Team Henderson hosted our third annual Retail Symposium where we came together with peers, clients, and industry leaders to explore the future of retail. Thoughtful panels discussing future forward initiatives featured Aaron Birney with Gensler, Mei-Anh with JLL, Christine Monge with Amazon, Nick Caputo with MG2, Marcus Howell with BCCM Construction, Alan Cooke with Mejuri, Chris Hammer with ARIA Group, Sarah Curtis with Little Diversified, and Dennis McIntire with B&B Theaters. Together, we explored challenges in retail related to sustainability, innovation, and client experience with a goal to enhance our partnerships across the sector and firm.  As a people first firm, engaging in these conversations with our clients is a priority to ensure we have your goals top of mind in everything we do.

Sustainability: Retail and Beyond – An Enterprise Approach

In today’s retail environment we’ve seen a greater focus on sustainability for future investments. Experts Aaron Birney, global retail leader/design principal with Gensler, Mei-Anh,  VP of projects with JLL, and Christine Monge, Sr. manager with Amazon, shared how sustainability must be introduced from the beginning to be fully integrated into retail design. By infusing our designs with sustainable elements, we help clients seamlessly integrate key solutions that help them reach their goals. Sustainability is no longer an “add on” service but an expectation. Understanding consumer behaviors and how they align with client goals will help all parties focus on the long-term value of their space. Establishing early collaboration and partnership ensures alignment between teams, decision makers, and organizations. This allows the project team to seamlessly integrate sustainability throughout the design process.

Innovative Ways to Add Value and Manage Cost

Communication is key in collaboration. Nick Caputo, principal and shareholder with MG2, Marcus Howell, president of BCCM Construction, and Alan Cooke, vice president of real estate and development with Mejuri, shared how retailers are getting creative and finding innovative ways to offer additional value and manage costs throughout the life of the building. By focusing on communication, all members of the project team strengthen relationships, which leads to continuous improvement. Their insights redefined the concept of value in the industry, proving that collaboration and adaptability are essential. “We get stuck thinking a problem is a problem when in reality, it’s an opportunity,” Marcus mentioned, encouraging a shift in perspective to new techniques, resources, and tools. Whether that’s with AI tools, sustainability efforts, regional design, or brand alignment, this approach allows us to stay connected and evolve to meet the changing demands of retail.

Client Experience: When We’re Not Perfect

Project partners aren’t asking you to show up to the table perfect, they’re asking you to show up prepared. By understanding our client’s end goal we can forecast potential opportunities to solve problems before they happen. Being solution oriented means our clients can rely on us to handle how their building functions. Providing a proactive approach yeilds high trust between us and our partners. Panelists Chris Hammer, president, Sarah Curtis, partner and studio principal for service retail, and Dennis McIntire, vice president of strategic development and innovation, shared how when something goes wrong, it’s about building trust and having conversations. When we notice, or anticipate, a challenge in a project speaking up can be the difference in delivering a project on time and under budget or delayed and costly. Setting a building, or client,  up for success is being willing to identify solutions, communicate, and be a good partner.

Experts in Retail Design

As the world of retail continues to change, Team Henderson remains committed to learning, growing, and delivering sustainable, innovative solutions that achieve our clients’ goals. We appreciate all our partners who joined us for our third annual Retail Symposium and shared their expertise, insights, and experiences. We’re looking forward to continuing the conversation through future symposiums and industry discussions. To stay connected learn more about the projects Henderson is working on and sign up for our email newsletter. Whether you’re looking to elevate your storefront or implement new tools for long-term value, our retail sector experts are ready to lead the way to help your facility support your goals.