Eyewear retailer Warby Parker (New York) was announced as the 2015 recipient of the VMSD/Peter Glen Retailer of the Year Award on Sept. 10, during the International Retail Design Conference (IRDC), the industry’s leading educational and networking event for store planners, visual merchandising executives and other designers and architects who create and renovate retail spaces.
The VMSD/Peter Glen Retailer of the Year Award is named in memory of the retail industry observer, motivational speaker, author and longtime columnist for VMSD (Visual Merchandising Store Design magazine). The annual award recognizes a retailer that best exemplifies Glen’s three core retail values: innovation, service and intelligence. Warby Parker was chosen by the editorial advisory board of VMSD, which includes 55 of leading retail-design executives, in a three-round vote.
“Whether by design or by coincidence, this year’s recipient echoes many of the themes that have emerged in our program this week: Conscious consumerism; philanthropic capitalism; disruptive innovation; the creation of truly immersive brands that transcend individual channels of commerce,” said Steve Duccilli, chair of IRDC 2015 and senior vp of content for parent company ST Media Group Intl. (Cincinnati), in announcing the winner on Sept. 10 during the IRDC Awards Luncheon, held at the Hilton Austin. Sarah Apgar, Warby Parker’s director of new stores, accepted the award on the company’s behalf.
Warby Parker, founded as an online retailer of chic but affordable prescription eyewear in 2010, opened its first brick-and-mortar retail location in SoHo in 2013. Just two years later, the company’s footprint has grown to 12 stores and nine showrooms throughout North America, with plans to open eight more stores by the end of the year. Advisory board members cited the company’s commitment to creating design-forward, unique retail spaces that blend seamlessly with Warby Parker’s online brand.
“At a time that pundits continue to bemoan the growing irrelevance of the traditional store, Warby Parker, true to its rebellious roots, has shown just the opposite — in the process, setting some astounding marks for sales per square foot that are eclipsed only by Apple,” said Duccilli.