Minnesota-Based Chandler, Inc. Receives International Design Award for Sony Concept Store in LA

July 2, 2012 | St. Paul, Minn. | Employees at Minnesota-based Chandler, Inc. were immersed in all things Sony when they engineered, fabricated, and installed an initial concept store in Los Angeles for the consumer electronics products giant in just 12 weeks.

Their exceptional efforts were recognized internationally when the company received a prestigious grand prize for a Hardline Specialty Store in 2012 from the Association for Retail Environments (ARE). In addition, Chandler received a Store Fixture Award from ARE for the Sony store.

Company President John Chandler said the awards are for what is seen by customers who enter the Sony store and the design and engineering behind the scenes.

“In addition to the stores’ exceptional visual aesthetic, what makes the Sony stores so impressive is the hardware you can’t see, including a magnet system that makes the wall panels reconfigurable and movable shelves that can hold thousands of pounds,” says Chandler. “This was a highly engineered project, and it’s tremendous that ARE has noticed and applauded our employees’ efforts and talents with these two awards.”

Sony needed to design, engineer, manufacture, install, and project-manage two model stores and one final pilot store within a short timeline and selected Chandler based on its diverse portfolio of retail environments.

Sony’s architectural firm Klein Dytham provided Chandler with rough architectural dimensions and concepts, and Chandler created a complete modular fixture package of more than 65 pieces and a dozen different fixture designs. Since the first store in Los Angeles, Chandler continues to work with Sony on its new stores in California, Texas and New York.

“The Sony store design creates a warm, inviting space with a personality that is undoubtedly Sony,” said Jeremiah Albrecht, Chandler’s creative director. “The bright, open space displays products on tables instead of behind locked displays so customers can use the products. Movable colored wall panels and fixture skins help the store have flexibility and feature new layouts with ease. Vertical-tiled digital screens run next to removable large magnetic graphics to keep energy moving through the space.”

The Association for Retail Environments, a non-profit trade association advancing the retail environments industry, presented the two awards to Chandler among 65 other awards honoring retail design from 48 projects located all over the world at an event at the Encore hotel in Las Vegas in early 2012.

About Chandler

Chandler Inc., based in Afton, Minn., is a second-generation exhibit and retail design company with a strong history in the fine and applied arts as well as engineering, fabrication and installation.

Designer Harvey Chandler founded the firm in 1983, and the company remains dedicated to excellence in design, craftsmanship and client satisfaction. Harvey’s sons Curt, who studied at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, and John, a graduate of the Parsons School of Design in New York, are vice president and president, respectively. Current clients include Gander Mountain, The Home Depot, Andersen Windows and Sony.

For more information, visit http://www.chandlerinc.com.

For more info and digital pictures contact Stacy Warnke, Chandler, Inc., 651-389-5900, swarnke@chandlerinc.com.