Best Single-Store Interior Design Winner: Gas Land Sunoco

Best Interior Design (Single Store)*
Winner: Gas Land Sunoco, Lagrange, N.Y.
Designer: Nesheiwat Builders Inc.

With the help of sister company Nesheiwat Builders, Gas Land Petroleum Inc. embarked on a remodel and rebrand of three of its underperforming stores. Among them was the Lagrange location, which celebrated its 10th anniversary this year.

After spending time visualizing how the size and placement of fixtures, building materials and lighting would affect initial impressions and traffic flow, and after analyzing foot traffic in each of the existing facilities, Gas Land settled on a goal to make the shopping experience more experiential rather than simply a chore.

It is with this goal in mind that Gas Land and Nesheiwat Builders created a theme dedicated entirely to the local high school sports team, Arlington High School. By getting the high school involved, Gas Land made the community feel more welcomed, thus generating an additional 20 percent foot traffic into the store, designer Nesheiwat Builders reported.

While rebranding presented challenges, Gas Land was also challenged with completing the renovations while maintaining the operation of each of the facilities. To help stay on track, the company took a number of measures, such as keeping communication open with its contractors, adhering to a schedule, and ensuring work zone and customer areas were separate and distinct.

*Awards were presented separately to chains and single stores.