Boyner Group opened two new stores ‘Communité’ in Istanbul — a new multibrand store concept that prioritises discovery through its unique, holistic merchandise assortment for consumers seeking inspiration. 

The two new stores — located in Istanbul’s Galataport and IstinyePark — signal a turning point for the company. With Communité, however, the company is taking a different approach, placing creative fashion houses, emerging talent and thoughtful curation at the center of the retail experience. At Communité, the brand assortment moves beyond traditional, heritage luxury. Cult players such as Ann Demeulemeester, Dries Van Noten, Comme des Garçons, JW Anderson and Yohji Yamamoto sit alongside independent brands such as Auralee, Louis Gabriel Nouchi, Enfant Riches Deprimes, Shusu Tong, Cecilie Bahnsen and Willy Chavarria. Every 30 days, the store layout changes, with the buying team consciously seeking out new brands to trial within the space. One aspect of the Communité curation strategy involves the team collaborating with brands to revive and reinterpret archival pieces and collections. Luxury’s value equation is increasingly being determined by consumers, placing greater pressure on brands to deliver authenticity, differentiation and responsiveness. Chairman Cem Boyner noted the shift towards consumer-driven trust, with community, shared knowledge and word of mouth becoming deciding factors in purchasing decisions. 

Looking ahead, Boyner aims for Communité to evolve in line with consumer expectations, placing their demands and experience at the center of the retail concept’s strategy. As consumer expectations evolve, physical retail has an opportunity to differentiate itself by offering what digital channels cannot — human connection and memorable experiences. For Boyner, this shift reinforces the need for retailers to think beyond distribution and transaction. While e-commerce grapples with rising expectations around immediacy and personalization, accelerated by advances in agentic AI-enabled search, physical retail must focus on delivering something fundamentally different. Boyner believes the most successful stores will function as destinations rather than points of sale, offering hospitality and a sense of belonging — a ‘third space,’ supported by a network of wellness centers, restaurants and in-store cafés or juice bars. 

As Communité looks to expand into additional locations in Turkey, as well as to European cities like London, Milan, Athens and Madrid, scale will be underscored by a local approach to curation over standardisation. Boyner’s vision is for international travellers to recognise the concept, but with each store reflecting the culture and creative energy of its city. At the same time, however, Communité will maintain a consistent brand identity, with Turkish brands accounting for 15% of its assortment across all global locations.