Designing the retail experience

Retail design has evolved far beyond simply creating spaces for shopping. It is the art of setting a stage where guests can experience the brand they have read about, heard about from close friends, and seen on tv, social media, the internet. A brand is one of the retailer’s most important assets. Whether it’s for one site or one hundred, it is the physical manifestation of the owner’s vision, where every component sends a clear and consistent message.

Retail experiences bring your brand to life in ways that can never happen online. They immerse your customers in real spaces that create memorable, sensory experiences and weave the customer’s aspirations with your brand’s values and promise.

We diligently research location, materials, and consumer trends to inspire ideas that are distilled, then blended to create compelling designs, always in collaboration with client, architect, designers, engineers, and project managers. Above all, we respect our clients; their experience, their business acumen, and their concerns around budget and scheduling.

Our work crosses into every retail market segment—banking, specialty retail, grocery, auto dealers, service station, rental car, discount, apparel, department store, restaurant, and airport retail. And we have specialists within each retail type who know the business inside and out.

Successful prototype design, retail development, and roll-out programs maintain the integrity of the brand across multiple locations through the universal application of standards, design concepts, and deliverables, no matter where a project is located. Our solid relationships with local jurisdictions through our network of 400 offices and our streamlined design and delivery processes facilitate speed to market. This means a stronger competitive advantage for our clients.

Designing experiences

From auto retail and financial services to restaurants, wellness, and grocery, our Retail team members are your brand champions. They dedicate themselves to your story and customers, and they collaborate with landlords, developers, jurisdictions, and other partners to deliver singular experiences. Scaling from flagship stores and world-wide programs to single store fronts or concessions, our extended team can offer specialized services for your local needs. Read More

Specialty retail look book

Our Specialty Retail portfolio represents a wide range of services, from designing concepts and prototypes to applying brand standards across a client’s retail program. We translate the premise of a brand into compelling experiences that engage the customer and convey the brand’s promise. Read More
Designing retail spaces that bring brands to life
# 1
Most Sustainable A/E/C Firm in North America
150+
Projects
#5
Top 120 Retail Sector Architecture and AE Firms

Corporate Knights ranked Stantec the most sustainable corporation among its industry peers in 2022.
We completed retail projects in over 150 communities in 2021.
We were ranked as a top performer for All Retail Buildings by Building Design + Construction in 2021.

Services


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Architecture We create spaces that are engaging and uplifting, that contribute to our collective sense of health and well-being, and encourage the sustainable stewardship of our communities.
Visioning. Brands. Experiences. We create tangible, experiential, and memorable places. Transformative experiences that enhance real estate values and bring people back to a place again and again.
Structural Engineering We deliver reliable, solid, and beautiful structures that withstand the test of time.
Interior Design As humans, we spend a significant portion of our daily lives inside. We believe our emotional and physical well-being is dramatically impacted by the places where we live, work, and play.
Mechanical Engineering Our ultimate goal is to preserve the planet, one building at a time, through energy efficient designs that use less and do more for our clients.
Electrical Engineering We work with you to create intelligent facilities that improve your bottom line. Our electrical engineering designs keep safety, energy efficiency and dependability top of mind.
Surveying & Mapping Using tools like GPS, GIS, 3D laser scanners, and aerial photogrammetry we provide surveying and mapping to define land boundaries, earth’s physical features, and the built environment.
Urban Planning & Design Our plans help harness the forces reshaping North American communities. We create places that are authentic, green, walkable, connected and diverse.  
Landscape Architecture Whether it's an urban park, a restored wetland, an athletic complex, or a waterfront destination--through analysis, planning, and design, we create inspired landscapes that reflect context and user needs.
Lighting Design We're illuminating the promise of place by creating visually dynamic lighting environments that enhance forms, colors, and textures to reveal architecture’s beauty.
Sustainability & Building Performance We blend art and science to help clients realize the full potential of their projects in terms of life cycle cost, energy efficiency, carbon reduction, human health, and wellness.
Digital Practice Technology is reshaping the way we approach design. Our digital practice team helps us push the boundaries of practice, leveraging the power of technology to deliver transformational results for our clients.

We’re better together

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    Partner with us today to change how tomorrow looks. You’re exactly what’s needed to help us make it happen in your community.

  • Design your career

    Work with passionate people who are experts in their field. Our teams love what they do and are driven by how their work makes an impact on the communities they serve.