Shop-in-shops are set up to benefit both parties: The brand moving in gets increased brand awareness and the chance to test physical retail, and the hosting retailer gains access to the brand’s novel customer base. But if not a cooperative effort, they could prove failures across the board — and, lately, department stores have been letting their old, stuffy tendencies get in the way.
“Retailers are hard to work with,” said Aubrie Pagano, co-founder and CEO of custom apparel brand Bow & Drape, who has partnered on shop-in-shops with retailers including Lord & Taylor and Bloomingdale’s. “There are very strict rules about signage, displays…….