The Best in Retail Design

The HBO Shop in New York has been named the 2007 Store of the Year in the 37th annual Institute of Store Planners/VM+SD International Store Design Competition. The store, profiled in the May 2007 issue of VM+SD (“Premium Space,” page 2, In-Store Digital Media section), was designed by the New York office of Gensler in collaboration with Imaginary Forces, a branding consultant with offices in New York and Hollywood, Calif.

Judges in the competition were wowed by the HBO Shop’s immersive environment. “The shop successfully envelops the shopper in the HBO brand, in both digital and hard-goods form,” said Claudette Lavoie L’Huillier, associate/interior architecture discipline lead/retail group leader, Jacobs Carter Burgess (Charlestown, Mass.). Similarly, Ralph Perone, managing director, store planning and design, Talbots (Hingham, Mass.), praised the space for being “very impactful and very effective in supporting its brand.”

The HBO Shop was among the nearly 150 retail spaces entered in this year’s competition. Judging for the contest was hosted by the Boston chapter of ISP and took place at the offices of Cubellis.

Below is a complete list of winners, with links to the coverage for each:

STORE OF THE YEAR

HBO Shop

FIRST PLACE WINNERS

New or Completely Renovated Full-Line Department Store:

Seibu, Jakarta, Indonesia

New or Completely Renovated Specialty Department Store:

Robinsons Department Store, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

New Shop Within an Existing Full-Line or Specialty Department Store:

Timberland at Macy’s Herald Square, New York

Specialty Store, Sales Area 1500 to 3000 sq. ft.:

3rd Nature, Teaneck, N.J.

Specialty Store, Sales Area 3001 to 5000 sq. ft. (tie):

AT&T Experience Store, Houston

Sony Ericsson, London

Specialty Store, Sales Area 5001 to 10,000 sq. ft.:

Martin + Osa, Newport Beach, Calif.

Specialty Store, Sales Area over 10,000 sq. ft.:

M&M Store, New York

Shopping Center Kiosk:

The Mobile Lounge, Troy, Mich.

Sit-Down Restaurant (tie):

Crystal Restaurant Lounge, Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto

40 Carrots at Bloomingdale’s, New York

Citrine New World Bistro, Redwood City, Calif.

Specialty Food Shop:

Vince & Joe’s, Shelby Township, Mich.

Supermarket:

Landmark Supermarket, Manila, Philippines

Convenience Store:

Go Fresh, Dublin, Ireland

Entertainment Facility:

Motorola M-Lab, Sunrise City, Fla.

Service Retailer:

Peter Mark, Dublin, Ireland

Manufacturer’s Showroom:

Infiniti Retail Environment Design Initiative, Gangnam, South Korea

Temporary Space or Store (tie):

P&G Beauty Exhibit, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Look Fab Studio, Toronto

AWARDS OF MERIT

New or Completely Renovated Full-Line Department Store:

Shinsegae, Seoul, South Korea

New Shop Within an Existing Full-Line or Specialty Department Store:

Styled by Me Barbie, New York

Specialty Store, Sales Area Under 1500 sq. ft.:

Capezio, Toronto

EKO, Toronto

Specialty Store, Sales Area 1501 to 3000 sq. ft.:

Maska, Ste. Foy, Que.

Specialty Store, Sales Area 5001 to 10,000 sq. ft.:

The New World of Coca-Cola, Atlanta

SAQ Selection, Laval, Que.

Specialty Store, Sales Area over 10,000 sq. ft.:

Bass Pro Shops, Miami

Supermarket:

City Market, Magno Centro, Mexico

Whole Foods Market, Chicago

Service Retailer:

Mr. Clean Performance Car Wash, Deerfield Twp., Ohio

Manufacturer’s Showroom:

Allsteel Canadian Showroom, Toronto

INNOVATION AWARDS

Concept:

EKO, Toronto

Exterior:

Umbra, Toronto

Finishes/Uses:

Chicago Botanic Shop, Glencoe, Ill.

Lighting:

Dolphin Cay, Paradise Island, Bahamas

Signage/Graphics:

40 Carrots at Bloomingdale’s, New York

Store Planning:

Landmark Supermarket, Manila, Philippines