ith the highest privacy standards, so data in the blockchain cannot be altered or hacked. “The Aura Blockchain Consortium is a great opportunity for our sector to strengthen our connection with customers by offering them simple solutions to get to know our products better,” said LVMH managing director Toni Belloni.  “By joining forces with other luxury brands on this project, we are leading the way on transparency and traceability. I hope other prestigious players will join our alliance.” Within LVMH, the Hublot, Bvlgari and Louis Vuitton brands have already joined the Aura platform. Hublot has also rolled out a digital e-warranty where customers can verify the authenticity of their watch by taking a photo using their smartphone. The Warehouse Group expands retail footprint  New Zealand retail business The Warehouse Group has opened two new stores in the Ormiston Town Centre, Queenstown, including a 6200-square-metre The Warehouse and Warehouse Stationery store-within-a-store concept, and a 1000-square-metre Noel Leeming store. The Warehouse store features a full garden centre and the biggest area dedicated to homewares of any location in the network. It also offers a click-and-collect counter where shoppers can pick up their online orders and a full suite of printing solutions as part of its Warehouse Stationery store-within-a-store concept. The Noel Leeming store has a built-in cooking centre, where customers can see product demonstrations and get one-on-one advice, and a team of tech solution specialists on hand to deliver, unbox, demonstrate and set up new technology for customers at home, as well as remove packaging. “Ormiston customers have access to leading technology brands and expert service from our team of passionate experts, who are there to help customers get the most out of their tech,” said Jonathan Waecker, chief customer officer at The Warehouse Group.  McDonald’s rides K-pop craze with new BTS meal McDonald’s has collaborated with the Korean pop group BTS on a new meal that will roll out next month in almost 50 countries, including South Korea. The new meal contains chicken McNuggets, fries and two dips. The fast-food chain has engaged celebrities to endorse its promotional campaigns and create limited-edition menus to lure customers back into stores and offset declining revenue during Covid-19.  McDonald’s previously collaborated with US singers J Balvin and Travis Scott, which boosted sales during the second half of last year. The popularity of the Travis Scott promotion led the fast-food chain to temporarily run out of ingredients for its Quarter Pounder burgers in some restaurants. Lululemon trials resale platform in US  Sportswear brand Lululemon Athletica has rolled out two new initiatives, Like New and Earth Dye, as part of its pledge to become a more sustainable business.  Like New is a recommerce model that will allow shoppers to trade in gently used Lululemon products in exchange for a gift card, with 100 per cent of the profits from the resale of eligible items going towards circular product design, renew and recycle programs as well as store environmental programs.  Customers in California and Texas will be able to start trading in ‘like new’ items as part of a pilot program in May. The resale platform will launch in June. Lululemon will collect feedback throughout the pilot to inform future scaling.  Earth Dye is a new, limited-edition collection of products manufactured using low-impact dyes upcycled from the waste of oranges, beets and saw palmetto trees sourced from the agricultural and herbal industries. Low-impact dyes use less water, carbon and chemicals than synthetic dyes.  The collection follows Lululemon’s introduction of solution-dyed nylon, recycled polyester and Forest Stewardship Council-certified rubber materials. “Lululemon is actively working to help create a healthier future, and we are focused on meeting the goals detailed in our Impact Agenda, including making 100 per cent of our products with sustainable materials and end of use solutions by 2030,” said Lululemon chief executive Calvin McDonald.  “[These initiatives] are both meaningful steps towards a circular ecosystem and demonstrate the sustainable innovation underway in product development and retail.” Burberry unveils virtual Ginza store with ELLE Digital Japan Luxury brand Burberry recently collaborated with ELLE Digital Japan on a virtual replica of its flagship Ginza store. The virtual store was available on ELLE Japan and ELLEgirl Digital Japan from March 19 to April 18 and offered the brand’s Spring/Summer collection 2021.  Like the physical Burberry Ginza, the virtual version was over three floors. The ground floor had displays of the brand’s signature bags such as the Olympia, the Pocket and the Lola bags, while the first floor sold womenswear, such as the Waterloo and the Kensington trench coats, and the second floor had menswear and outerwear, such as the Pimlico car coat and Horseferry print nylon car coat.