Gemma Jones on the future of department stores
REPORT
17 Jan 2025
Gemma Jones on the future of department stores

Department stores today look massively different than their predecessors of centuries past. But as brands look to keep up amid a changing retail landscape, there are lessons to be learned. Canvas8 spoke to Gemma Jones to uncover what the future of department stores might look like.

Gemma Jones

Gemma Jones specialises in semiotics, cultural insight, ethnography, and futures. In recent projects, she has explored the future of messaging platforms, teen safety online, perceptions of AI, the semiotics of sustainable materials, and youth sports. Clients include Microsoft, Nike, Discord, TikTok, Uber and Coty. Alongside her strategic work, Jones co-founded the School of Critical Design and facilitates courses in place futures and speculative design with students and professionals. She has worked at semiotics consultancy Space Doctors and as head of insight at Protein. She holds a first-class degree in English literature and a master's in culture and creative industries.

Anna Waletzko

Anna is a behavioural analyst at Canvas8. Her background in journalism spurred her interest in the intersection of power, identity, and media. She has a master’s in Gender, Media and Culture from The London School of Economics, where she researched media representation and diversity. Outside of work she can be found gardening, taking too many photos, or endlessly trying to crochet the same scarf.