Tasmanian store LUC Design scooped the coveted Martin M Pegler visual merchandising award at the gia Awards on Saturday evening.
The gia Australia winner beat 28 contenders from 27 countries to win the award for excellence in visual merchandising.
Owner Lucy Given was in Chicago to receive the award and was very excited about her win.
“This is an amazing honour and I was lucky enough to receive the award from Martin Pegler himself,” she enthuses.
“Such a huge privilege, and we are overwhelmed that our small store from Tasmania is now recognised as a global winner.”
Based in Hobart, Tasmania, LUC. Design is located in a heritage-listed building and is known for its iconic design brands.
“Our space is in a unique waterfront warehouse and we present our products in a gallery style format where customers can walk around displays and we mix our brands to highlight how they can work together. We want customers to feel that every corner has something new to offer and we have set the store so it takes time to walk around it. It also smells great.”
The Global Honourees for Retail Excellence were also announced and this year we saw first-time participants such as the Czech Republic and the Philippines make the top five.
Winners include Green with Envy from New Zealand, the UK’s Borough Kitchen, Rustan’s Department Store from the Philippines, the Loft Co from Japan and the Czech Republic’s Potten & Pannen―Staněk.
The gia program was launched in 2000 by the International Housewares Association and International Home and Housewares Show to foster innovation and excellence in home and housewares retailing worldwide.
By Marion Gerritsen
