Retailer of the Year

Apple Computer (Cupertino, Calif.) was named VM+SD/Peter Glen Retailer of the Year for 2003 at VM+SD's recent International Retail Design Conference in Miami Beach.

“The annual award reflects Peter Glen's values regarding retail in general and retail design specifically,” said VM+SD editor Steve Kaufman. “He believed in retailing that was strategic, service-oriented and aware of customer needs.”

Glen wrote a monthly column for VM+SD for 28 years, until his death in October 2001 at age 62. Previous winners of the award were Target Stores (Minneapolis) in 2001 and Limited Brands (Columbus, Ohio) in 2002.

Apple has opened some 60 stores in 26 states in 28 months since it opened its first retail venture in May 2001. Its stores have been applauded for smart design, visual merchandising, meeting customer needs and supporting its brand. It has also been applauded for innovative product design. The Apple store in New York's SoHo neighborhood was named Store of the Year by VM+SD in December 2002.

The computer company has also opened flagship stores on Chicago's Michigan Avenue, San Francisco's Union Square and Tokyo's Ginza district, plus numerous smaller freestanding stores and mall-based units. It recently announced a new store to open this week in Seattle's University Village.