Moleskine taps XY Retail unified commerce tech for worldwide direct to consumer strategy push

Moleskine, a brand known for its notebooks, writing tools and creative accessories, has selected XY Retail as its unified commerce technology partner to support the expansion of its direct to consumer retail strategy worldwide. 

Historically focused on wholesale distribution, Moleskine is ramping up its investment in physical retail, with plans to expand its store network across the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Hong Kong, Singapore, China, the United States and Japan. XY Retail will serve as the core platform enabling this shift.

Moleskine’s compact store formats require high inventory accuracy and intelligent replenishment. As part of the roll-out, XY Retail will implement stock replenishment and real-time inventory visibility to optimise availability, reduce stockouts, and support efficient operations despite limited backroom space as the network scales toward hundreds of stores globally. 

Joanna Onland, Chief Commercial Officer, Moleskine, says: “This partnership is a key step in strengthening our direct relationship with customers around the world. As we expand our physical retail presence, we need a technology partner that understands global scale and precision in smaller store environments and still gives the customer an excellent customer journey. XY Retail gives us the foundation to grow our direct channel with confidence while preserving the quality and creativity our brand stands for.” 

Susan Jeffers, CEO at XY Retail, says: “With Moleskine, we’re excited to support a brand entering a new phase of global retail growth. This partnership shows how a unified Retail OS can power physical retail expansion beyond fashion, enabling premium brands to scale with intelligence and confidence.”  

2026 RTIH Innovation Awards

Unified commerce will be a key focus area at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards.

The awards will open for entries in April. They celebrate global retail technology innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.

Our winners will be revealed at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards Ceremony, taking place at The HAC in Central London on Thursday, 15th October.

Check out our 2025 winners here.

Our 2025 hall of fame entrants were revealed during a sold out event which took place at The HAC on 16th October and consisted of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by award winning comedian, actress and writer Tiff Stevenson.

In his welcome speech, Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, said: “This is the awards’ fifth year as a physical event. We started off with just 30 people at the South Place Hotel not far from here, then moved to London Bridge Hotel, then The Barbican, and last year RIBA’s HQ in the West End.”

“But I’m conscious of the fact that, to quote the legend that is Taylor Swift, You’re only as hot as your last hit, baby. So, this year we’ve moved to our biggest venue yet, and also pulled in our largest number of entries to date and broken attendance records.”

He added: “This year’s submissions have without doubt been our best yet. To quote one of the judges: The examples of innovative developments across both traditional and digital retail spaces were truly remarkable.”

Congratulations to our winners, and a big thank you to our sponsors, judging panel, the legend that is Tiff Stevenson, and all those who attended our 2025 gathering.