Starbucks is Retailer of the Year

Starbucks Coffee Co. (Seattle) will be presented VMSD’s coveted Peter Glen Retailer of the Year award at the 2013 International Retail Design Conference in Vancouver next month.

Bill Sleeth, Starbucks vp of design for the Americas, will be on hand to accept the award and discuss the role of design in driving the retailer’s innovative, locally relevant store experiences.

“Starbucks is a testament to the power of design to engage customers and foster brand loyalty,” says VMSD editor in chief Patricia Sheehan. “Its willingness to experiment with new formats and materials, its dedication to sustainability and its pioneering focus on localization have spawned innovation throughout the retail design industry.”

The award honors VMSD’s long-time columnist, Peter Glen, who died in 2001 following a career in retail as a designer, consultant, industry critic and motivational speaker.

The award goes annually to the company that best exemplifies his demanding criteria for smart retailing: market awareness, innovation and an intuitive understanding of who its customers are and what they want, need and expect. Recent winners have included Macy’s (2012), Whole Foods (2011), Forever 21 (2010) and Urban Outfitters (2009).

The 13th annual IRDC, considered the industry’s premier educational and networking event for the store design and visual merchandising community, will be held September 17-19 at the Four Seasons Hotel Vancouver. Sleeth will accept the award and give his presentation on Friday morning, September 19.

Other highlights of the 2013 program include keynote presentations by Toronto-based retail futurist and business advisor Doug Stephens; Sephora senior vp of store design, Paul Loux; and Peter Dixon, senior partner and creative director at Prophet Brand Strategy.

The more than 35 sessions also include international retail expansion to Canada and China, the changing role of visual merchandising in the age of showrooming, technology-rich experiences in retail, the staying power of pop-up retail formats and, as always, much more.

Registration is underway at irdconline.com.