Leon Turney: Ten years at Displayplan

Digital and Development Director Leon Turney celebrates 10 years with Displayplan in 2021.

Leon is a retail expert and his drive to introduce blended digital into display to create unique solutions for our clients has been instrumental in some of our key client wins.

To mark his special milestone, we caught up with Leon to get the low down on what’s keeping him busy right now and the key aspects of his role at Displayplan that have fed his enthusiasm for so long.

We also asked Leon for his thoughts on some of the major structural changes we’ve witnessed in retail over the last 10 years, and for his predictions on where the sector might be headed.

Read on!

This year marks your 10^th year at Displayplan. Tell us about your time in the business!

I can’t believe it’s been 10 years since I started at Displayplan! What a ride! I joined the business as our Technical Design Manager, growing to Director level and am now heading up the growth of our digital division.

Where have you made the most impact so far?

Well, first I should say we’ve got an incredible team at Displayplan. The projects we create and deliver for our customers are always growing in both complexity and impact!

I feel my most important contribution is around retail innovation, leading our drive into digitally led experiences, and combining physical display with digital technologies to help our clients create new in-store brand experiences.

Has any single event or turning point in these 10 years led to a new direction for you at Displayplan?

Since the mass adoption of online shopping, retailers have seen footfall shift away from the high street. The pandemic accelerated that trend, with some high-profile casualties. Yet I still believe the last 5-6 years has seen the blossoming of a new age of retail in the shape of ‘experiential retail’ where digital forms the centre piece.

Ultimately, it’s been this shift in the global retail environment (plus the fact that I can’t sit still!) that’s driven the evolution of my role at Displayplan.

I recognised early on that putting technology into retail display creates value for both the shopper and the brand/retailer. It’s about understanding that content needs purpose to engage modern consumers, and recognising that digital is here to stay, but requires intelligence in-store to make it worthwhile.

Today we are applying this methodology to create award-winning retail experiences. It gives me immense pleasure to know I’m genuinely helping to shape the future of retail.

What does the future hold for Displayplan?

I think over the next 5 years the world of retail will continue to change at pace. The prevailing trends of today such as experience, community and sustainability are all here to stay, and we’re certain that a combination of all three will re-energise retail for the longer term.

As an industry, I think we are only at the incubation stage of what’s possible when it comes to creating meaningful retail experiences!

It’s an exciting journey.

Thanks for catching up with Leon. For more retail display insights, feel free to follow him on LinkedIn here.

If you’d also like to work with Leon and the rest of our team on an upcoming project then feel free to get in contact with us.