​Outdoor sports and recreation retailer Cotswold Outdoor is to open a new triple-brand store with sister labels Runners Need and Snow + Rock at the Merry Hill mall in Dudley, West Midlands.

The UK-owned brand is to open an 8,000 sq ft unit on the shopping centre’s upper level later this month.

The new space will cater to “all clothing, footwear, and accessory needs for activities including walking, running, and in the winter months, snowsports”. 

Andy Dopson, head of Retail at Cotswold Outdoor, said: “With over 50 years’ experience under our belt, our mission has always been to help people enjoy the outdoors. With its diverse breadth of retailers, extensive catchment, and super regional position in the West Midlands, Merry Hill is the ideal spot for our next store, providing our loyal community with even easier access and introducing our brand to a whole new audience.”

The new store will open close to Meryyhill’s leisure quarter, “benefitting from its increased footfall and transformed atmosphere, following £12 million investment and the introduction of a host of new operators”, operator Sovereign Centros/CBRE said.

Its senior asset manager Nick Round added: “Merry Hill’s transformation is set to continue with the addition of Cotswold Outdoor, enlivening the upper mall even further and benefitting from the newly transformed leisure quarter. As a super regional centre and flagship for the entire region, securing operators that offer something different is paramount.”

Cotswold Outdoor joins other recent arrivals including luxury jeweller, Beaverbrooks and premium womenswear brands Phase Eight and Hobbs, which were brought together into the same space from separate units.

Dune London has unveiled its newly refurbished Westfield Stratford City store. Following two months’ renovation, the refreshed 1,291 sq ft retail space introduces its new flagship concept, designed in-house by the brand’s creative and global store development teams, “providing customers an enhanced and engaging shopping experience”.

At the centre is Dune London’s newly launched SS25 women’s, accessories and men’s collections, with the new design “bringing to life a bespoke flagship concept that visually implements Dune London’s brand codes; the signature DD logo monogram serving as the perfect backdrop to showcase their premium collections”.

With the refurbishment comes a wide double entrance and a champagne gold window tower with integrated media screen “that stands as the focal point of the store displaying the brand’s latest campaigns”.

The store also features curved product plinths and pale wooden podiums in soft neutral tones, complemented by gold-trimmed glass display areas. A neutral colour palette of champagne gold and cream tones are contrasted with textured and tonal hessian-coloured wall coverings combined with monogrammed seating areas.

For SS25 women, the highlights include updated versions of the brand’s Deliberate woven slouch bag, a floral jacquard, deconstructed loafers and styles in summer suede.

For men, “signature silhouettes are infused with a contemporary feel for SS25” featuring a blend of classic design, modern style, contrasting uppers and premium materials “to bring new life to the brand’s collection”.

Edgardo’s got a brand-new bar. Aquazzura, the very happening footwear marque, has a fresh product extension: a cocktail bar in Rome.

Located inside the iconic Hotel de Russie, the bar is a new debut by Aquazzura, marking the brand’s first steps into the world of hospitality. It blends Aquazzura’s unique, upbeat aesthetic with the timeless elegance of the Rocco Forte-owned hotel, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year.

A secret garden in the heart of another secret garden, the Aquazzura bar sublimates the spirit of la dolce vita in the hidden courtyard of the Hotel de Russie. Built in the early 19th century, the hotel attracted members of the Russian Imperial House, famed romantic painters, and, in the 20th century, the likes of Diaghilev, Picasso, and Stravinsky.

The secret garden, like the hotel itself, was designed by Giuseppe Valadier, the architect who redeveloped the neighboring Piazza del Popolo.

“I’ve always been passionate about interiors and the art of entertaining. For me, hosting is a true act of love: you create an experience for your guests, whether through the music, food or the way the table is set,” said Aquazzura founder Edgardo Osorio.

A new bar decorated with bespoke canopies with a double motif juxtaposes Aquazzura’s signatures. Custom Portuguese tiles, hand-painted with delicate lemon motifs, adorn the bar in homage to Italy’s colorful citrus groves. Designed by the Casa do Passadiço design studio, the bar boasts metal outdoor furniture, plush chairs and comfortable sofas. Green trellises and lemon trees in striped planters frame the space, harmonizing with the Hotel de Russie’s magnificent courtyard gardens.

“Edgardo and I envisioned Aquazzura Bar as a place that embodies the lightness of vacation—relaxed, laughing, surrounded by friends… Our real mission, at heart, is to make people happy, welcoming each guest and enhancing their mood, as if by magic,” said family member Lydia Forte.

The cocktail menu, designed by Federico Pavan and created by Matteo Capezzuoli, reflects Osorio’s well-known passion for tequila. Cocktails include an Iced Margarita, made with the finest tequila, fresh lime and seasonal fruit, and the Agave Nero-Osorio, a tequila-based reinterpretation of the Espresso Martini. Guests can also enjoy refined tapas created by Chef Fulvio Pierangelini, served in the Aquazzura Casa porcelain collection.

Founded in 1996, the Rocco Forte hotel group today boasts 15 top-ranked hotels spread across major European cities. Aquazzura was founded in 2012 by Colombian-born Osorio and is one of the hottest footwear labels today, worn by the likes of Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell, Eva Herzigova, Kendall Jenner, Amber Valletta and Cindy Crawford—or royals such as the Princess of Wales Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle, Queen Rania of Jordan and Queen Letizia of Spain.