Store, displays earn honors from Association of Retail Environments
GREENVILLE, S.C. (Mar. 27, 2008) – Michelin on Main, the company’s first and only retail store in North America, earned two design awards recently from the Association of Retail Environments (A.R.E.). The store earned “Outstanding Merit” honors in the specialty store category up to 3,000 sq. ft., and the store’s tire-topped merchandise displays earned a store fixture award. ARE’s 37th annual award ceremony was held in Chicago on March 18.
“From the initial design of Michelin on Main, our goal has been to create a destination where locals and visitors alike can come and enjoy a unique retail environment in the heart of downtown Greenville,” said Jeff Jacobs, Michelin’s director of identity merchandise. “This recognition reinforces that we have created a space where consumers can interact in a new and different way with the Michelin brand.”
Michelin partnered with local architect Neal-Prince + Partners Architects to design Michelin on Main. Opto International Inc. built the display fixtures and Eventscape Inc. from Toronto contributed to the store’s visual elements. BDA is responsible for sourcing and displaying the merchandise sold at Michelin on Main and online at www.shopmichelin.com.
“Not only do we consider our design and merchandising partners the best in the business, now the retail industry has also given them the recognition they deserve,” said Jacobs.
Michelin on Main and its retail components were considered along with approximately 5,000 entries from retail environments around the world. The overall winner of Store of the Year is a Landmark grocery store in Manila, The Philippines. For more information on the Association of Retail Environments, please visit www.retailenvironments.org.
In addition, the interior of Michelin on Main was featured on the cover of Visual Merchandising and Store Design (VMSD) magazine’s April awards issue.
As the company’s only retail presence in North America, Michelin on Main features branded Michelin merchandise in a unique retail environment, located at 550 S. Main St. in Greenville, SC. The store, along with its online counterpart www.shopmichelin.com, opened its doors in October 2007.
Dedicated to the improvement of sustainable mobility, Michelin designs, manufactures and sells tires for every type of vehicle, including airplanes, automobiles, bicycles, earthmovers, farm equipment, heavy-duty trucks, motorcycles and the space shuttle. The company also publishes travel guides, hotel and restaurant guides, maps and road atlases. Headquartered in Greenville, S.C., Michelin North America (www.michelin-us.com) employs more than 22,300 and operates 19 major manufacturing plants in 17 locations.
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For more information, visit www.michelinmedia.com or contact:
Tate Hoxworth
Michelin North America
office: 1 864 458 4335
cell: 1 864 380 6986
email: tate.hoxworth@us.michelin.com