New retail concepts
The First Store by Alexa retail competition initiated by Union Investment and Sonae Sierra has taken place this year for the second time. Three start-ups have been given the opportunity to present their innovative concepts in the Alexa shopping centre in Berlin.
The First Store by Alexa competition brings together online retail and brick-and-mortar stores, with creative ideas from the online world being showcased in the Alexa shopping centre in Berlin, which has been part of the UniImmo: Deutschland portfolio since 2010.
19 concepts - 5 finalists
This year, a total of 19 concepts from the start-up scene were submitted. From these submissions, a panel of seven expert judges selected five finalists who then had to pitch to the judging panel and to Alexa’s Facebook fans in an online voting process.
The winners of the First Store by Alexa Awards 2018
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Lesara -
Buah -
Inkicks
The winner: Lesara
Lesara’s winning concept scored highly because of one special feature in particular: its customers decide what items the fashion company sells. In the “made by you” store, customers can vote for their favourite items and buy the winners shortly afterwards in store or in the online shop. Lesara will open the new First Store Cube in Alexa on 22 September and use it rent-free for six months.
In second place: Buah and Inkicks
Buah and Inkicks both took second place. Buah sells freeze-dried fruit and vegetable mixes that can be added to muesli and smoothies, etc. Inkicks has developed a way of customising canvas shoes and printing them with the customer’s own photos, patterns or designs. As their prize, the two start-ups will each be given a booth in Alexa which they can use rent-free for three months. The other finalists of the 2018 First Store by Alexa competition were online florist Infinity Flowerbox and fashion company Thullex, which sells tailor-made clothing using a 3D measuring system it developed in-house.
The five finalists at a glance
Buah
Buah is a startup for freeze-dried fruit and vegetable mixtures. Your store - the "Buah Lab" - is to become a place of experience and longing for the brand, where customers can experience and purchase the freshness of different fruits and recipes. Buah products can be eaten as a snack, at Mü̈sli or as a smoothie.
Infinity Flowerbox
Premium roses that flower for up to three years (without water) thanks to a special conservation process come packed in a pretty hatbox. Each flower box also fulfills a charity mission: Infinity donates the red roses to an organisation for AIDS patients, for pink ones to institutions in the fight against cancer, for example.
Inkicks
The company has developed a way of individually printing fabric shoes - with your own photos, motifs or themes. With the help of a textile printer and a camera system, different Chucks models can be printed precisely.
Lesara
At Lesara, customers determine the latest fashion trends. In the "made by you" store, every visitor can vote for his fashion favourite and shop for the winner in the shop or online shortly afterwards - at a reasonable price and together with other current trends from Lesara's online shop.
Thullex
The search for suitable clothes can be annoying. Thullex wants to end this search. A self-developed 3D measuring system determines the body measurements, the tailor-made clothing is delivered to the customer's home. The collection currently includes shirts and trousers, produced in Europe, delivered in 10 days.