The General Store, Sydney scoops store design gold for Shoes of Prey at World Retail Awards

The General Store has won a gold award for ‘Store Design of The Year’ at the World Retail Awards, held in Paris overnight.  The store design project was conceived and designed for Shoes of Prey, the celebrated Sydney-based online fashion retailer.

The Shoes of Prey store was the only Australian finalist in the store design categories.  Other store design finalists included a Puma Flagship store in Osaka and a Karl Lagerfeld concept store in Paris.

Says Andrew Fraser, creative partner at The General Store: “We pulled together an eclectic mix of creative talent for the project, including a theatre set designer, an architect, an interior designer, an advertising creative director, a retail strategist and a musician.  It was an awesome team and a really fun project to work on.  And we’re delighted to be recognised in this way.”

The winners were announced at the glittering World Retail Awards ceremony overnight at the stunning Salle Wagram, in Paris. The Grand Jury awarded the gold award to The General Store in the ‘Store Design Of the Year, >1200sqm’ category.

The World Retail Awards are the only global retail industry awards that recognise and honour retail excellence. Other winners in the 7th year of the awards included Tesco, ASOS, Coles and the winner of Retailer of the Year, Wholefoods.

Says Michael Fox, CEO at Shoes of Prey: “This is our first foray into physical retail, so winning ‘Store Design of the Year’ at the World Retail Awards is an incredible achievement for our team. And we could not have done it without our friends at The General Store. What they came up with for the store design is nothing other than incredible.”

Says Matt Newell, strategy partner at The General Store: “I am absolutely thrilled with this win. It is fantastic to see Shoes of Prey’s talent and ambition be recognised on a global stage.”

The aim of the award-winning project was to bring the Shoes of Prey brand to life in every sense.  The store is made almost entirely out of Shoes of Prey materials.  The space is dominated by a stunning 2.4 metre high flower sculpture, made from Shoes of Prey shoes; the table is finished with Shoes of Prey’s soft black leather; and the chairs feature a range of materials like suede and stamped patent leather.  But, the store is more than just a visual and tactile experience, it also features other immersive elements such as a signature scent and a custom-composed soundtrack.

The General Store

Brendan Flook, Aspen Enterprises