As the year draws to a close, PSFK is rounding up the most interesting, compelling, and popular posts of the past year.

Check out our top 20 most popular retail stories of 2012 below:

Tokyo Cafes Let You Have A Coffee An Cuddle With A Cat

Japan hosts numerous cat cafés that invite people to drink coffee in the relaxing company of friendly cats.

Hotel Lets Guests Stay In Their Room For Free Until Someone Else Checks In

Instead of worrying about checking out at 11am or 12pm, Art Series Hotels and Naked Communications have created the ‘Overstay Checkout’.

New Scifi Film Explores Impact Of Brand Messages On Desire

The forthcoming science fiction movie Branded looks at how brand messages can be used to influence people and make them act on their desires.

Mobile Phone Charging Stations Pop Up In NYC Bars

New York-based startup – Juicebox is a simple mobile phone charging station that allows users to recharge their iPhones, Androids, or BlackBerries in public venues.

Applebee’s Reinvests Itself As A Nightclub

Family-friendly chain Applebee’s plans to bring nightlife to suburbia by reinventing itself as an after-hours entertainment destination, offering half-price appetizers, drink specials, dance music, and karaoke after 10pm.

Rethinking The Physical Brand Retail Presence In New Ans Strategic Ways [PSFK Conference SF]

PSFK talks to a Partner at IDEO about helping companies reconsider the role that retail might play within their larger business.

IKEA Opens VIP Airport Lounge Complete With Beds For Napping

Travelers at France’s Roissy-Charles de Gaulle Airport can relax in style thanks to IKEA’s new VIP lounge that houses over 220-square meters of family-friendly space.

McDonald’s Partners With Angry Birds To Create A New Fast Food Centric Game

In China, Rovio has partnered with McDonald’s to offer location-based Angry Birds games inside the fast food restaurants.

Japanese Cuddle Cafe Lets Patrons Spoon With A Stranger

If you’re desperate for a cuddle, head to the newly opened ‘Soine-ya‘ (‘sleeping together-shop’) in Akihabara, Japan.

Order 3D Printed Pasta At Google’s Cafeterias

If experimenting with technology for a living wasn’t enough, Googlers can now experiment with it over lunch as well.

China Turns Quarry Into An Underground Luxury Hotel [Pics]

An abandoned quarry in Shanghai’s Songjiang District in China will be turned into an amazing 19-storey hotel complex.

IKEA Plans To Build A Private Neighborhood In London

IKEA has expanded its brand from products to homes and now to a whole neighborhood, with plans to start construction on 11 hectares of land in London next year, which will feature 1,200 houses and apartments fully owned by the Swedish furniture company.

Food Cart Design That Doesn’t Block Airline Aisles

Orbit is a concept system for delivering food on commercial aircraft by UK designer Heather Dunne.

Pop Up Shot Lets You Buy Chocolate With Good Deeds, Not Cash

Danish chocolate brand Anthon Berg opened a pop-up chocolate shop for one day only, where people had to pay with the promise of a good deed instead of cash or a credit card.

Floating Theater Lets Audiences Watch Films In The Middle Of The Ocean

Beijing-based architect Ole Scheeren designed a floating cinema just in time for the inaugural edition of Thailand’s Film on the Rocks Yao Noi Festival.

Walmart Introduces Virtual Pop Up Store

Walmart Canada and Mattel have launched a virtual pop-up toy store in Toronto to make it easy and convenient for shoppers to buy gifts during an often rushed holiday season.

How A Japanese Architect Interprets Starbucks

A newly opened Starbucks location in Fukuoka challenges the brands’ ubiquitous coffee shop interior decor.

Hello Kitty Gets Its Own Airline [Pics]

A Taiwanese airline has used the iconic Japanase cartoon character Hello Kitty to decorate their planes and staff uniforms.

PSFK Launches 2012 ‘Future Of Retail’ Trends Report

We launch our third annual survey of retail trends exploring the key factors driving change in shopper behaviors and expectations.

11 Startups Reshaping NYC’s Fashion Industry

A look at the winners from Bloomberg’s ‘Project Pop-Up,’ a competition to find innovative fashion retailers and technology companies in New York City.