Rituals’ Richard Lems reveals how the brand designs slow shopping at scale—lighting, layouts, and refits that reuse ~60% of furniture—plus the Oxford Street flagship and Mind Oasis.

About this episode

We cover global consistency, the system of rolling improvements, sustainability baked into fixtures, and creative leadership habits you can steal tomorrow.

Guest: Richard Lems, Executive Director, Format & Design — Rituals.

🌐 Visit Retail News.AI, your premium destination for the most relevant, cutting-edge information in the retail sector: https://retailnews.ai/

💬 Which of these trends do you think will shape the future of retail the most — and why? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

✅ Subscribe now and never miss a new episode of The Retail Podcast.

https://www.youtube.com/@theretailpodcast?sub_confirmation=1

--------

*Welcome to the official YouTube channel of THE RETAIL PODCAST, the leading community for global retail leaders, innovators, and changemakers.*

If you are struggling to stay relevant in a rapidly evolving industry, looking for insights from major conferences like NRF, Shoptalk, and EuroCIS, or aiming to connect your digital funnels to physical events with measurable ROI, this channel is designed for you.

➡️ Hosted by Alex Rezvan and joined by some of the most respected voices in the sector, The Retail Podcast brings sharp, actionable insights from industry veterans with backgrounds at Microsoft and Verizon, where projects worth over $1.5 billion were directed. Our mission is to help retailers and businesses that sell to retailers anticipate change, embrace technology, and unlock new growth opportunities.

Here you will discover exclusive interviews with executives and innovators, coverage of global retail conferences, analysis of technology and AI trends, in-depth explorations of fashion, grocery, luxury, and eCommerce, and thought leadership that keeps your strategy relevant all year long. As part of the RetailNews.AI ecosystem, this channel does more than report the news—it shapes the conversation on the future of retail.

*Subscribe now and activate notifications so you never miss the strategies, stories, and signals defining tomorrow’s retail.*

--------

📲 Follow us on LinkedIn to stay connected with daily retail insights and industry updates.

https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-retail-podcast/

📩 Contact us at: Sofia@theretailpodcast.com

--------

🔗 References:

--------

⏱️ Timestamps

00:00 Cold open & hook

00:00:58 Intro: Why Rituals designs for calm

00:02:22 Global brand ambition beyond Europe

00:03:01 “Slow shopping paradise”: lighting, pace, materials

00:04:16 Evolution, not revolution: the two‑year roll‑back

00:05:07 Every store matters: refits + system consistency

00:05:19 Oxford Street flagship & Mind Oasis

00:06:22 Standardize first, localize later

00:06:43 Exporting ideas: Advent calendars & category traction

00:09:02 Always in stores: continuous improvement culture

00:09:48 Brand builders, not just retailers

00:10:27 Sustainability by design

00:11:10 Refits that reuse ~60% of furniture

00:12:46 Keeping creativity alive at scale

00:13:54 Supermarket lessons: pathing, hero placement

00:15:04 China insights: shallow/wide layouts to invite entry

00:16:20 Two‑second brand clarity

00:17:30 Culture and ‘dinos’: why Rituals scales

00:18:43 Oxford Street invite & close

--------

#TheRetailPodcast #Rituals #RetailDesign #ExperientialRetail #MindOasis #StoreDesign #Bcorp #Sustainability #GlobalRetail #SlowShopping