The Creative Retail Awards 2026 presented 25 awards at The Clapham Grand in London on Thursday 15 October, recognising projects across retail design, visual merchandising, hospitality, technology and customer experience. Fortnum & Mason received the Trailblazer of the Year award, while Dr. Martens secured Store Design of the Year and B_RD was named Design Agency of the Year.
The ceremony brought together retailers, designers, agencies and suppliers from across the industry, with winning projects spanning the UK, France, Denmark, Japan, South Korea, Singapore and South Africa. The awards comprised 21 categories and four special awards, with The Clapham Grand hosting the event for the first time.
Fortnum & Mason Named Trailblazer of the Year
Fortnum & Mason received the Trailblazer of the Year award, which has no entry process or shortlist and recognises a retailer whose influence, work and approach to physical retail has made a significant impression on the judging panel.
The judges recognised the retailer’s ability to evolve and experiment while retaining its established identity. Its Piccadilly window displays, store interiors, hospitality offer and newer retail formats were highlighted for their consistent approach to presentation, product and customer experience.
The retailer also won the Window Display category for A Perfect Spring Day and Sustainable Display for Resourceful Nature. Its Enchanted Christmas installation received a Highly Commended award in Festive Display.
Dr. Martens Wins Two Awards
Dr. Martens secured Store Design of the Year for its Soho Beacon Store on Brewer Street, developed in collaboration with Hotel Creative. The two-floor location is the brand’s first Beacon store.
The project was selected ahead of a shortlist that included Holland & Barrett‘s Experience Store in Cardiff, Neal’s Yard Remedies‘ Covent Garden flagship with Etch, and Portugal Jewels‘ Rua Áurea 157 store in Lisbon. Nespresso‘s Covent Garden flagship received a Highly Commended award.
The stores had previously featured in the Creative Retail Awards 2026 shortlist, which included international projects across store design, hospitality, visual merchandising and sustainability.
Dr. Martens also won the SDD Spotlight Award for The Art of Comfort Experience at The Outernet in London.
Delivered in partnership with Shop Drop Daily, the award was the only category decided entirely by public vote. The 2026 public-vote shortlist, curated by Shop Drop Daily’s Tim Nash, featured ten UK projects covered by the platform during the previous year, with a record number of votes cast across the two voting portals.
Nine of the ten shortlisted projects were temporary installations, reflecting the prominence of short-term brand environments within this year’s public-vote category.
B_RD Named Design Agency of the Year
B_RD received Design Agency of the Year, with judges recognising its integrated approach across strategy, design, production, logistics and installation.
The agency’s work covers window displays, in-store activations, pop-ups, experiential campaigns and events, with projects designed around individual briefs rather than a fixed visual style. Its use of repurposed materials in completed installations was also recognised.
B_RD additionally won Leisure, Visitor or Exhibition Attraction for Pandora at The Garden Museum during London Fashion Week. The agency was Highly Commended in Window Display for its Hackett Regent Street scheme.
Etch received a Highly Commended award in Design Agency of the Year for the consistency of its work across retail design, window displays, activations and visual merchandising.
Coach, Holland & Barrett and IKEA Among Other Winners
Coach won two categories, receiving Hospitality for The Coach Restaurant at Jewel Changi Airport in Singapore and Retail Experience for Coach Play Osaka. The brand also secured four Highly Commended awards.
Holland & Barrett’s Experience Store in Cardiff, created with SYN, received the Judges’ Choice Award. St. Pancras International won Creative Collaboration for London St. Pancras Highspeed – Powered by Dreams.
Brunello Cucinelli x Harrods, working with Pardgroup, won Festive Display, while IKEA Oxford Street’s LED window façade and Immersive Live Studio, developed with d&b solutions, received Retail Technology Innovation.
Independent Judging and a New London Venue
The winning entries were selected by an independent industry judging panel, which met in London to assess the submissions.
“What stands out about this year’s winners is the range. A retailer with more than 300 years behind it, a boot brand’s flagship in Soho, an agency that builds what it designs, and winning work from Seoul to Singapore. The common thread is a clear idea that someone has seen through properly. Fortnum & Mason is exactly what the Trailblazer award is for. They could live off their history, instead they keep changing, and they keep doing it well.”
Antony Behiels Co-Organiser of the Creative Retail Awards and Director of the Shop & Display Equipment Association
The Clapham Grand became the new home of the Creative Retail Awards for 2026. Originally opened in 1900 as the New Grand Theatre of Varieties, the venue has operated as a variety theatre, cinema, bingo hall, nightclub and live music venue during its history.
Charlie Chaplin, Oasis and Muse are among the performers associated with the building, which retains architectural features including balconies, royal boxes and ornate plasterwork.
“The venue had to live up to the work. Most awards nights happen in hotel ballrooms, and nobody remembers the room afterwards. A building with 125 years of reinvention in it felt right for a programme that celebrates what people do with physical space, and we’re delighted to have made The Clapham Grand the new home of the Creative Retail Awards. Congratulations to every winner and everyone Highly Commended, and thank you to our judges, our partners and everyone who joined us.”
Antony Behiels Co-Organiser of the Creative Retail Awards and Director of the Shop & Display Equipment Association
The ceremony was hosted by Aidan Sadler, with live music, a DJ and a balloon drop forming part of the evening’s entertainment following the awards presentation.
Terry Clark is the Publisher and Content Director of 365 Retail, with more than a decade of experience covering retail design, technology innovations, store openings and the wider retail industry. He also works closely with leading retailers, suppliers, agencies, events and industry awards across the UK.
