News 14.05.2025

News

World Retail Congress 2025 daily recap, Hawaii introduces climate-driven tourist tax and why Gen Z are buying into supplement subscription services.

World Retail Congress 2025: Why trust is retail’s strongest currency

Ikea, UK Ikea, UK
Ikea Hus of Frakta, UK Ikea Hus of Frakta, UK
A Life at Home at Ikea Festival Milan 2022 A Life at Home at Ikea Festival Milan 2022

UK – The first day of World Retail Congress 2025 in London revolved around the theme Faster, Bolder, Smarter. Opening the day, Ken Murphy, CEO of multinational supermarket chain Tesco, set the tone by stating: ‘In an age of uncertainty, discord and division, trust carries a higher currency than ever.’ His keynote address placed human needs at the centre, emphasising that brand trust will be the most valuable asset for retailers navigating the next economic cycle.

Simon Pakenham-Walsh, chief information officer of multichannel retailer River Island, shared how radio frequency identification (RFID) technology has helped the brand achieve 98–99% stock accuracy. In a standout session on connected retail experiences, he highlighted the roll-out of RFID-enabled smart fitting rooms – now live in 30 River Island stores – which offer shoppers tailored, in-the-moment advice. This elevated touchpoint enhances the consumer’s emotional journey, echoing themes we explored in our EQ-Commerce macrotrend.

Retail growth was a central theme in a panel featuring Stefan Vanoverbeke, retail markets manager at Ikea. He discussed the brand’s new city format strategy, highlighting the recent opening of a concept store on London’s Oxford Street. Vanoverbeke emphasised that every touchpoint is designed with customer-centricity in mind. This aligns with insights from our Modular Retail report, which explored how flexible, modular store formats can help retailers stay agile in the face of rapidly shifting consumer expectations.

Elsewhere, the growing power of the Meno-economy was brought to light by Heather Jackson, co-founder of GenM, a menopause partner for brands. The brand has created the MTick, a universal symbol for menopause-friendly products, delivering choice, trust and visibility to the underserved menopausal consumer. As we explored in our Menopause Travel microtrend report, the global menopause market is experiencing significant growth and is predicted to increase from £14.5bn ($18.6bn, €17.2bn) in 2025 to £21.6bn ($27.6bn, €25.4bn) in 2033, at an average annual rate of 5.1% (source: Global Newswire). Jackson highlighted how this market is underserved, saying: ‘This is about legacy-building, category-making and giving women the power to search, source and shop with confidence.’

Strategic opportunity

Retailers should invest in adaptive store formats, inclusive services and tech-enhanced personalisation to build trust, address underserved audiences and future-proof customer relationships in an era of economic and social flux

Hawaii introduces climate-driven tourist tax

Head & Shoulders by Procter & Gamble, France Head & Shoulders by Procter & Gamble, France

Hawaii – Hawaii is making climate history with a landmark bill that raises tourist taxes to fund environmental protection and climate resilience projects.

Backed by Governor Josh Green, the legislation introduces a 0.75% increase to the existing 10.25% lodging tax on hotels, timeshares and holiday rentals, alongside a new 11% tax on cruise ship stays, prorata-ed by port days. Officials predict the initiative will generate nearly £75.4m ($100m, €89.6m) annually, funding projects such as Waikiki beach replenishment, wildfire prevention and hurricane defences.

As rising visitor numbers put a strain on fragile eco-systems, we are entering a new era of purpose-led tourism governance – one increasingly shaped by community-led activism, regulatory shifts and travellers’ appetite for responsible experiences, a topic explored in our Anti-tourism Market. By implementing this new bill, Hawaii joins the ranks of businesses and organisations using legalities and governance to protect the environment and even electing nature as a stakeholder.

Strategic opportunity

Brands and businesses in tourism and hospitality should turn climate levies into visible, participatory initiatives, inviting guests to engage in local environmental projects and transparently showcasing the tangible outcomes their contributions enable

Stat: Gen Z turn to daily supplements as wellness becomes an everyday routine

Gen Z Supplement daily intake, UK/US Gen Z Supplement daily intake, UK/US

UK/US – Wellness is no longer a trend for Gen Z, it’s a daily ritual. According to the latest Gen Z State of Beauty 2024/2025 report from Kyra, 80% of Gen Z in the UK and the US now take between one and six supplements every day, with multivitamins (41%) and vitamin D (24%) leading the pack. Headspace, Bloom, MyProtein, Olly and Lemme are cited as Gen Z’s favourite brands. 

