A.R.E | POPAI Renamed Shop!

As part of a coordinated rebranding effort following the merger of two former retail industry association giants in October last year, effective today A.R.E. | POPAI The New Association has changed its name to Shop!, a trade association focused on enhancing retail environments and experiences. The new name is designed to represent the 2,000-plus global member companies and align with the full industry community they support.

“After a thorough vetting process that included numerous focus groups and input from many of our members, our association is proud to announce this new name and immediately begin our renewed focus to advance retail environments and experiences through our programs, events and publications,” says Steven Weiss, CEO of Shop!

Along with the name change, the association is launching a complete new corporate identity, which will impact all sub-brands, events, programs, publications and websites. The website, shopassociation.org, will be live next week. The Shop! rebranding will also be seen in the next issue of its flagship industry magazine, Retail Environments, which is sent to more than 22,000 retailers, designers, brands, and professionals in the retail environments and experiences industry.

Shop! will provide research-based value to the global retail marketplace through leadership and education in: Research (consumer behavior, trends, futures); Design (customer experience design, store design, display design, fixture design); Build (manufacturing, construction, materials, methods, logistics, installation); Marketing (in-store communications, in-store marketing, technology, visual merchandising); and Evaluation (ROI, analytics, recognition/awards).

“With members ranging from producers, visual merchandisers, and ad agencies to designers, retailers and brands, the name Shop! conveys a strong image of the services and products our members provide to the industry,” says Bob Rosean, chairman. “Everything our members build, design and implement at the store level is driven by the needs of the shopper and ultimately is created to entice consumers to shop!”

Weiss notes that the association will focus its effort in pursuit of delivering on its mission, “to be a collaborative, global voice for enhancing the experience of retail environments. The future is bright for this industry, and Shop! is poised to lead the way,” he says.