DDi - September 2011 - (Page 38)

38 AWARDS 201 1 Best Merchandising Visual Programs 1 st Place Anthropologie lthough the core of Anthropologie’s visual philosophy has not changed in the four years it has won the Portfolio Awards’ Best Visual Merchandising Program, it is always evolving. “Whatever we do, whatever the season, idea or material, at the core we hope to surprise and inspire,” explains Missy Peltz, executive director of visual presentation for the poster-child brand of Philadelphia-based Urban Outﬁtters Inc. “We want to create an experience for our customers that they can take in when they are with us, and then hold onto and remember after they leave.” Perhaps that is why, in any given Anthropologie store, the visual merchandising program is eclipsed in the ordinary done extraordinarily well. The visual team ﬁnds beauty in the most ordinary things, and credits its inspiration to anything from a hardware store to a grocery store to the great outdoors. This past year, Anthropologie opened eight new international stores, but Peltz emphasizes that no matter the location, the Anthropologie brand stays the same. “Our national and international stores follow the same core inspiration, but each location gets to interpret the ideas to ﬁt their space, their community, their customer and their skill set,” she says. Speaking of skill sets, Anthropologie’s store-level teams have plenty of talent to go around. Every store is made up of a gifted team of individuals, all coming from different backgrounds, skill sets and experiences. “As a visual team, we create an environment for our customers to experience,” says Erika Sorgule, senior display project manager, Anthropologie. “We get to take the fabulous product we sell and build a lifestyle around it. These lifestyles help to tell stories of what we love as a brand, and how we can see our customers utilizing Anthropologie products in their own lives.” —ALISON EMBREY MEDINA, EXECUTIVE EDITOR A | Photos: Courtesy of Anthropologie September 2011 www.ddionline.com http://www.ddionline.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of DDi - September 2011

DDi - September 2011
Table of Contents
From the Editor
From the Show Director
Newsworthy
Shopper Insights
Greentailing
Editor’s Choice
Portfolio Awards 2011
Retail Design Luminaries
Retail Design Influencers
Design Firms of the Year
Best Visual Merchandising Programs
Retailer of the Year
Best-Designed Stores of the Year
Retail Standouts
Calendar
Advertisers
Think Tank

DDi - September 2011