Veteran retail designer to retire

Elle Chute, co-chairman of Chute Gerdeman and widely respected creative force in the retail design industry, has announced her retirement from the firm she founded with her husband Denny Gerdeman 26 years ago.



Gerdeman will continue as chairman and, with CEO Brian Shafley, will lead Chute Gerdeman’s growth with its focus on d excellence in retail and hospitality design innovation.



“I have been part of the retail design community for more than 35 years,” Chute said. “It has become part of my DNA, and I will miss the creativity and energy that the Chute Gerdeman team generates every day. But I am also looking forward to the new creative challenges ahead.”



Chute plans to devote her energies to the fine arts, with a focus on painting. She began her career in 1978 as a designer with the international retail consulting company, The Doody Company, founded by the famed marketing strategist Alton Doody and design visionary, Carol Farmer.



In 1989, she partnered with Denny Gerdeman to create Chute Gerdeman, now one of the top retail design firms in the world. Chute Gerdeman has won more than 175 awards for innovative store design, restaurant design, graphics, and packaging design.