Retail Design Expo Review: Innovations Abound

Now in its third year, and continually growing, the 2017 Retail Design Expo (RDE) drew visitors from around the world to the Olympia conference center in London’s Shepherd’s Bush neighborhood May 8-9. The conference and trade show was again co-located with the Retail Business Technology Expo and Retail Digital Signage Expo, and featured exhibitors showcasing the latest in design, marketing, visual merchandising, architecture and fixturing products and services.

New this year, the VM Christmas Market offered visitors seasonal-specific strategies and tools, while the VM Christmas Awards recognized the best in holiday windows, displays and interiors for the 2016 Christmas season. Among the winners were Selfridges (London), Magasin du Nord (Copenhagen, Denmark), Pringle of Scotland (London) and Marks & Spencer (London).

VMSD Editor-in-Chief Jennifer Acevedo moderated a panel on visual merchandising trends with Sue Chidler, global marketing director, Cath Kidston (London); Joanna Quinn, group visual creative manager, JD Sports Fashion (Bury, U.K.); and Tim Radley, managing director, VM-Unleashed (Warlingham, U.K.). The discussion centered around the power of visual merchandising in the retail environment and the challenges VM professionals face in today’s marketplace.

Next year, RDE will be held May 2-3, 2018, in London. For more information, please visit retaildesignexpo.com.