GVS 2025: The Strategic Future of Retail Design

Our Co-Founder Simon Mitchell delivered two thought-leading sessions on the Strategic Future of Retail Design to retail executives and professionals from across the MENA region.
Invited by the Gregory Vogt School for Retail Professionals and the Middle East Council of Shopping Centres & Retailers (MECSR), Simon explored the pivotal role strategic design innovation holds when building future-ready, experience-led environments.
Throughout both sessions Simon shared how crafting brand legacy through design, embedding sustainability in innovative ways, and leveraging tech-enhanced sensory design and storytelling can shift the focus from Return on Investment to Return on Experience.

Key takeaways:
• To future-proof retail, we must respectfully look back to the future
• The smallest details matter as much as the grandest gestures
• Sustainability and digital integration are no longer optional – they are foundational