From VW’s Hotel Fox and Peroni Beer's pop-up store to color-coded supermarket cold rooms, Kate Ancketill presented some of the most innovative retail case studies from around the world at this NADI-sponsored GlobalShop 2006 session. Themes included balanced commerce, the cult of culture, and the move toward more emotionally engaging in-store experiences. The presentation spanned many retail sectors, from food through high tech to fashion. The latest service innovation, choice navigation, technology, and packaging was featured in case studies drawn from GDR’s global network of leading designers and architects.

Kate Ancketill, Managing Director, GDR Creative Intelligence Ltd.

Kate Ancketill’s background includes studying politics as a post-grad in London, where she worked for Amnesty International for seven years in research and policy writing. The need for ‘independence and impartiality’ came in handy when a career change led to GDR Creative Intelligence Ltd. The London-based firm, which stands for Global Design Resources, was established in 1992 to provide a confidential window-shopping service for clients needing to source design agencies. Hired as an assistant, Ancketill became a partner after two years and bought the company after four. She then reoriented GDR toward research into design trends and publication of quarterly Global Innovation Reports. GDR’s unique relationship with the creative industries allows it to be a conduit between designers and clients, effectively cherry picking the best new concepts. Ancketill continues to select design agencies for clients, most of whom now subscribe to GDR’s Global Innovation Reports.

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