NEW YORK CITY—Luxury brands are more focused than ever on creating unique, memorable experiences to turn their brick-and-mortar venues into destinations. This focus has led to bigger investments in store design, according to luxury expert Alexander Zilberman, founder and principal architect at AZA Design.

According to Zilberman, who works globally with major brands and labels like Versace, Michael Kors, Aesop and Aston Martin, the luxury retail sector is more competitive than it has ever been. He points to the appointment shopping and rope lines of the pandemic lockdown days as a watershed moment when the stores he designs captured the imagination of customers of all kinds, who were pining for something as simple as a fun shopping trip. “When lockdowns lifted people flocked to purveyors of luxury goods, to sample the experiences they had glimpsed on social media and news reports," Zilberman said.

Want to continue reading?
Become a Free ALM Digital Reader.

Once you are an ALM Digital Member, you’ll receive:

  • Breaking commercial real estate news and analysis, on-site and via our newsletters and custom alerts
  • Educational webcasts, white papers, and ebooks from industry thought leaders
  • Critical coverage of the property casualty insurance and financial advisory markets on our other ALM sites, PropertyCasualty360 and ThinkAdvisor
NOT FOR REPRINT

© 2025 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.

Natalie Dolce

Natalie Dolce, editor-in-chief of GlobeSt.com, is responsible for working with editorial staff, freelancers and senior management to help plan the overarching vision that encompasses GlobeSt.com, including short-term and long-term goals for the website, how content integrates through the company’s other product lines and the overall quality of content. Previously she served as national executive editor and editor of the West Coast region for GlobeSt.com and Real Estate Forum, and was responsible for coverage of news and information pertaining to that vital real estate region. Prior to moving out to the Southern California office, she was Northeast bureau chief, covering New York City for GlobeSt.com. Her background includes a stint at InStyle Magazine, and as managing editor with New York Press, an alternative weekly New York City paper. In her career, she has also covered a variety of beats for M magazine, Arthur Frommer's Budget Travel, FashionLedge.com, and Co-Ed magazine. Dolce has also freelanced for a number of publications, including MSNBC.com and Museums New York magazine.