Condé Nast opens second Vogue Café in China at Galeries Lafayette Shanghai

Vogue Café Shanghai has opened its doors as Condé Nast’s second branded property venture in China. The Café opens at luxury shopping destination Galeries Lafayette Shanghai, and follows the success of the opening of Vogue Café Beijing which opened in November 2020. Both of the Vogue Cafés in China operate under license agreement with Beijing Sycamore Seed Advertising & Media Co Ltd.

“We are thrilled to expand our partnership with Beijing Sycamore Seed Advertising & Media Co Ltd and open our second café venture in China’s fashion capital, Shanghai,” says Markus Grindel, Managing Director, Global Brand Licensing, Condé Nast. “Our restaurant ventures are designed to offer consumers a unique luxury experience as a physical extension of our world-leading media brands. Galeries Lafayette is the perfect destination for the Vogue Café which transforms fashion, style and culture into a dining space.”

The 300-square metre space features two dining rooms and a cocktail bar. It offers an all-day dining menu of modern Mediterranean cuisine with some Asian influences, as well as Vogue Afternoon tea and a takeaway menu. In addition to featuring iconic imagery from editions of Vogue around the world, the walls will display exclusive video content, shot by Vogue China’s new Editor in Chief Margaret Zhang.

Vogue Café Shanghai joins Condé Nast’s portfolio of branded property under its global licensing division. Other Condé Nast restaurants around the world include Vogue Cafés in Bangkok, Beijing, Moscow, Porto and Riyadh, Vogue Lounge Kuala Lumpur, Vogue Restaurant Istanbul and GQ Bar Bodrum.

Condé Nast to open first immersive beauty specialist Allure Store in New York City

Condé Nast has detailed the upcoming launch of its first Allure Store to New York City’s Lafayette Street, billing the concept store as an immersive shopping experience that will feature a curated selection of the world’s best beauty products, led by Allure’s own trusted editorial voice.

The Allure Store will open as a stand-alone brick and mortar store, in partnership with STÔUR Group and will bring a physical touchpoint to the Allure offering, inviting shoppers and the beauty community at large to join the brand’s audience of over 25 million readers.

Allure is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year having seen a 20 per cent year on year increase in traffic and a 25 per cent year on year increase in time spent – a reflection, it states, of how consumers are increasingly reliant on the insights and product recommendations from trusted beauty experts.

“The Allure audience has shown that it’s intensely loyal and trusts our expertise – something we are so grateful for. We’re thrilled that the Allure Store provides us with the opportunity to really connect with them, and to truly bring the brand to life,” said Michelle Lee, Allure’s editor in chief.

“This space will allow us to introduce our brand to new beauty enthusiasts and expand the Allure family.”

The store has been designed to ’embody the future of retail’ and crafted to ‘reflect Allure’s print and digital experience while integrating the brand’s unparalleled expertise’. The store will offer the best of makeup, haircare, and skincare brands that have been featured in Allure.

“We are thrilled to announce the launch of the Allure Store, designed to bring the brand to life with a unique and immersive shopping environment where customers can shop by Allure’s globally respected headlines for a truly seamless experience,” said Markus Grindel, managing director, global brand licensing.

“The store marks an expansion of our direct-to-consumer experiences across the globe, and we hope that this news excites those looking ahead to when in-store shopping resumes.”

Spanning 2,900 square feet over two floors, the store shelves will mirror Allure’s content themes including the iconic Best of Beauty Awards, with seasonal product changes. The store will implement augmented reality capabilities for customers to try on products, as well as smart mirrors, and will be a hub for content creation. In addition to shopping, Allure’s editorial team will regularly host in-store events, tutorials and masterclasses.

The Allure Beauty Box, a handpicked selection of editor-approved beauty products that launched in 2012, has been a success among subscribers, with revenue up 20 per cent year on year.

The Allure Store will open its doors on Lafayette Street in New York City in Fall 2021. Allure is published in the U.S. by Condé Nast and in South Korea under license agreement with Doosan Group.

Condé Nast opens it first branded property in China with the launch of Vogue Cafe Beijing

Condé Nast has opened its first branded property venture in China with the launch of the Vogue Cafe Beijing. Opened under a licensing agreement between Beijing Sycamore Seed Advertising and Media, the new cafe marks the first of a sweep of planned branded cafes for China.

The second Vogue Cafe will open in Shanghai in 2021.

Located at the iconic China World Mall in the Chaoyang District in central Beijing, the Café sits among the city’s leading luxury flagship stores. The area brings together local and international visitors, with a mixture of retail, office spaces, hotels and residential.

The Café is positioned as the ‘ultimate destination for shoppers seeking a unique dining experience’, as well as office workers looking to grab a takeaway lunch.

“Beijing’s rich culture and long history paired with the constantly evolving restaurant scene makes it one of the most enticing cities in China, which is why Condé Nast is thrilled to open the country’s first Vogue Café in the capital,” said Markus Grindel, managing director, global brand licensing, Condé Nast.

“Vogue Café Beijing will bring luxury fashion and high-end cuisine together – an experience sure to enchant both local and visiting epicures.”

Vogue Café Beijing, spread over 400 sq. metres, features two elegant dining rooms and a feature cocktail bar. In keeping with Vogue Cafés globally, striking images and covers from the archives of Vogue adorn the walls, including iconic shots featuring some of the world’s most renowned models and photographers.

Joining Vogue Café Beijing as head chef is Jack Yao, whose career spans over 14 years. Having formally trained in Italy and Singapore, Yao’s exclusive menu blends influences from Italian and Asian cuisine for an alluring mix of flavors. Vogue Café Beijing will be open seven days a week, between 10am and 10pm. The Café also operates a full home delivery service.

Vogue Café Beijing joins Condé Nast’s portfolio of branded property under its global licensing division. Other Condé Nast restaurants around the world include Vogue Cafés in Kiev, Moscow, Porto and Riyadh, Vogue Lounge Kuala Lumpur, Vogue Restaurant Istanbul and GQ Bar Berlin.

Condé Nast has published its media titles in China for nearly 15 years, having launched Vogue China in 2005, which today ranks as the country’s most influential fashion authority.

Today, Condé Nast China publishes titles including Vogue, Vogue Film, Vogue Me, GQ, GQ Lab, GQ Style, Condé Nast Traveler and Architectural Digest, under copyright cooperation with partners.