Trends we spotted this week | week 1 2017
At Horecatrends we spot a lot of national and international trends on a daily basis. We pick the most interesting ones to write articles about, the smaller trends we use in our column ‘Trends we spotted this week’. This week amongst others is the new ‘just walk out service’ at Amazon Go going to change the way we shop? And in Sweden they spotted tiny restaurants for mice.
If you like to read the whole article, click the title. Enjoy reading!
‘Just walk out’ service at Amazon Go
No lines, no check-outs, no registers, just an app at your phone. Will Amazon Go recreate the way we shop? The linked youtube video explains their new idea, has been published in December 2016 and the first store apparently will open early 2017. Amazon created an elegant solution, using image-recognition technology to create a grocery store in which shoppers can simply pick up goods and walk out.
Beyond the Waterfall
Bompas & Parr’s Beyond The Waterfall 2016 was a unique immersive and multi-sensory experience. It was meant to be the most intriguing festive adventure in London last Christmas. Set deep in the heart of Westfield London’s luxury precinct, The Village, the journey evoked the emotions and joy of the holiday season while creating a feeling of unbridled escapism woven from a mix of mythology, fairytales and science fiction. Throughout December 2016, guests ventured across a 20m lagoon on small boats – passing through a real waterfall – before arriving at the distant shore. There, they embarked on a journey of self-discovery, roving among an Aladdin’s Cave filled with piles of gemstones before arriving at the hidden cocktail cavern. Wouldn’t that be a great example for a Christmassy cocktail bar in Amsterdam at the end of the year?
Concrete mixer as disco ball at festivals?
At the Fête des Lumières (Festival of Lights) of Lyon, visitors danced the night away thanks to a concrete mixer turned into giant disco ball! French artist Benedetto Bufalino always turns the ordinary into the fantastical and at this festival of lights in December he turned a concrete mixer into a giant disco ball for 3 nights. Wouldn’t that be great at a dance festival?
Glow-in-the-dark concrete could light up cities without electricity
Mexican scientist José Carlos Rubio Avalos and other scientists at Michoacan University of San Nicolás de Hidalgo found a way to potentially transform concrete that envelop cityscapes around the world by making them glow.
They concocted the new-and-improved formula, which contains small photoactive materials that allow cement to emit light once night falls. Typically, cement is opaque, which makes it impossible for it to absorb UV rays. By taking out the unnecessary crystals, the concrete can emit a glow that can last up to 100 years.
Tiny, magical shops for mice are popping up in Sweden
The Swedish city of Malmö has a new attraction. If you walk the streets and take a look down you might notice some amazing basement windows in the neighborhood of Möllevången. Tiny businesses — a bakery and a “cheese and cracker” shop — just the right size for mice. The stores and restaurant are made by a group of artists who wishes to remain anonymous (group Anonymouse MMX).
But the tiny, magical shops are popping up everywhere in Scandinavia. And wouldn’t you get a lot of attention of the local press if mice opened their own copy of your restaurant around the block?
