it was thought that the effects of Corona were finally over and the first signs of expensive energy would quickly disappear. But then on 14th of Feb the Ukraine war started and in its wake energy costs grew, inflation set in and made everything more expensive than ever before and people started to get scared if the war will hit Central Europe and if they will still have enough money to live on. Nothing is the same as it was before 2019. still, everyone is trying to make the best of the situation at hand and somehow manage and afford what is possible in their budget. with the drop in Corona restrictions, more customers have come back to the shops. Frequencies are not yet at 2019 levels, but they are increasing. Sales in brick-and-mortar stores have also come closer to 2019 levels due to price increases. Nevertheless, 41,000 shops have closed in DE. Online sales have stopped growing but are settling at a high level. Some companies and financial analysts have hoped and continued the growth, but have crashed into the wall.You have to know your customers and not just your numbers. Companies that pursue an off and online strategy get through the year better than those that only rely on offline. Best examples for me are Douglas and Zara.Interesting that now more and more companies are charging for shipping and returns. Economically necessary, but not every customer likes it. Retailers and customers are moving slowly but steadily along the path of digitalisation. Once you have built up a digital experience, you will not delete your online accounts, nor will you change your payment or self-scan functions.
For me, the big winners and stars are the luxury brands. They were more creative than they have been for a long time. Great collections, extensive cooperations with others, extraordinary pop-ups and shops and full focus on digitalisation. The numbers speak for themselves. 2023 will have a difficult start. As always when the annual statements come, customers are reluctant. But by the end of March, they will have come to terms with the challenges and will want to boost consumption. The desire to live is unbroken. Digital changes will continue to be driven forward. It will be necessary to compensate for staff shortages through efficient processes and the transfer of some tasks to customers. Self-scanning and self-payment will increase significantly. If you want to win over hybrid customers, you have to adapt your processes as quickly as possible.

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"We had so much exciting news in 2022 that it's really difficult for me to pick THE highlight of 2022. I think the Lacoste store that opened in May, which we also reported on and which I watched live in December, is great. On around 1600m2 and 3 levels, you really immerse yourself in the Lacoste world. The facade design from the outside also draws the eye of the walkers on themselves. Crocodiles on screens and glass all over. and of course: no lockdown reports in Austria 2022! In addition to the war lowlight, which is unfortunately still current, I found our reports about stores that were/are not able to keep their stores open due to a lack of staff to be a constant lowlight in 2022. This is of course bitter, because after the lockdowns of the previous years, of course every EURO turnover counts. I hope 2023 will be better again in this regard and the personnel problem will level off again." In fact, it's really not easy to pick out a concept, a store. However, my highlight is:Golden Goose. On 2.2.2022 I reported: The heart of Golden Goose are the people ( Top Employer 2022 Italy) -were then the openings in NYC and Dubai (report 07122022) decisive for my selection: I do love tradition & craftsmanship, incorporating them and adding a sustainable touch. GG does this very well: the strategy of the new concepts aims to extend the life cycle of products by extending their life through four cornerstones: Repair, Restore, Resell and Recycle. "For more than two decades, Golden Goose has been committed to promoting its artisanal tradition, supporting artisans,tailors to local artists. Tip : Venice M Art / Venice Venice Hotel on the Grand Canal I Ca da Mosto Palazzo…. .My favorite <3 Lowlight: Balenciaga with the escapades. Too much too much. Just when you thought fashion couldn't get any more whimsical, Balenciaga unveiled the 'Monday Shopper Bag' as part of its Spring 2022 collection.The bag bears a striking resemblance to old Tesco carrier bags, costing a whopping £925 and putting everyone in a nostalgic mood as it looks almost exactly like the 20 cent Tesco bags distributed to shoppers in the 1980s.This isn't the first time Balenciaga has made headlines with its designs. In 2017, the brand released a £1,365 blue tote bag very similar to the one sold by Ikea for 40 pence. However, it was during the Paris Fashion Week in November and when they released an advertising campaign for the Christmas season, in which children held teddy bears in harnesses and costumes, that the brand went into overdrive. Retailers and customers are moving slowly but steadily along the path of digitalisation. Once you have built up a digital experience, you will not delete your online accounts, nor will you change your payment or self-scan functions. For me, the big winners and stars are the luxury brands. They were more creative than they have been for a long time. Great collections, extensive cooperations with others, extraordinary pop-ups and shops and full focus on digitalisation. The numbers speak for themselves. 2023 will have a difficult start. As always when the annual statements come, customers are reluctant. But by the end of March, they will have come to terms with the challenges and will want to boost consumption. The desire to live is unbroken. That is so true. I would like to see more life in the city centers again with more uniqueness, to work out the DNA of the cities more away from uniformity - towards uniqueness. The retailers need to get going more and make more of an effort. New displays more often, communicate with them. Make customers out of passers-by, sharpen the range of goods, don't please everyone. You can only lose with this.

