(2004 Chain Store Age Retail Store of the Year — FIRST PLACE and 2004 ISP/VM+SD International Store Design Competition — AWARD OF MERIT)

Almacenes Paris, one of South America's oldest and largest retailers, retained RYA to update the environment of their new stores to further solidify and attract the emerging younger customer in Latin America. In Santiago, Chile, the first project opened in the form of a new 65,000 sf store in the Huechuraba district. This full-line department store inaugurated three new RYA-developed private label shop designs, which will be incorporated into all existing stores throughout Chile, exploring new merchandise presentation methods hertofore untried in this part of the world.

The second project, La Florida — also in Santiago — opened in the summer of 2004 and is a total reinvention of the Almacenes Paris selling environment. This family-owned management team gave RYA the assignment to create a 150,000 sf store that would be truly original in every way, from merchandising techniques to interior architecture and lighting, and innovative uses of color and materials. With its edgy, bold, strong point-of-view, its environment communicates the modern, trend-savvy look and feel that will now be consistent with Almacenes Paris' focused merchandise offer.