Retail Design Institute and Chain Store Age announce collaboration

The Retail Design Institute, the oldest and largest association for design professionals, and Chain Store Age, the leading authority on retail operations and producer of the annual SPECS conference, are partnering on the Institute’s 45th Annual International Store Design Competition.



"Chain Store Age is excited to be entering into this collaboration with the Retail Design Institute," said Gary Esposito, group publisher, Chain Store Age and SPECS chairman. "We believe CSA can play an integral role in helping advance the initiatives of the Institute, particularly by using our media platforms to promote the awards competition.”



Founded in 1961, the Retail Design Institute has been responsible for educating design talent specifically for the highly specialized area of store planning and design.



“The Institute recognizes the broad reach of Chain Store Age and SPECS,” said Retail Design Institute’s International president James Farnell. “We know our members and their firms will benefit from the increased exposure to CSA’s audience, which includes leading retailers and retail real estate developers.”



Under the agreement, the Institute will host its annual awards gala and fundraiser, which benefits the Institute’s student design competition, in Dallas.



“We are thrilled that the Institute has decided to host its awards gala in Dallas on March 12, 2016, the night before the kick-off of CSA's annual SPECS show,” Esposito added. “We believe it will provide an ideal opportunity for members of the Institute to participate in SPECS, which provides great networking and educational opportunities."



The winning entries of the competition will be featured in the April/May 2016 issue of CSA.



“As the industry’s only peer-reviewed design competition,” Farnell said, “our program celebrates exceptional retail experiences across more than 20 categories from full-line department to specialty stores and pop-ups. CSA is the media venue for toasting and sharing the Institute’s winners in print and online.”