Stores of the Year would not be complete without some designer boutiques. From their minimalist approach we can learn something that can be applied to upscaling or up-marketing a retail image. In this edition, we also have some excellent examples of retailers offering more middleof-the-road or popular-priced merchandise, showing how it can be housed and presented with style and a degree of sophistication.

With each succeeding edition of Stores of the Year, we prove that Retail Design has been internationalized. When the first few editions were published we were an island unto ourselves and showed only U.S. projects designed by U.S. designers for the U.S. market. Things have changed! The retail design scene has changed, international barriers have melted away and the whole world is looking at, and reacting to, new designs--almost at the same time.

For this edition we are showing some of the recent department stores built in the U.S., as well as around the world. From the department stores and their shops-within-theshop come design concepts that are relevant to other more focused retail store designs. Also included are new retail chains as well as prototype designs created for established retailers who are looking for new and younger target markets. The premise is to gain a new and memorable look without losing the good will and continued patronage of the customer base. The world is changing, the consumer is changing and retail design must keep up with--and get a few steps ahead of--this ever-changing audience.

Stores of the Year would not be complete without some designer boutiques. From their minimalist approach we can learn something that can be applied to upscaling or up-marketing a retail image. In this edition, we also have some excellent examples of retailers offering more middleof-the-road or popular-priced merchandise, showing how it can be housed and presented with style and a degree of sophistication.

Although the projects we selected from around the world are primarily fashion oriented, there is a growing trend towards creating fashionable settings for hard goods as well as soft. The whole communications area has grown in the last few years and so we have included some of the fabulous retail stores that have been designed to house electronic and computer products.

Stores of the Year 15 presents an excellent overview of the ever-growing, ever-expanding and ever-evolving retail design field.

DEPARTMENT STORES

TSUM, Moscow, Russia

HOUSE OF FRASER, London, UK

HARVEY NICHOLS, Manchester, UK

NORDSTROM, Las Vegas, NV

HOLT RENFREW, Toronto, ON, Canada

LIVERPOOL, Guadalajara, Mexico

LOTTE, Daegu, Korea

SELFRIDGES KIDS, London, UK

SEARS GRAND, W. Jordan, UT

DESIGNER BOUTIQUES

GARLOS MIELE, W. 14th St., New York, NY

MAX MARA, West Broadway, New York, NY

BRUNO MAGLI, Florence, Italy

YIGAL ARZOUEL, W. 14th St., New York, NY

BYBLOS, Moscow, Russia

FERRAGAMO, Fifth Ave. New York, NY

ALBERTA FERRETTI/PHILOSOPHY BOUTIQUE, Paris, France

SEAN JOHN, Fifth Ave., New York, NY

SPECIALTY STORES/ CHAIN STORES

FORNARINA, Las Vegas, NV

VIVA VIDA, Sao Paulo, Brazil

BGN, Paris, France

WHISTLES, Islington, UK

MELANIE LYNE, Etobicoke, ON, Canada

VIA SETO, Laval, QC, Canada

SUITERS, Brookfield, WI

BARNEYS OOOP, Miami Beach, FL

CLUB MONACO, W. 57th St., New York, NY

ONLY, Odense, Denmark

TE KOOP, Toronto, ON, Canada

ACCESSORIES & SPORTING GOODS

DANIER LEATHER, Toronto, ON, Canada

TANNER KROLLE, London, UK

SCHEDONI, Coral Gables, FL

STEVE MADDEN, W. 34th St., New York, NY

GORDON SCOTT, Birmingham, UK

SKECHERS, Times Square, New York, NY

QUIKSILVER, Times Square, New York, NY

ADIDAS, Bangkok, Thailand

SYNOPTIK, Copenhagen, Denmark

HARD GOODS

CASA & IDEAS, Santiago, Chile

TELUS MOBILITY, Montreal, QC, Canada

I-MODE, The Hague, The Netherlands