Harvey Nichols and Selfridges win at IGDS awards

British department stores Harvey Nichols and Selfridges both took home accolades at the annual Intercontinental Group of Department Stores awards, which took place in Zurich on May 26.

Harvey Nichols won the World’s Best Store Window Campaign at a Department Store for its Christmas ‘Avoid Gift Face’ campaign, which showcased oversized faces crafted from 15,000 gift boxes. Each window featured a distinct face, from a playful, bow haired girl, to a disco diva featuring LED hair with the windows featured 301,500 sequins, 620 mirror balls and 540 baubles to capture the Christmas message.

Commenting on the win, Harvey Nichols chief executive Stacey Cartwright said: “It is a great testament to our brand that the visual displays have resonated not only with the leading experts in this field but with the public too. I am extremely proud of the creative team behind our iconic window displays.

“Our in-house team, headed up by our head of display, Janet Wardley, all work so tirelessly to create innovate displays that have clearly captured the imagination of so many admirers around the world. This is a fantastic achievement and I’m tremendously proud of the team.”

UK department stores win at annual Intercontinental Group of Department Stores awards

The British department store was up against finalists Myer from Australia and Italian retailer La Rinascente, which scooped the prestigious The Best Department Store in the World 2016, ahead of the UK’s Selfridges and Ireland’s Brown Thomas. The accolade "recognises an exceptional world player that displays innovation and outstanding performances in all retail segments to all stakeholders”.

Selfridges might not have taken the main award but it was recognised for its sustainability, with the Intercontinental Group of Department Stores first World's Best Sustainability/CSR Campaign by a Department Store, for its ‘Buying Better, Inspiring Change’ campaign. The other finalists were Paris Department Store in Chile and Al Tayer, UAE.

The Intercontinental Group of Department Stores is the largest worldwide association of department stores and has 40 members from 36 countries on five continents. The winners of its annual awards were chosen by over 7,000 executives from the department store and retail industry.

Image: Courtesy of Harvey Nichols