The Creative Retail Awards has unveiled its 2026 Shortlist Guide, highlighting some of the most innovative retail design projects from around the world
Selected from more than 500 entries, this year’s shortlist covers 20 categories and five continents, featuring flagship stores, pop-ups, festive windows, hospitality spaces, supermarkets and in-store visual merchandising.
The awards ceremony will take place on Thursday 15th October at The Clapham Grand in London, which becomes the new home for the event.
A global showcase of retail creativity
The shortlisted projects span the globe, from Tokyo and Seoul to New York, Riyadh and Sydney.
Among the international entries are Coach’s Winter Forest at Lotte East Busan Outlet in South Korea and its Tabby Shop pop-up in Sydney; the Armani x Kith pop-up at Topping Rose House in New York; Bulgari’s Diva’s Dream pop-up in Riyadh; RH Paris on the Champs-Élysées; and Twelve at House of Shinsegae Cheongdam in Seoul.
Closer to home, British retailers feature strongly. Fortnum & Mason has been shortlisted for its Enchanted Christmas display, as well as A Perfect Spring Day and Fresh Tea Infusion window schemes. Harrods appears twice, for its fifth-floor Shoe Heaven scheme with Christian Louboutin and Brunello Cucinelli’s Christmas takeover.
Selfridges is also shortlisted for its Beauty Hall and Disney Christmas Windows, while IKEA’s Oxford Street store features for its LED window façade and immersive live studio.
The focus on seasonal windows, storytelling and immersive experiences will be particularly relevant to greetings retailers, where Christmas and other seasonal occasions remain important opportunities to create theatre and encourage customers into stores.
Physical retail is in a far better creative state than the headlines suggest, and this Guide is the proof.
Antony Behiels, SDEA Director and co-organiser of the Awards
Creativity across the retail landscape
The shortlist demonstrates the breadth of ways retailers are using design to engage shoppers.
Projects include The Design Museum’s Wes Anderson exhibition, Pets at Home’s Vets for Pets rollout, B&Q’s Wandsworth mural with artist Dominika Karc, and collaborations involving BOSS x Beckham and New Era’s MLB Subway Series.
Other shortlisted projects include Guinness Open Gate Brewery in Covent Garden, Whole Foods Market on the King’s Road, Waitrose Newbury, Dr. Martens’ Soho Beacon Store, Porsche Now Liverpool and Neal’s Yard’s Covent Garden flagship.
Sustainability is also a strong theme, with Fortnum & Mason’s Resourceful Nature, Sainsbury’s Ecoform, Diesel’s Denim Salling and Illium store, and Woolworths South Africa’s sustainable Christmas tree all making the shortlist.
For greetings and gift retailers, the emphasis on sustainability, collaboration and memorable visual presentation reflects wider trends in how physical stores can differentiate themselves from online shopping.
New venue for 2026
This year’s ceremony will move to The Clapham Grand, a Victorian theatre in south London.
Antony Behiels, SDEA Director and co-organiser of the Awards, said the international nature of this year’s shortlist demonstrates the strength of creativity within physical retail.
“The shortlist speaks for itself,” he said. “What strikes me most is how much of this work would have been unimaginable five years ago, and how much of it comes from outside the UK.
Entries were assessed by an independent judging panel representing different areas of the retail industry. Judges initially reviewed submissions individually before meeting in person for a full day to determine the final results category by category.
Public vote opens
The Shop Drop Daily Spotlight Award is being decided entirely by public vote, with voting open until Friday 4th September. The winner will be announced live at the ceremony.
The Creative Retail Awards 2026 Shortlist Guide and tickets for the ceremony are available at www.creativeretailawards.com and takes place on Thursday 15th October at The Clapham Grand, London.
