McMillanDoolittle Partners with Shoptalk to Host Inaugural Chicago Shopwalks

McMillanDoolittle partnered with Shoptalk Fall, a premier conference for consumer brands and retailers, to host the inaugural "Shopwalks" store tours in Chicago. The event brought together more than 50 senior retail leaders to visit flagship stores including Starbucks Reserve Roastery, Ralph Lauren, and Eataly on the Magnificent Mile, the iconic shopping corridor along Michigan Avenue. Store leaders shared insights on recent updates at these locations and highlighted key factors behind their ongoing success.

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Take a Virtual Tour of Magnificent Mile's Most Iconic Flagships With Us

The Magnificent Mile has faced challenges in recent years, with higher vacancies driven in part by the pandemic. These three stores have continued to attract consumers by serving as brand destinations and delivering an elevated, consistent customer experience. Check out our Instagram Reel for video coverage of the stores.

Starbucks Reserve Roastery

The Starbucks Reserve Roastery opened on the Magnificent Mile in 2019 and is one of only six Roasteries worldwide. This concept represents the pinnacle of the Starbucks experience, transporting customers to an Italian café—the original inspiration for the brand. Every aspect of the traditional Starbucks experience is enhanced here: house-made croissants replace cake pops, espresso martini flights creatively combine coffee and cocktails, and customer interactions are elevated with enhanced service from highly trained baristas and bartenders.

As the largest Starbucks in the world, this five-story, 35,000-square-foot Chicago location draws between 8,000 and 10,000 visitors daily, with up to 15,000 on weekends. It is also the only Roastery that roasts and retains all of its own coffee.

Ralph Lauren

The Ralph Lauren Chicago flagship, one of only four in North America, has been a landmark on Michigan Avenue since 1998. The largest Ralph Lauren store in the world, spanning 37,000-square-feet across four-stories, is styled to resemble a luxurious home and modeled after the iconic Rhinelander Mansion in New York, which houses another Ralph Lauren flagship. This past summer, the Chicago store underwent its first notable renovation in almost 30 years, introducing elements such as a women's VIP tailoring room, updated layouts and design elements, and shoppable, store-of-the-future digital screens.

This flagship also features an extensive food and beverage offering across the adjacent RL Restaurant and onsite Ralph's Coffee. Both the full-service restaurant and coffee shop are operated in partnership with the premiere Gibson Restaurant Group. Ralph's Coffee opened in 2022 and has since become a key driver of foot traffic thanks to its accessible masstige pricing, which encourages repeat visits for drinks and helps draw customers into the rest of the store. Ralph Lauren partnered with La Colombe to create a signature roast sold only in its cafes. Overall foot traffic at the Chicago flagship was reportedly up 20% year-over-year, driven in part by the success of its cafe.

Eataly

Known for its authentic Italian experience, Eataly opened in Chicago in 2013. Among the 45 Eataly locations worldwide, the Chicago store is the second largest in the U.S. at 64,000 square feet. The concept revolves around an "eat, shop, and learn” model, featuring four quick-service food counters with authentic Italian cuisine, two restaurants, retail counters for meats, cheese, and seafood, a wine shop, and high-quality Italian merchandise. Eataly also has a cooking school offering classes like pasta and pizza making, as well as a private event space.

New Stores Slated to Open on Michigan Avenue

Several new stores have recently opened or are set to open on Michigan Avenue in the coming months. Check out our Instagram for updates on new concepts.

• Pop Mart, an Asian toy and collectibles brand, opened in early October.
• H&M is relocating to the former Apple store and opening on October 25.
• Spanish clothing retailer MANGO is scheduled to open in the spring at the base of the Ritz Carlton Residences.
• Harry Potter store will tentatively open in the spring.
• A multi-story Aritzia has been under construction since 2022, with an anticipated opening by the end of the year.

Stay tuned for our team's takeaways from Shoptalk Fall, which will be posted early next week.