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Ex-Best Buy heavyweight joins retail agency Outform as VP for strategy and design

Global retail and innovation agency Outform is boosting its senior leadership team with the appointment of ex-Best Buy heavyweight Chris Brandewie, as vice president of strategy and design.

Based in Outform’s Miami office, Brandewie’s remit covers the agency’s global output, working closely with the agency’s key clients and guiding them through transformative projects, with a heavy focus on interactive shopper design. He will report directly to Outform CEO Ariel Haroush.

Brandewie is an industry veteran with a career spanning 25 years. Most recently, he was head of store design for US retail giant Best Buy, where he was responsible for the concept creation for 1,400 stores. His client-side experience also includes a stint at US wholesale staple SuperValu, as director of store and planning.

Brandewie has held senior positions with established design firms such as Chute Gerdeman and WD Partners; as well as running his own consultancy, AstroMan Studio. He has partnered with world renowned brands such as Sony, Samsung, Microsoft and more to create in-store vendor experiences.

Along with this work, he has held adjunct professor positions at The Ohio State University and The University of Minnesota. Brandewie was also a faculty member of the Path to Purchase Institute.

Haroush said: “I have known Chris for many years and have had the pleasure of working with him before - most recently during his time at Best Buy as head of store design.Many people in our industry consider Chris to be one of the most influential characters in retail design and innovation, especially when it comes to consumer electronics. I am excited to work with him at Outform, where I am sure we will be able to leverage Chris’ talent to benefit our customers.”

Brandewie added: “After spending significant time on the retailer side, a move to Outform feels natural - our values on daring to innovate and championing forward-thinking solutions chime, and I’m looking forward to bringing my creativity and knowledge of the industry to a broad range of retailers.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Alex Sampson .