ROTTERDAM.- Welcome to the New Store, the shop that helps preserve the living world rather than burdening it. Our current consumption habits often lead to waste, pollution and the depletion of natural resources. But what if shopping could help people and the environment instead of harming them?

The New Store 3.0 pop-up opens in the Nieuwe Instituut foyer on Thursday 12 December. This concept store explores and tests the possibilities of regenerative retail. For the first time, this edition features products for sale by seven designers.

The store can be visited free of charge six days a week during the opening hours of the Nieuwe Instituut. The pop-up will remain at the Nieuwe Instituut for at least a year and will gradually develop into a permanent store. Throughout the year, new products will expand the collection.

The New Store

The New Store is an ongoing long-term research project by the Nieuwe Instituut. The aim is to test and implement alternative forms of shopping that contribute positively to people and the planet. This should ultimately lead to a fully regenerative shop. Until then, the New Store pop-ups are testing grounds for bringing designers’ ideas and proposals to life in the real world. The business cases, regenerative criteria, and customer’s responses are constantly being evaluated to inform further development of the New Store and the products.

The products

In New Store 3.0, you’ll find SeaWood by BlueBlocks, Reef by Urban Reef, Eggshell Ceramic by Atelier LVDW, Loop Earthrise by Loop Biotech, Woolfiller by Heleen Klopper, Oyster Heaven and the Duckweed Tile by Flip the City.

Each product results from collaborations with local producers and benefits the ecosystem it is part of, for example by helping restore Earth’s surfaces or oceans, creating habitats for non-human life, or developing a sustainable, small-scale local industry. Some products also invite consumers to actively contribute by participating in a workshop, interview, or activity, becoming co-creators, and assisting with the further development of the New Store.

Aric Chen, general and artistic director of the Nieuwe Instituut: ‘New Store is one of our “testing grounds” where we bring new ideas into the real world to see how they work. As a cultural institution, we must not only discuss and present designers’ ideas but also put them into practice to address our many social and ecological challenges. I am therefore very proud that this third edition of New Store is not taking place during a biennale or design week but is instead accessible to everyone.’

Research path and label

New Store is an initiative by the Nieuwe Instituut, in collaboration with the International Architecture Biennale Rotterdam (IABR) and The Seeking State research agency. The first edition of New Store during Dutch Design Week 2023 in Eindhoven explored alternative forms of exchange between producer and consumer and featured soap made from urine, DIY lighting, and insights into the origin of food. New Store 2.0 at Milan Design Week 2024 explored new value chains by turning visitors' cut hair into textiles and embroidery. The store’s physical layout was also made as circular and sustainable as possible.

For the upcoming third edition of New Store, not only will actual products be sold for the first time, but the Nieuwe Instituut is also collaborating with students from the Meaning Economy master’s programme at Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences. Together they will develop the New Store Regenerative Label, a ‘hallmark’ that assesses the regenerative impact of a product or service. As part of the learning process, the New Store’s participating product designers have been asked to assign an impact score to their product, which will be further researched and improved. The first results of this process will be presented in the store at the Nieuwe Instituut throughout next year.

More information and opening

The official opening of New Store will take place at the Nieuwe Instituut in Rotterdam on Thursday 12 December at 7:00 PM. Visitors can browse the collection, meet the designers and immediately purchase a fun, sustainable gift for the holidays. Onwards, the New Store will be open free of charge six days a week during opening hours of the Nieuwe Instituut.