Despite living through an AI and digital boom, the UK’s physical retail sector is “evolving rather than disappearing” in 2026 according to Rightmove Commercial.
A recent report from NatWest claimed that the role of physical retail stores was changing this year, with many businesses “moving to smaller spaces, experience-focused formats or combining stores”.
Investment firm CBRE also recently reported that many retailers would “continue to invest in their stores through experiential retail” in 2026, with strategies including “upgrading customer service, changing store formats, and hosting events to create community and drive loyalty”.
In light of this retail refresh, Retail Gazette looks at five retailers that unveiled revamped store formats over April.
Boux Avenue
Lingerie giant Boux Avenue is giving its Westfield White City shop a refresh.
The store’s redesign includes new fitting rooms complete with concierge buttons and multiple lighting options – day, dusk and night.
On the opening day, which will take place on 7 May, the store’s first 100 visitors who spend over £50 will be offered goody bags.
Additionally, shoppers will be able to listen to a live DJ set and personalise their products at a free embroidery station.
Visitors will also be able to take part in a Spin to Win, with discounts, gift cards and mystery gifts available as prizes.
Blacks
Outdoor clothing retailer Blacks has given a number of its stores a retail refresh as part of a major brand revamp designed to reposition itself as “a destination where outdoor heritage meets everyday style”.
Five of Blacks Pinnacle stores in Glasgow, Harrogate, Aintree, Meadowhall and Brighton were refurbished under the rollout.
Blacks said the revamped shops featured cleaner layouts, improved navigation as well as curated product edits spanning clothing, footwear and equipment.
Blacks said the store openings would be backed by local events and community hikes during May.
Alongside the updated stores, the company’s relaunch includes a redesigned website and a sharper focus on consumers blending city living with outdoor lifestyles.
Clintons
Cards specialist Clintons recently opened a new concept store at Silverburn Shopping Centre in Glasgow, as it sought to modernise its estate with a more experiential and customer-focused format.
The new shop, which opened on 10 April, represented the latest step in the business’s national rollout of its revamped concept, designed to “reflect changing shopping habits and create a more engaging in-store experience”.
Based two doors down from its previous unit, the new site replaces one of the retailer’s longest-standing stores at the shopping centre, where it has traded since it initially opened in 2007.
The refreshed format places a stronger emphasis on experience as well as product, encompassing an updated layout, a more curated range and a more contemporary look and feel intended to make the shopping journey more inspiring and intuitive.
Alongside Clintons’ core range of premium cards and gifts, the store has introduced new and exclusive lines as it sought to create a more streamlined environment that better suits how customers shop today.
The opening came after Clintons first launched the concept at Metrocentre in Gateshead last summer, as well as across several other locations.
Austen & Blake
Jewellery business Austen & Blake recently relaunched its Sheffield Meadowhall showroom after a major refurbishment, as it sought to enhance the in-store experience.
The updated shop officially reopened on 11 April, with the chain offering visitors exclusive savings on purchases made over the launch weekend.
The brand said its refreshed site had been redesigned to better showcase its collections and custom-made jewellery service, with visitors able to work with in-store experts to create personalised pieces in a no-pressure environment.
During the opening weekend, Austen & Blake gifted the first customers through its door flowers and sweet treats.
Whole Foods Market recently introduced a small store format to the UK, as it sought to gain a market share in the convenience sector.
The brand opened a 3,600 sq ft shop in Islington, London on 2 April, with the store selling two thirds of the business’s usual range.
It removed the butchery, cheese and fish counters featured in its bigger shops and instead opted for a more condensed range of impulse, meat, produce, confectionery and beauty items.
The site receives a daily supply of fresh bread and cakes, while items from local producers have tags describing their origin.
Additionally, the grocery specialist launched a new small-format store in London’s Liverpool Street on 23 April.
The 3,315 sq ft shop, which is based on Blomfield Street, was designed with busy City workers in mind, offering a “convenient, grab-and-go format tailored to the needs of office commuters and lunchtime shoppers”.
The launches formed part of six new Whole Foods Market shops opening in London, which are scheduled to be launched by the end of June 2026.
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