Island Jewel

Landmark, a sleek new supermarket in Manila with swooping curves, floating planes, oval-shaped pods and a cut-out ceiling that serpentines through the entire space, was named Store of the Year in the 2008 retail design competition sponsored by the Association for Retail Environments (A.R.E., the former National Association of Store Fixture Manufacturers).

“In Asia and the Philippines, farmers markets are the traditional way of buying groceries,” says architect Hugh Boyd of Montclair, N.J., who designed the award-winning store, “so we went the opposite way, with a clean, bright, big-box environment that pushes the design envelope in that part of the world.”

In addition to design elements, Boyd had to develop an efficient lighting system, since the Philippines has the highest electricity costs in the world. Though the store’s foot-candles are lower than in a typical U.S. supermarket, a reflective ceiling and polished white porcelain floor bounce the light around the 94,000-square foot space.

Judging for the awards was held January 31 and February 1 in Plantation, Fla. Judges were: Bruce Barteldt Jr., Little Diversified Architectural Consulting; Bevan Bloemendaal, The Timberland Co.; Giorgio Borruso, Giorgio Borruso Design; Kristin Godsey, VMSD; Lynn Knutson, Harley-Davidson Motor Co.; RoxAnna Sway, DDI magazine; Karen Meskey-Wilson, Macy’s Inc.; and Marianne Wilson, Chain Store Age magazine.

The judges handed out 62 awards. For a portfolio of some of the other category grand prize winners, see the following pages. Images of all the winners, including grand prizes, outstanding merits and special awards for fixturing, installation and green projects, are available at VMSD.com.

STORE OF THE YEAR

(also Supermarket/Grocery Store category winner)

Landmark, Manila, The Philippines

Architecture/Design: Hugh A. Boyd Architects, Montclair, N.J.

other category winners:

Specialty Food Retailer

Cellar 360, San Francisco

Design/Architecture: Miroglio Architecture & Design, Oakland, Calif.

Softline Shop

Saks Fifth Avenue shoe department, New York

Design: Hambrecht Oleson Design Associates Inc., New York

Department Store

Seibu, Jakarta, Indonesia

Architecture: RTKL Associates, Baltimore

Design: Callison, Seattle

Softline Specialty Store up to 3000 sq. ft.

Capezio, Toronto

Design: burdifilek, Toronto

Softline Specialty Store, 3000 – 25,000 sq. ft.

G by Guess, multiple U.S. locations

Architecture/Design: Little Diversified Architectural Consulting, Costa Mesa, Calif.

Softline Specialty Store, 3000 – 25,000 sq. ft.

Parasuco, Montreal

Architecture: Saroli Palumbo, Montreal

Design: Ruscio Studio, Montreal

Restaurant

sweetgreen,

Washington, D.C.

Architecture/Design: CORE architecture + design, Washington, D.C.

Design: Next Step Design, Annapolis, Md.

Hardline Specialty Store

up to 3000 sq. ft.

3rd Nature, Teaneck, N.J.

Architecture: Reuben Gross Associates, Architects, Teaneck, N.J.

Design: Watt Intl., Toronto