Last Saturday during a Gala evening at Düsseldorf in Germany, the international Retail Institute EHI, presented the yearly Euroshop RetailDesign Awards. For the first time in history a Dutch store was awarded and for the first time it was an optical store which went home with this prestigious Award. Hofstede Optiek at The Hague received this Award for the interior design of the store reminiscent of a sculpture. The jury report talks about a harmonious composition of organic, curved forms appealing to the senses and enticing the customer to go with the tide in a relaxed manner and to look at the objects on display from an ever changing perspective. The presentation areas and mirrors, which have been integrated into the walls in a very creative way, seem to place the products on a stage and turn the shopping experience into an artistic one. With this unique prize Hofstede Optiek shares itself amongst other winners in earlier years such as El Palacio de Hierro at Guadalajara, Elord Golf Fashion at Seoul, Intersport Bründl at Kaprun, American Girl Place at Chicago, Nike Town at London, Romanticism at Hangzhou, Barneys New York at Dallas, Globetrotter at Cologne, Zen Department Store at Bangkok, Department store Jelmoli at Zürich and the new Levi’s Flagshipstore at London. Next year the Award ceremony will take place at New York.
