Retail We Love This Month: Play Edition
There is a renewed sense of joy happening in retail, one rooted in play, wonder, and pure imagination. These are stores where stories and personalities come to life, where creativity is hands-on and where the physical store offers something which online simply cannot compete with. Immersive storytelling and interactive theatre, this month, the retail we love is designed to be felt, explored, and remembered.
Jellycat, Selfridges, London
Every character has a personality and story to tell in-store, sparking emotion, nostalgia, and pure joy. The emotional connection and narrative-led displays create playful worlds that draw shoppers and customers of all ages in.
And the showstopper for us is the ‘Fish & Chips’ truck…
It is impossible to not get involved and play. Stepping up to the counter, shopper and employee play together to choose their ‘meal,’ wrapping up their toys like they are at a proper ‘chippy’. It is unexpected, engaging, full of charm, and transforms a familiar concept into something joyful and memorable. It is playful, a little surreal, and completely on-brand.
Hamleys, Regent Street, London
From the moment we walk in, the energy is infectious. Demonstrations, entertainers, and constant moments of surprise turn the entire space into a stage and full-blown performance.
Every inch of the store is designed to be a playground. It is loud, colourful and chaotic in the best possible way. There are no shortcuts here. The layout pulls us through floors of discovery, encouraging us to explore, interact, and stay longer than planned.
The real magic lies in the people. The staff become a live, unscripted element of the retail show. Passionate and fully immersed in storytelling and spontaneous interaction, they transform each moment into something engaging and memorable, creating an energy that simply cannot be replicated online.
Play is the strategy. Joy is the outcome.
LEGO, Leicester square, London
The new SMART Play system comes to life in LEGO’s Leicester Square store. This is where play meets innovation. The SMART Brick takes the classic LEGO adventure and elevates it, blending physical building with a more interactive, personalised layer with the SMART Brick, Tag, and Minifigure debuting in the new Star Wars set.
Staff actively guide us through the journey, using demonstration, play and storytelling to explain how the system works, and what this next phase of LEGO innovation means for the brand and people who play.
As we move through the store, that sense of joy builds. Interactions feel responsive and alive, blending physical building with subtle digital enhancements like light, sound, and motion. Despite the innovation, it never feels like play is being overcomplicated or replaced.
It invites us to not just build, but to engage, experiment, and see creations come to life in new ways. It is a smart evolution of the brand, without losing the simplicity that makes LEGO… LEGO.
