The retail industry's collaborative community for creative professionals since 1961.

Retail Design Institute Chapters hold hundreds of amazing educational and social events throughout the year. Among the Institute’s signature events is the Design Awards & Store of the Year Presentation.

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The Institute hosts the longest-running and most well-respected international design competition for professionals. It also sponsors the oldest student design competition in the industry.

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We are the largest and oldest non-profit organization dedicated to the store planning and design profession with appellations that indicate membership.

Latest News & Trends

Heartland - Fall 2026 Newsletter

What's Worth It? Showing Up. At the beginning of this year, we set out to explore retail in the Heartland through one deceptively simple question: What’s worth it? What’s worth leaving the house for? What’s worth paying more for, traveling farther for, lingering longer in, or returning to? And, perhaps most importantly, what kinds of places and experiences are worth sharing with other people? Throughout 2026, that question took us from the future of grocery stores to the stra

Heartland

Greetings from the International Vice President

International Vice President Kathryn Patton-Miller, RDI, provides the latest news and updates from the Retail Design Institute in the Fall 2026 Institute Newsletter.

Institute News

LA28 Could Be the Biggest Pop-Up Retail Opportunity in Years. Are Brands Ready?

Discover how LA28 could be the biggest pop-up retail opportunity. Explore the strategies brands need to stand out at LA28 and attract visitors from around the world.

Thought Leadership

Join the Retail Design Institute today and be a part of the most innovative and creative community in the retail industry. Your membership supports our mission to empower the future of retail through collaboration, education, and innovation.

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I found tremendous value in the automatic vetting of partners to connect and willing to cross-promote each other, vital for our success. The Institute attracts the best and brightest in the design industry who encourage and believe in supporting each other.

- Adam Jones, Trade RDI

Founder & CEO, Siren Collaborative

Trade Member, Southwest + Pacific, Since 2014

Empower the Future of Retail, Join The Institute Today!

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