TOP: in general, that all or most brands, from Nike to LVMH brands, are venturing into this new Internet dimension Web3 and at least getting involved with it in a wide variety of ways. One reason why brands entered the Metaverse so early could be that some brands responded to the social media trend relatively late or had problems getting their online shops up and running, so they don't want to be there right from the start to miss. A certain "FOMO" certainly plays a part here. Personally, I think it's good, because I think it's better if the brands also dare to try something new, trial & error instead of letting the others do it and then possibly missing the train. "First Fashion Show in the Metaverse 24-27.3.2022 In the Luxury Fashion District were Dolce&Gabbana, Etro, Elie Saab. The Rarible Street: The Fabricant, Artisant in collaboration with PUMA , The Immersive Kind, VAULT.swiss-watches and Fresh Couture. ( our report from 29.02.2022) Huge party by Philip Plein, after show party with DJ Bob Sinclair , Sohia the Robot for selfies, and Estee Lauder for looks. TOP This also fits the ""Red Eye Magazine"" which was launched in September. ( Report 26092022) Flop for me is Meta, there my expectations were much higher. When we reported on 20062022 that our avatars can wear Balenciaga, Prada and Thom Browne outfits and many more will follow, it was then quite quiet around Mark Zuckerberg. Then on 11/9/2022 came the press release : 11000 people, 13'% will be terminated. 30 billion dollars loss for a company with 3.7 billion customers ( 80% of the population with Internet access worldwide except China) "

"My brand of the year is H&M as we reported so many innovative inititatves of the brand: H&M Friends online platform (03/17/22), on 12/20/22 Textilmitteilungen.de reported on another brand ""Good American"" which can now also be shopped on the platform. The brand from Los Angeles Good American was founded in 2016 by the two co-founders Emma Grede and Khloe Kardashian and has stood for diversity and body positivity since its inception Hotel Hennes (June 2022)--> based on the Coachella Hotel Hennes with Gigi Hadid, which we reported on, further events followed such as an immersive pool exhibition in Berlin Mitte and a Day&Night Swim Event in the Odeberger Bad to start the summer season. IKEA x HM (April 2022) new store in Brooklyn (12/07/22)" Always active, connecting with art and the senses. Therefore, my brand 2022 is LV: What we talked about during the year: 2027 Hotel in the current HQ in Paris Before opening la Sameritaine and Hotel Cheval Blanc, 1st permanent restaurant in Chengdu, "the hall" , with We Chat Miniprogram " Mah Jump" LV Dream exhibition in Paris for 1 year with Choclaterie , Lake LV traveling exhibition exhibition (2020 start in Wuhan- until mid-November was station in Sydney) (8.11.2022).

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I wonder every time where Wolfgang finds all these curious messages. It is very amusing every time and I am totally happy that we have created this section.

The first post of our RNFP SEite on Linkedin was on 20/1/2022. True, we were not consistent enough with the "brand of the month in 2022!" - a good opportunity to do better this year. We are now going into our 3rd year of our podcast, great fun with you guys- looking forward to many more episodes! 600 should be possible, maybe our listeners will help us! Would be a madness and the total joy!