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Puma makes grand statement on Oxford Street with European flagship

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December 1, 2025

Puma has opened its new London flagship in the heart of Oxford Street. And the new space is both big and impressive. In fact, it’s the brand’s largest-ever European flagship store, which is perhaps fitting given that it’s in one of the busiest shopping destinations in Europe.

Puma, Oxford Street

FashionNetwork.com spoke to Puma’s Europe general manager about its giant new flagship and the thinking behind it. But first, let’s look at the store.

Close to Selfridges and the Bond Street Tube Station transport hub, it spans 24,000 square-feet and features key Puma innovations, such as running technology Nitro, its football boots Future, Ultra and King, as well as its current range of lifestyle products. There’s a digital running video-wall “that reacts to every touch” and an archive area that features “iconic pieces from the past 77 years of the brand”.

To mark the opening, it carries a London Exclusive collection designed by Heiko Desens, vice-president creative direction & innovation, which “reimagines British icons such as the Union Flag and Harris Tweed through Puma’s modern lens”.

And there will be “a dynamic programme of events and activations” for the rest of 2025 and into 2026, exclusive collaborations, athlete appearances and a dedicated launch event on December 4.

Puma, Oxford Street
Puma, Oxford Street

In the months ahead, the London flagship will also serve as the stage for major brand moments, including a pre-race Hyrox experience on December 3, and a motorsport event on December 11, highlighting its racing heritage plus the Puma x Aston Martin F1 Team partnership and a Select Capsule Collection. 

The exterior makes an unmissable glass-fronted statement on Oxford Street and with a distinctly urban edge, the interior makes good use of grey and white as base tones while allowing the product to add a stronger infusion of colour to the space.

Company CEO Arthur Hoeld said the new store “gives us the chance to connect with more people than ever before — right in the heart of one of the world’s most iconic shopping destinations. It is a powerful platform to engage directly with consumers, showcase our latest performance innovations, and strengthen our brand presence in one of the world’s most influential retail destinations”.

As mentioned, FashionNetwork.com also spoke to Javier Ortega, general manager Europe for the sports giant about the space, what consumers expect from the brand .

FashionNetwork.com: Can you talk about the new store, what’s special about it, the design concept, anything unusual?

Javier Ortega: The London Flagship is our largest-ever European flagship store and a major step in how we bring the Puma brand to life in a physical space. The concept is built around sport and culture, with each floor offering a different layer of storytelling through product innovation, interactive zones and curated design details. 

Puma, Oxford Street
Puma, Oxford Street

FNW: What do consumers want from stores today, especially flagships?

JO: Consumers want something they cannot get online: real experiences, emotional connection and the ability to engage with a brand in an authentic way. Flagships now need to offer storytelling, discovery and community moments on top of great product. This is exactly what we aimed to create with Oxford Street — a space that feels meaningful, not transactional.

FNW: Are there special features designed to attract female customers?

JO: The store is designed with all consumers in mind, but we know female shoppers look for inspiration, clarity and experiences that feel inclusive. Our lifestyle and performance assortments present women’s product in a distinct way, supported by customisation, curated storytelling and spaces where women can explore sportstyle and performance on their own terms.

FNW: How important is it to be on Oxford Street?

JO: Oxford Street remains one of the most strategic retail locations in Europe. Being positioned just seconds from Selfridges and Bond Street Tube Station gives the new 24,000-square-foot flagship a powerful stage to showcase Puma’s industry-leading innovations to both locals and international visitors. Despite recent challenges on the street, its global reach and constant stream of diverse shoppers make it a unique platform for elevating the brand and bringing our storytelling to life.

Puma, Oxford Street
Puma, Oxford Street

FNW: Will the space be hosting special events and how will you continue to generate a buzz beyond the opening period?

JO: The London Flagship will have a dynamic programme of events and activations for the rest of 2025 and into 2026, including exclusive collaborations, athlete appearances and evolving in-store experiences. This approach ensures the flagship remains a vibrant destination long after launch and continues to offer fresh reasons for consumers to return. Our official launch event will take place on December 4, with ongoing experiences designed to keep the store relevant well beyond opening week.

FNW: How important is the UK market for Puma?

JO: The UK is a priority market for us, both in terms of brand visibility and consumer influence. It is a trend-setting market where performance, lifestyle and culture intersect in a unique way. The new flagship underscores our commitment to serving consumers here with the best of Puma.

FNW: This clearly represents a big investment for the brand but how important is physical retail compared to e-commerce?

JO: Both channels play essential roles, and our strategy is to balance them effectively. E-commerce is critical for reach and convenience, but physical retail allows consumers to feel the brand and experience our products in a much deeper way. 

FNW: Are you seeing challenges in physical retail at present, particularly in the UK?

JO: The UK retail environment remains competitive and cost-pressured, and consumer spending continues to fluctuate. These challenges reinforce the need to be flexible and very focused on offering value and experience. For us, investing in a flagship like this is a long-term commitment to staying close to the consumer, even in a complex market.

Copyright © 2025 FashionNetwork.com All rights reserved.



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Another original Hermes Birkin bag sells for $2.86 million

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December 5, 2025

An Hermes handbag that once belonged to Jane Birkin was sold for $2.86 million (2.45 million euros) at auction in Abu Dhabi on Friday, just months after the record-breaking sale of her first bag from the French brand, Sotheby’s said.

Jane Birkin with one of her signature Hermes bags – Sotheby’s

Hermes first created the design for the British singer and actress in 1984 and it has gone on to become a modern and highly prized classic, sought by fashionistas the world over. The first prototype was sold for 8.58 million euros ($10 million) at a Sotheby’s auction in Paris in July, smashing previous price records for a handbag.

