ShopWithMe, a futuristic-looking “smart” store at Pioneer Plaza, Chicago, took top honors as Store of the Year in the Retail Design Institute’s 45th annual International Store Design Competition. The awards were presented during a gala celebration on Saturday, March 12, at the Hilton Anatole in Dallas, the night before the kick-off of Chain Store Age’s annual SPECS Conference.
Designed by Giorgio Borruso Design, the 3,000-sq.-ft. ShopWithMe brings the best of offline and online shopping together under one roof, and creates personalized experiences for every shopper. The space is completely mobile. It is designed to be mass-produced so it can be deployed by retailers across the United States. Specialty retailers Toms Shoes and Raven + Lily were featured in the Chicago store.
The Retail Design Institute’s annual competition attracted entries from around the world, and featured 21 categories, ranging from department stores and specialty shops to supermarkets and pop-ups to restaurants.
Here is a complete list of all the winning projects (all winners are first place except where noted):
• Store of the Year:
ShopWIthMe, Pioneer Plaza, Chicago (Design: Giorgio Borruso Design)
• New or Completely Renovated Full-Line Department Store
David Jones, Sydney, Australia (Design: Dalziel & Pow)
Outstanding Merit: Hudson’s Bay, Hillcrest Mall, Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada (Design: Hudson Bay Store Planning & Design)
• New or Completely Renovated Specialty Department Store
Nordstrom, Pacific Centre, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (Design: Nordstrom Store Design, CallisonRTKL and James K.M. Cheng Architects)
• Shop Within an Existing Full-Line or Specialty Department Store
Hudson’s Bay, footwear, Queen Street , Toronto (Design: Hudson Bay Store Planning & Design)
• HardLine Specialty Store
Jins, San Francisco (Design: Kwan Henmi Architecture and Planning)
Outstanding Merit: Ponto Frio Premium, Sao Paulo, Brazil (Design: GH Consultoria de Varejo LTDA0)
• Hard-Line Specialty Store | Jewelry and Watches
deBoulle Diamond & Jewelry, Houston (Design: Gensler)
• Hard-Line Specialty Store | Beauty
Outstanding Merit: Caudalie, Washington, D.C. (Design: Caudalie USA and TPG Architecture)
Outstanding Merit: Beauty Brands, Kansas City, Mo. (Design: Kiku Obata & Company)
• Soft-Line Specialty Store
Primark, King of Prussia, Pa. (Design: Gensler)
Raymond Ready to Wear, Bangalore, India (Design: Gensler)
• Soft-Line Specialty Store | Footwear
The Frye Company, Atlanta (Design: The Frye Company)
• Large-Format Specialty Store
First Place: Leroy Merlin, Le Havre, France (Design: Dalziel & Pow)
• Supermarket
Whole Foods Market, Playa Vista, Calif. (Design: DL English Design)
Outstanding Merit: Primo, Tangerang, Banten, Indonesia (Design: rkd Retail/iQ)
• Specialty Food, Gourmet Grocer & Delicatessen
LCBO, Toronto (Design: II BY IV DESIGN)
• Fine Dining Restaurant
Kabuki Sushi Lounge, Toronto (Design: dialogue 38)
• Quick Service Restaurant
eatsa, San Francisco (Design: eatsa)
• Quick Service Restaurant
Outstanding Merit Quiznos Grill, Denver (Design: Tesser)
• Casual Restaurant
Reggie’s Bar, Montreal (Design: Ædifica)
• Bar, Coffee, Tea Shop
Neo Coffee Bar, Toronto (Design: dialogue 38)
• Telecommunications
Outstanding Merit: Studio Xfinity, Chicago (Design: ESI Design)
• Pharmacy
I+ Pharmacy, Sevilla, Spain (Design: Marketing-JAZZ)
El Puente Pharmacy, Granada, Spain (Design: ariasrecalde taller de arquitectura)
• Common Area Retail
ShopWithMe, Pioneer Plaza, Chicago (Design: Giorgio Borruso Design)
Outstanding Merit: kikki.K, London (Design: Dalziel & Pow)
• Brand Spaces
Olympia Tile + Stone, North York, Ontario, Canada (Design: II BY IV Design)
Outstanding Merit: Stearns & Foster Showroom, Las Vegas (Design: dash design)
• Financial Services
Desjardins Marche Central, Montreal (Design: Ædifica)
• Innovation | Merchandising
Charming Charlie, New York City (Design: CallisonRTKL)
• Innovation | Facade
Primark, King of Prussia, Pa. (Design: Gensler)
• Innovation | Graphics
Leroy Merlin, Le Havre, France (Design: Dalziel & Pow)
• Innovation | Concept and Experience
The Inutilious Retailer, New York City (Design: Adrian Wilson)
• Innovation | Technology
eatsa, San Francisco (Design: eatsa)
• Innovation | Visual Merchandising
kikki,K, London (Design: Dalziel & Pow)
• Innovation | Materiality
PNC GingerBranch, Pittsburgh (Design: Design Compendium)
To see photos of the awards event, click here.