ChangeUp acquires Interbrand's retail design practice

1/22/2019
Interbrand Retail, the Cincinnati based retail design and architectural practice, has a new owner.

ChangeUp Inc., the Dayton, Ohio based retail design consultancy has acquired Interbrand Retail from Interbrand, which is part of Omnicom Group. As of January 1st, 2019, the talent and assets of both companies are combined and operating under the ChangeUp banner.

Lee Carpenter, former North American CEO of Interbrand, founded ChangeUp in 2014. Based in Dayton, the company has offices in Irvine, California and Detroit. Clients include Cadillac, Mazda, Crayola, Dawn Foods, and Discount Tire. Carpenter will be CEO of the new combined organization. Lynn Gonsior will serve as its COO.

Interbrand Retail, and its affiliate Design Forum Architects, was initially acquired by Interbrand from Carpenter in 2002 (then known as Design Forum). Its clients include Best Buy, T-Mobile, Stop & Shop, Buffalo Wild Wings, and Macy’s. Current client strategy, creative, and architectural services teams will remain unchanged in the new organization.

“We know the skills and talents of Interbrand Retail very well and expect a seamless integration with ChangeUp as we share the same passion and vision for an exciting new era of retail,” said Carpenter. “The leaders on both of our teams know and respect each other and are looking forward to creating the best retail design consultancy for our current and future clients.”

The new combined agency will build upon the strong foundation of strategy-led retail experience innovation and brand-building, which are both organizations’ core strengths.

“ChangeUp’s acquisition of Interbrand Retail promises to be a benefit for both our people and our clients” said Gonsior. “We will invest in the resources we need to be informed and inspired, stay ahead of the technology curve, and be able to move more swiftly to meet our clients’ increasing demands for business-building creativity.”
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