Our Awards
Winning an award is always flattering. What Great Northern Instore is really passionate about is helping our customers win by doing what others can’t or won’t. Below are some of our most recent accomplishments that demonstrate not only award-winning design, but effective instore strategies that helped our customer win at retail.
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OMA Awards
Target Marks & Spencer Bus Display
Display of the Year, Gold - OMA Awards 2024
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The project aimed to deliver whimsical “WOW” moments at Target stores during the holiday season and create signature experiences that bring magic and joy to guests.
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The display delighted Marks and Spencer, met all Target requirements, delivered a signature experience while merchandising unique holiday product at Target.
Evan Williams World Series Jumbotron Display
Gold – OMA Awards 2020
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This display was designed to break through the clutter at grocery and liquor stores while embracing the fun essence of the brand. It garnered an impressive 40% to 50% growth over same store sales.
Athena Club Display
Silver – OMA Awards 2024
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The main objectives were to help Athena Club, a new women's shaving brand, successfully launch their first brick-and-mortar retail program with an exclusive endcap display at Target.
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The team designed an eye-catching all-corrugated prepacked display that met Target's complex merchandising guidelines, and handled the full supply chain execution to ensure a flawless rollout. The results were fantastic, with the display driving trial and brand awareness that led to future display opportunities for Athena Club at Target.
LaMarca Display
Silver – OMA Awards 2024
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The main objectives were to create an upscale, disruptive in-store destination for LaMarca's Prosecco products within the cluttered wine section at Kroger, while maximizing the product offering in a small footprint.
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The Great Northern team designed a sleek, high-gloss corrugated display with a stairstep design and interior partition system to achieve this, resulting in a +25% monthly sales lift and extended display placements. The success of this program has led LaMarca to plan for an updated version in 2024, demonstrating the impact of thoughtful, strategic in-store merchandising.
Mountain Dew Baja Blast Display
Silver – OMA Awards 2024
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The main objectives were for Mountain Dew to create an eye-catching, brand-aligned display for the 20th anniversary of their Baja Blast flavor that would command attention in convenience store environments, while being easy to execute and maintain high retail compliance.
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We delivered a unique, wave-inspired corrugated display with vibrant graphics that exceeded sales expectations by expanding the product's reach beyond its traditional food service outlets and strengthening long-term brand loyalty.
Logitech Staples Back to School Display
Silver – OMA Awards 2020
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Great Northern collaborated with Logitech to create a compelling 2023 Back to School display for Staples, overcoming budget and time constraints by pivoting from an initial permanent design to a temporary, sustainable corrugate structure.
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The display achieved significant success, including a double-digit ROI and extended in-store presence, leading to plans for a similar structure in 2024.
VMC Boxing Ring Display
Bronze - OMA Awards 2024
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For the OMA Bronze Award-winning display, we partnered with VMC Drinks to create a boxing ring-themed case stacker that highlights their Mexican heritage and partnership with boxer Santos Saúl Álvarez Barragán.
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The display featured corrugated plastic columns, heavy-duty colored ropes, and a 3D header with Álvarez's image, enhancing brand awareness among U.S. consumers, particularly the Mexican-American community. This visually striking and easy-to-assemble display successfully boosted VMC's entry into the U.S. market.
Callaway Epic Flash Floor Display
Bronze - OMA Awards 2020
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The display captured attention with its bold color palette and dramatic imagery, ensuring high visibility. Shipped preassembled, it facilitated easy execution across four retailers and various pro shops nationwide.
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Minimal verbiage emphasized the product's characteristics and imagery, making the product the hero of the display.
Davidoff AVO Unexpected Trunk Cigar Merchandiser
Gold - OMA Awards 2020
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To launch AVO Cigars' Unexpected line, Great Northern Instore designed a semi-permanent travel trunk display evoking exotic locations and a vintage aesthetic with leather-like printing, brass hinges, and a leather handle.
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The display was simple to set up, requiring only the addition of headers and cigar boxes, ensuring 100% placement and strong execution in cigar shops.
Google WiFi Costco Pallet Display
Silver - OMA Awards 2020
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The pallet display educated shoppers on product functionality with a 10” video monitor, aiding their decision-making process. It adhered to Google's brand principles with a clean, white design that stood out in a busy retail environment.
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The program exceeded performance expectations for both Google and Costco, leading to future collaborations.
Hear What Our Clients Have To Say
View Our Success StoriesWinning At Retail
At Great Northern Instore, our mission is to help our clients achieve success in the retail space by delivering exceptional merchandising solutions that captivate and engage shoppers. With over 60 years of experience, we are dedicated to exceeding our clients’ expectations and setting new standards in retail design and execution.
Our Approach
We leverage the expertise of our team of over 80 designers to create a wide range of innovative display solutions, including permanent, semi-permanent, temporary, and interactive displays. By utilizing materials such as metal, wood, corrugate, and print, we ensure that each display is tailored to meet the unique needs of our clients.
What Sets Us Apart
- Compelling Shopping Experiences: We focus on creating immersive and engaging experiences that differentiate physical stores from online shopping platforms.
- Innovative Design: Our award-winning designs combine creativity with functionality to drive brand awareness and increase sales.
- Retail Research: We stay ahead of industry trends and consumer preferences to deliver displays that resonate with target audiences.
Our Achievements
With over 100 awards since 2014, including prestigious accolades like the Design of the Times and OMA Awards, we continue to demonstrate our commitment to excellence in retail display design. For example, our Evan Williams Bourbon retail display in 2018 showcased our ability to blend permanent and temporary elements seamlessly, resulting in a highly successful campaign.
Our 2024 Display Award Winners
We have won the following retail display design awards
OMA Awards
Shop! honors and recognizes retail displays that set design precedents through its Outstanding Merchandising Achievement, or OMA Awards competition.
The OMA Awards have been a recognized symbol of in-store display excellence for over 60 years. Great Northern Instore has consistently excelled at the OMA Awards over the past decade, winning a total of 48 awards in the last 10 years. These awards include a mix of Gold, Silver, and Bronze recognitions, showcasing the commitment to innovative and effective in-store retail designs.
Great Northern Instore continues to push the boundaries of retail display excellence, delivering impactful solutions that drive sales and elevate brand awareness for customers.
Learn MoreDesign Of The Times Awards
The Design of the Times competition commemorates outstanding shopper-facing merchandising and marketing solutions. Great Northern Instore has been a consistent winner at the Design of the Times awards over the past decade, securing a total of 56 awards during this period. These awards, which include Gold recognitions, highlight the innovative and effective in-store retail designs that Great Northern Instore consistently delivers.
For 25 years, the Design of the Times awards have celebrated industry-leading digital activations and in-store commerce designs, recognizing their crucial role in successful marketing initiatives.
Great Northern Instore’s track record of excellence at the Design of the Times awards underscores their commitment to creating compelling shopping experiences that engage consumers, differentiate stores from online shopping, and drive results for their clients.
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