Design Company Expands to Accelerate Growth in Retail
ACS Architectural Construction Services Inc., has opened a new office in Cincinnati to support its rapid growth and leverage the area's top creative talent to meet retailers' growing demand for buzzworthy design services.
The professional services provider for retail and hospitality companies has its corporate headquarters in Newport Beach, Calif., and additional offices in Brookfield, Wis., and Atlanta. The office in Cincinnati will help support new and existing clients and provide an added resource for recruiting from nearby top design schools and universities.
Recently appointed as architectural studio director, Jennifer Nelson will lead the new office as part of the company's leadership team. She brings a diverse design background spanning more than 20 years of experience across various markets, including restaurants, retail, education and government. As a people-focused leader, Nelson is in charge of assembling a talented team of designers and managing long-term client relationships.
"Opening our fourth office in Cincinnati is an incredible milestone that is the result of our commitment to helping our clients pivot and rethink their spaces in a post-pandemic world," said David Rhodes, president for ACS Architectural Construction Services. "We're also delighted to have Jennifer join ACS and look forward to growing this office under her leadership. To make that happen, we are in full hiring mode."
ACS currently has more than 70 professionals across four offices. The firm was founded in 2001 with the concept of creating efficiencies by merging architecture and construction-related services under one roof.
Over the years, ACS has worked with some big names in the food retail sector. For example, it provided store-planning services for the remodel of 140 Target stores in 2017 and 125 Target stores in 2018 – effectively transforming all departments, including home, apparel, jewelry and accessories, beauty, toys, grocery, and adult beverage. The program also affected Super Targets, which included approximately 1,500 square feet of full-service grocery departments. Each next-generation location design incorporated the unique needs of each store and the surrounding neighborhood.
ACS also worked with Ahold Delhaize USA supermarket chains to refresh its stores. The refresh included architectural upgrades, as well as a modernized store format that reflects a more customer-centric strategy. The remodels expanded the produce sections and provided better visibility to other departments around the perimeter, including expanded prepared food and meal sections. The upgraded stores were also adapted to offer same-day online grocery pickup, enabling customers to place orders via an app and then pick them up.
Minneapolis-based Target Corp. is No. 6 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2021 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America, with nearly 1,900 locations. Ahold Delhaize USA, a division of Zaandam, Netherlands-based Ahold Delhaize, operates more than 2,000 stores across 23 states and is No. 10 on The PG 100.
