Posted in Company News
As the retail landscape continues to change rapidly with eCommerce continually growing and brick and mortar stores declining, InStore Design Display has been changing with the times. This doesn’t mean brick and mortar stores are going away, just their purpose is changing. Here are a few fun facts about InStore Design Display and all its glory.
Want to hear the story explained by one of our experts? We'd love to chat!
When did InStore Design Display originate?
InStore Design Display, formerly known as National Equipment Company (NEC), was born in the early 1900’s. Originally a store fixture company where store merchandisers could browse a catalog or visit a showroom and decide what retail displays (such as racks, hangars, mannequins and product) they needed has evolved into a company that help clients create memorable brand experiences.
After 101 years of serving customers across the United States as NEC, in 1997 a group of employees decided to purchase the assets of what we now call InStore Design Display. IDD’s showroom and employee offices were originally located at Interstate-35 and 75th Street in Overland Park, Kansas. Once purchased, the group decided to move the business to the Missouri side of Kansas City off Interstate-70 and Truman road to a larger facility that could house the 1000s of retail fixtures and displays ready to ship same-day.
In 2011, InStore Design Display was born!
When did IDD start manufacturing Acrylic?
In 2004, a new division of IDD was born - Clear Impact Acrylics. Originally with just a single acrylic CNC machine, IDD now had the opportunity to fabricate custom acrylic displays. The small plastics plant was located in a separate warehouse of the Truman Rd location. In 2006, as demand grew, the space had to grow too.
That’s when IDD began to lease their 4-story St. John Ave historic building in NE Kansas City. The St. John Ave location provided Clear Impact Acrylics with the space to not only grow their manufacturing capacity with 3 more CNC machines, but provided space to dedicate an entire floor to fulfillment and a third to warehouse more inventory.
So IDD hasn't always done custom projects?
Yes and no. InStore Design Display has assisted customers create custom retail enviroments with stock fixtures, but never had the means to manufacture or produce brand-specific POP displays.
Clear Impact Acrylics wasn’t the only branch to grow from InStore Design Display. As IDD continued to grow their sourcing and fabrication capabilities, a new division was born - InStore Innovation Group.
Founded in 2011, the small team of 4 was recruited from a local Kansas City design firm. Housed in the same location, this lean custom retail display team had one main focus, and that was to help brands tell their story in retail environments with the use of custom-produced POP, temporary, and permanent displays. Instead of working with retailers on creating entire retail environments and displays, this group tended to deal with enterprise accounts looking to display their branded merchandise in quantity across the country.
What was the purpose for the recent brand refresh?
In 2016, a local Kansas City banking executive Randy Edge completed the acquisitions of all three divisions of InStore Design Display. Three companies who together had a strong track record of supporting global brands such as, Bayer, Sprint, Kate Spade, Walgreen's, Coach and Hallmark. In hopes to better serve these brands and retailers, IDD decided to pull all three divisions into one.
After the consolidation, in 2018, Randy decided to consolidate IDD’s manufacturing plant, custom display division, and headquarters down to one large 80,000 sq foot facility located in North Kansas City, Missouri. The 1810 Broadway Boulevard design studio, leased in 2012, remained in downtown KC’s popular Crossroads District in order to showcase project examples and to remain conveniently in the heart of Kansas City.
In August of 2019, the company debuted a new brand, new website, and a united world-class team dedicated to the success of their customers' success. Not only do they remain a leader in their established markets, but IDD is continuing to branch out in new and emerging markets as the retail landscape continues to evolve.
Reach out to us! We'd love the chance to make you a part of the InStore Design Display story.
InStore Design Display is a design + build firm that partners with brands and retailers to create memorable customer experiences through custom retail displays and environments. Our award winning displays offer outside-the-box creative designs while maintaining desired functionality and staying on budget.