The one sold on Friday was a ‘Birkin Voyageur,’ which was gifted to the former wife of French singing legend Serge Gainsbourg in 2003. The final sale price was around six times times higher than the estimated price range of $230,000-$430,000 given before the sale.

“Jane Birkin’s handbag legacy continues to captivate collectors,” Sotheby’s said in a statement sent to AFP, adding that bidding took place over 11 minutes between six collectors. The new owner was a phone buyer and has not been identified.

The handbag was one of four owned by the late celebrity, who used to sell them to raise money for charitable causes. It has a handwritten inscription in French inside from Birkin that reads: “My Birkin bag, my globetrotting companion.”

A third Hermes bag owned by Birkin is set to go under the hammer on December 15 at the Hotel Drouot auction house in Paris. It was entrusted by the late star to her friend and biographer Gabrielle Crawford, who is selling it to help fund the future Jane Birkin Foundation, Drouot said in a statement.

Produced in very limited numbers, the modern Birkin bag manufactured by Hermes has maintained an aura of exclusivity and is beloved by celebrities such as the Kardashians, Jennifer Lopez, and Victoria Beckham. The most expensive fashion item ever sold at auction was a pair of ruby red slippers worn by actor Judy Garland from The Wizard of Oz in 1939, which sold for $32.5 million in 2024 in Dallas, Texas, according to Sotheby’s.

Copyright © 2025 AFP. All rights reserved. All information displayed in this section (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by Agence France-Presse. As a consequence you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the contents of this section without the prior written consent of Agence France-Presses.



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Mention Me launches AI tool to help brands reach consumers through generative AI search 

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December 5, 2025

Artificial intelligence (AI) continues its march to transform businesses’/consumers’ lives with customer advocacy platform Mention Me launching ‘AI Discovery IQ’, a free-to-use tool that “helps brands reach target consumers in the new age of generative AI search”.   

Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP/Archives

It claims to allow brands to “instantly audit how discoverable they are within popular AI systems” such as ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Perplexity.  

According to Mention Me, 62% of UK consumers now turn to generative AI tools for product recommendations, brand discovery and comparisons, “bypassing traditional search engines entirely [so] businesses are under pressure to respond to this behaviour change,” said  the platform’s CEO Wojtek Kokoszka whose platform works with firms including Charlotte Tilbury, Huel and Puma, “helping marketing teams to boost consumer awareness and sales”.   

With AI, it says the modern customer journey, powered by natural language prompts instead of outdated keyword strings, means consumers are 4.4 times more likely to convert if they find a brand through a large language model (LLM). 

“The rise of ‘agent-mode’ assistants and AI-driven voice search has pushed brands into a new world of digital visibility. Despite this, most brands have little to no insight into how they appear in AI-generated answers”, said Kokoszka.  

AI Discoverability IQ claims to give brands an overall LLM discoverability score, specific details on areas such as technical website elements, content and structured data, and actionable recommendations to improve their AI discoverability.

Its tool generates “measurable, trackable outputs” like AI Visibility Score, brands’ prompt-based results, and a side-by-side comparisons with their competitive set. This means brands “can react quickly to improve their discoverability scores” with Mention Me’s wider suite of products and unique first-party data.  

It’s also “innovating and evolving” its platform to include more capabilities, such as the ability to benchmark against competitors, to drive further improvements for marketing leaders in the age of AI. 

Mention Me CMO Neha Mantri said: “AI Discoverability is not yet a named practice within most marketing teams; the same way SEO wasn’t in the early 2000s. But when up to 31% of consumers say they’re more likely to trust responses from generative AI than traditional search results, this needs to change. Mention Me is naming the problem and providing a solution at just the right time.”  

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Crisis pop-up charity store returns to Savile Row with big celeb, brands support

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December 5, 2025

​A host of celebrities and high-end brands have donating goods to ensure Savile Row’s latest annual ‘Pop-Up Crisis’ store will continue to support the Crisis charity event that has so far raised over £650,000 since 2018.

Image: Crisis charity

Across 8-13 December, the pop-up store at 18-19 Savile Row in London’s Mayfair will sell a curated selection of designer clothing, past stock and samples from luxury brands.

Celebs donating goods include Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Naomie Harris, David Gandy, Jarvis Cocker, Louis Partridge, Jamie Redknapp and Emma Corrin, among others, for a week-long event and raffle with all proceeds going to help end homelessness across Britain.

Hosted by landlord The Pollen Estate, the temporary shop is also selling designer goods donated by Savile Row tailors including Mr Porter, Wales Bonner, Crockett & Jones and many other luxury brands from Barbour, Tod’s to Manolo Blahnik and Watches of Switzerland Group.

This year, celebrity model and fashion entrepreneur David Gandy will also be curating an exclusive online edit on shopfromcrisis.com, including donations from his own wardrobe as well as items from friends including Redknapp’s brand Sandbanks, Hackett and Aspinal of London.

Gandy said: “Having supported Crisis for a number of years, I’m delighted to have had the opportunity to curate my own online edit this year with the help of some of my close friends. It means a lot to know that donations from my own wardrobe are going towards such an important cause. Whether you’re looking for the perfect Christmas gift or to treat yourself, your purchase can help make a real difference to people facing homelessness this Christmas.” 

Liz Choonara, executive director of Commerce and Enterprise at Crisis, added: “Pop-Up Crisis is such an iconic event in the Crisis calendar and one that we look forward to every year. We’re thrilled to be partnering with the team once again for another week celebrating the iconic craftsmanship and style of Savile Row – with all proceeds going towards our crucial work to end homelessness.” 

Copyright © 2025 FashionNetwork.com All rights reserved.



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