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Spotlight Content
Posted: December 23, 2025
2025 Year in Review: Ray Ehscheid, NELSON Worldwide
Principal, National Practice Leader, Retail
NELSON Worldwide
What accomplishment, milestone, project or transaction stood out for you or your firm in 2025? In 2025, what stood out for me was the resiliency and re-growth of department stores in major markets, including New York. Their resurgence signals a broader rebalancing across the retail landscape, where heritage formats are attracting new traffic and proving they still move culture and commerce. What energizes me most is observing how physical retail continues to reinvent itself with momentum, durability, and adaptability. That’s the insight I’m carrying forward into 2026.
What emerging trends or shifts will shape opportunities for you, your firm, or market sector in 2026? In 2026, I see opportunity flowing from three shifts: experiential elevation in “phygital” retail, accelerated adoption of AI enhanced design workflows, and the rapid reinvention of store footprints. Retail is moving past channels into ecosystems; stores are becoming services platforms; and resilience is now table stakes. The big unlock is how brands scale experience with precision and adaptability together. That’s the trend vector I see shaping 2026.
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