British department stores Harvey Nichols and Selfridges both took home
accolades at the annual Intercontinental Group of Department Stores awards,
which took place in Zurich on May 26.
Harvey Nichols won the World’s Best Store Window Campaign at a
Department Store for its Christmas ‘Avoid Gift Face’ campaign, which
showcased oversized faces crafted from 15,000 gift boxes. Each window
featured a distinct face, from a playful, bow haired girl, to a disco diva
featuring LED hair with the windows featured 301,500 sequins, 620 mirror
balls and 540 baubles to capture the Christmas message.
Commenting on the win, Harvey Nichols chief executive Stacey Cartwright
said: “It is a great testament to our brand that the visual displays have
resonated not only with the leading experts in this field but with the
public too. I am extremely proud of the creative team behind our iconic
window displays.
“Our in-house team, headed up by our head of display, Janet Wardley, all
work so tirelessly to create innovate displays that have clearly captured
the imagination of so many admirers around the world. This is a fantastic
achievement and I’m tremendously proud of the team.”
The British department store was up against finalists Myer from
Australia and Italian retailer La Rinascente, which scooped the prestigious
The Best Department Store in the World 2016, ahead of the UK’s Selfridges
and Ireland’s Brown Thomas. The accolade “recognises an exceptional world
player that displays innovation and outstanding performances in all retail
segments to all stakeholders”.
Selfridges might not have taken the main award but it was recognised for
its sustainability, with the Intercontinental Group of Department Stores
first World’s Best Sustainability/CSR Campaign by a Department Store, for
its ‘Buying Better, Inspiring Change’ campaign. The other finalists were
Paris Department Store in Chile and Al Tayer, UAE.
The Intercontinental Group of Department Stores is the largest worldwide
association of department stores and has 40 members from 36 countries
on five continents. The winners of its annual awards were chosen by over
7,000 executives from the department store and retail industry.
Image: Courtesy of Harvey Nichols