Supplements are increasingly viewed as non-negotiable, with 15% of 18–24-year-olds in the UK and the US subscribing to regular deliveries. Social media is a key driver: 36% have purchased wellness products more than once after seeing them through creators, and 5% say they shop from influencer recommendations all the time. 

‘Subscription models are working well for Gen Z, and influencer marketing, especially with an educational angle, drives acute discovery,’ the report notes. 

As Kyra puts it: ‘There are (literal) gateway drugs for this audience.’ For wellness brands, the opportunity lies in positioning products not as quick fixes, but as enduring lifestyle choices. 

LS:N Global has previously explored the growing health supplements market, particularly its focus on longevity and anti-ageing innovations, in our Breakthrough Biohacks report

Strategic opportunity

Position wellness as an integral daily ritual by offering habit-stacking product bundles and flexible, reward-led subscription models that build long-term loyalty and embed your brand in Gen Z’s everyday routines

Previous News Articles
Louis Vuitton unveils new super-sized ship-shaped Shanghai store

News

Louis Vuitton unveils new super-sized ship-shaped Shanghai store

Louis Vuitton has opened The Louis, a striking flagship in central Shanghai.
Luxury : Retail : China
Queen Mary University of London powers campus with waste heat from data centre

News

Queen Mary University of London powers campus with waste heat from data centre

Queen Mary University of London is cutting emissions and energy bills by using waste heat from its data centre to power campus heating.
Data Centre : Sustainability
Stat: Social media overtakes tv as leading news source for Americans

News

Stat: Social media overtakes tv as leading news source for Americans

For the first time, social media and video apps have surpassed television as Americans’ most-used source for news, according to the Reuters Institu...
Stat : Statistic : Media
Cashify flips Indian wedding tradition to promote smartphone resale

News

Cashify flips Indian wedding tradition to promote smartphone resale

Smartphone reselling platform Cashify is challenging outdated attitudes to second-hand tech by reimagining a long-standing wedding ritual as a cele...
Technology : Sustainability : Circularity
Stat: New overtourism report maps the global crisis

News

Stat: New overtourism report maps the global crisis

Wellness Retreat Magazine’s 2025 Overtourism Report ranks 40 major cities facing acute tourism saturation – and the data underscores a growing imba...
Statistic : Stat : Overtourism
Foresight Friday: Dede Mivehchi, foresight intern

News

Foresight Friday: Dede Mivehchi, foresight intern

Every Friday, we offer an end-of-week wrap-up of the topics, issues, ideas and virals we’re all talking about. This week, foresight intern&nbs...
Digital Detox : The Great Concert Comeback : Live Music Economy
MAD//Fest 2025: Culture, collaborations and creating a new identity for women’s football

News

MAD//Fest 2025: Culture, collaborations and creating a new identity for women’s football

On day two of MAD//Fest 2025, Ruth Hooper, chief marketing officer at the Women’s Super League (WSL), set out a vision for reshaping the visual ide...
Global Events : Advertising & Marketing : Football
Stat: US Gen Alpha favour consoles over mobiles for game play

News

Stat: US Gen Alpha favour consoles over mobiles for game play

Despite assumptions that mobile gaming dominates among young people, a new US report reveals that Generation Alpha are leading the charge in consol...
Statistic : Gaming : Media
Together Group and The Future Laboratory unveil New Codes of Luxury: Immersive Technologies for Transformation report

News

Together Group and The Future Laboratory unveil New Codes of Luxury: Immersive Technologies for Transformation report

In their latest report, New Codes of Luxury: Immersive Technologies for Transformation, The Future Laboratory and Together Group explore how immers...
Luxury : Technology : Design
MAD//Fest 2025: Delayed adulthood, algorithmic segregation and Gen Z hippies

News

MAD//Fest 2025: Delayed adulthood, algorithmic segregation and Gen Z hippies

MAD//Fest returned to Shoreditch on 1 July 2025, with this year’s theme Be Less Boring challenging brands to rethink how to engage with new audiences.
Global Events : Advertising & Marketing : Gen Z
You have 2 free News articles remaining. Sign up to LS:N Global to get unlimited access to all articles.
BECOME A MEMBER
SIGN IN