The retail industry’s creative professionals collaborative community
since 1961
WELCOME
We are the retail industry’s creative professionals. We were founded in 1961 to be a collaborative community where ideas, knowledge and passion would be shared at a local level and enable our members to fulfill the fast-paced planning and design needs of retail. Today, our membership includes architects, graphic designers, lighting designers, interior designers, store planners, visual merchandisers, resource designers, brand strategists, educators, trade partners, trade media and students of design.
NEWS AND EVENTS
The 50th International Design Competition is Now Open!
Members and non-members are invited to enter the Institute’s 50th International Design Competition for projects opened in calendar 2020. From scanning headlines to online searches, the year 2020 had a number of notable store openings domestically from New York City to greater Los Angeles, and internationally from London to Shenzen, in all retail formats.
Categories are the same as last year.* The submission package again requires a 750-word description, list of suppliers and high-resolution images. Deadline for submissions is March 31, 2021.
Winners will be announced in June 2021.
Cadillac House, Shanghai, is the 2019 Store of the Year!
Cadillac House in Shanghai, China, is the Retail Design Institute’s 2019 Store of the Year. Claudia Cerchiara, the Institute’s International Chairman and Chair of its Awards Committee, made the official announcement July 2, 2020. “We congratulate the Cadillac House team on their impressive win that combined elements of a classic car showroom with the interactivity of an educational exhibit.” The space combines education with aspiration and brand elements “that communicate the space as clearly Cadillac,” Cerchiara explained. In addition to its distinction of Store of the Year, judges also bestowed three Innovation Awards on Cadillac House — one each for Architecture, Customer Experience and Digital Integration.
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Retail Design Legion of Honor Inducts Paul Lechleiter
Paul Lechleiter is the latest practitioner to be inducted into the Retail Design Legion of Honor. Lechleiter, who has logged more than 35 years in the retail design industry, is chief creative officer of FRCH NELSON, Cincinnati. As FRCH NELSON’s creative visionary, Lechleiter’s role is hands-on involvement in day-to-day creative output, providing creative leadership for a variety of client relationships….
James Farnell Named Fellow of the Institute
Farnell joined the Institute in 2009 as a Professional member through the Southern California Chapter and later serving as its President August 2011 through October 2014. He was named Professional Member of the Year in 2013 for his work on behalf Southern California. Farnell has consistently upheld the mission and values of the Institute, representing the interests of all Institute’s membership from student to professionals and trade partners…
Announcing the Mark V. Looper Award for Design Collaboration
“We’ve added the ‘Mark V. Looper Award for Design Collaboration,’ because Mark was a champion of collaboration,” notes Andrew McQuilkin, FRDI, chairman of the Student Design Competition.” Throughout his career, McQuilkin explains, “Mark invited and inspired individuals to work together. So the Institute feels strongly about using this opportunity to recognize those who do at the earliest stages in their design profession.”
Retail Design Institute
Recent News
Latest articles and galleries from the Retail Design Institute and Chapters.
JOB POSTINGS
Below are a few of the most recent job postings. Full listings are available to members here.
Construction Project Manager, Industrious, West Coast - About Industrious: Industrious’ private offices and suites — the highest-rated workspaces in the industry — provide the most sustainable option for companies to manage newly distributed teams for the long term. We make it easy to find an office that works for you — even if you come in just once or twice a week.… Continue Reading- Construction Project Manager, Burlington Stores, Inc., Burlington, N.J. - Burlington Stores, Inc. is seeking a Construction Project Manager who will focus primarily on the NJ/NY/CT territory, including NYC. This position requires 5-7 years of experience in multi-site retail construction project management, and the ability to travel 75-80 percent of the time. The successful candidate will have experience with a fast-paced retailer, managing multiple concurrent… Continue Reading
- Experiential Production Designer, Showfields, New York City - Showfields is looking for bright, enthusiastic and talented Visual designer/ Producer passionate about artfully developping new pop up concepts from start to finish, from 3D visualization, to fabtication management and installation/ merchandising and storytelling and can confidently translate designs with the right technical skills, seamlessly marry aesthetics, brand identity, functionality and experience in a fast… Continue Reading
