Judges for the 48th annual Shop! Design Awards competition have selected 53 finalists from among 213 entries. The panel of industry experts identified 17 Gold, 16 Silver, and 18 Element winners, as well as the coveted Store of the Year, Fixture of the Year, and Visual Presentation of the Year award winners. The big three and Gold winners will be announced during the annual Shop! Awards Celebration in Chicago on June 26. The event and competition are produced by Shop! Environments Association, the global trade association dedicated to enhancing retail environments and experiences.
Each year, the Shop! Design Awards competition attracts a greater number of global retail projects. This year, entries were submitted from 12 countries: Canada, the Cayman Islands, China, Germany, Japan, Mexico, Poland, Russia, South Korea, Spain, the U.K., and the U.S.
Commenting on the entries, Editor & Publisher of Retail Environments magazine Jo Rossman said, “It's gratifying to see brands stepping out of their comfort zone to shake things up. Retail is changing, and savvy brands are evolving to thrive in today's marketplace. As always, the best solutions excel at both form and function, with spaces that attract consumers to shop—and keep them coming back.”
Independent judges reviewed entries from 19 Primary and nine additional Element categories to identify the 53 finalists (visit shopawards.org to view the list). The judging panel includes representatives from leading design firms, retailers, brands and industry media:
- Jennifer Acevedo, Editor-in-Chief, VMSD magazine
- Lola Garcia, Creative & Branding Director, ID & Design International
- Mark Johnson, President, JDG
- Jose Padron, Sr. Manager, Global Retail Design, The Hershey Company
- Jean-Pierre Lacroix, President, SLD
- Jo Rossman, Publisher/Editor, LEED AP ID+C, Retail Environments magazine
- Brian Sturkie, Industrial Design Director/Creative Services, E & J Gallo Winery
In addition to announcing the top Design Awards winners at the Shop! Awards Celebration, Shop! will also present Gold and top category winners in the OMA Awards (Outstanding Merchandising Achievement) and the Global Awards, which recognize the best in POP and at-retail marketing from among 2018 Gold winners in global competitions. Tickets are on sale now (visit shopawards.org) for the event, 6:30-8 p.m. at McCormick Place. Early bird pricing is offered until June 7.
For the first time, all entries submitted in the Design Awards, OMA Awards, and Global Awards competitions will be on display on the GlobalShop show floor. “We're a global association, so it's exciting, and important, to see what retailers from around the world are doing to attract shoppers to their stores,” said Todd Dittman, Shop! Executive Director. “As our industry's longest-running retail design competition, this event provides a rare opportunity to see the creativity that retailers, designers and industry suppliers are bringing to brick-and-mortar environment.”