Retail Built to Scale
Retail & Brand Experience Leader
Retail Strategy | Visual Merchandising | Displays | Packaging | Experiential Design | Creative Leadership
I translate brand strategy, customer needs and business priorities into physical experiences that connect people with products and brands.
My work spans retail environments, visual merchandising, fixtures, displays, packaging, experiential activations and branded spaces. I lead the complete journey from strategy and creative direction through design, engineering, production and in-market execution.
With an Industrial Design foundation and more than 20 years working across retail, consumer products, technology, beauty, lifestyle, food & beverage and entertainment, I bring together the disciplines required to turn ambitious ideas into scalable experiences that perform in the real world.
20+
Years Retail Leadership
100+
Global CONSUMER Brands
100+
COMPLEX Enterprise Programs
6
Retail Channels
Chuck Godfrey
PHYSICAL BRAND EXPERIENCE
More Than a Fixture. More Than Packaging. More Than an Environment.
A customer rarely experiences a brand through a single touchpoint.
They encounter packaging. Product presentation. Fixtures. Graphics. Signage. Digital content. Associates. Environments. Events. Displays. Product education.
The opportunity is to make those interactions feel like one brand experience.
I work across those connections, translating strategy into cohesive physical systems that strengthen brand expression, improve product discovery and give internal teams, vendors and retail partners a clear framework for execution.
HOW I LEAD
Build the Experience
Translate brand strategy, product stories and customer needs into compelling physical experiences across retail environments, visual merchandising, packaging, fixtures and activations.
Build the System
Create scalable visual standards, merchandising frameworks, design systems and production tools that allow great ideas to remain consistent across channels, locations and touchpoints.
Improve the Organization
Build stronger teams, processes and cross-functional relationships that increase creative capacity, accelerate development and improve execution quality.
Deliver the Work
Connect creative direction with engineering, sourcing, fabrication, manufacturing, vendors and retail operations to move concepts successfully from strategy into the physical world.
LEADERSHIP IMPACT
Creative Leadership With Business Results
100+ Global Brands
Retail, merchandising, packaging and physical brand experience programs across technology, beauty, consumer products, sporting goods, food & beverage, entertainment and lifestyle.
500% Greater Creative Capacity
Expanded organizational creative output through scalable systems, standards, workflows and team development.
37% Faster Development
Reduced design-to-production timelines through better planning, cross-functional collaboration and production processes.
5X Business Growth Supported
Helped scale an organization from approximately $5M to $25M while expanding its creative, retail and production capabilities.
Strategy Through Execution
Reduction in design-to-production timelines through improved planning, collaboration and workflow optimization.
SELECTED CASE STUDIES
Strategy Made Physical
INSIGHT
Understand the customer, retail environment, business objective and operational constraints.
STRATEGY
Define the experience objective, merchandising priorities, customer journey and measures of success.
SYSTEM
Translate the strategy into repeatable visual standards, fixtures, displays, graphics, communications and implementation tools.
ALIGNMENT
Connect marketing, creative, operations, engineering, sourcing, manufacturing, agencies, vendors and retail partners around one execution plan.
EXECUTION
Move the program through development, prototyping, approvals, production, rollout and field implementation.
MEASUREMENT
Evaluate execution, customer response, operational performance and business results to improve the next iteration.
Case Study
Selected Case Studies
Dermalogica
Burt’s Bees
Elmhurst
Microsoft Xbox
Sony Pictures Animation
M•A•C Cosmetics
MTN DEW Kickstart
URBAN ARMOR GEAR
BUSINESS CHALLENGE
UAG products combine device compatibility, protection levels, product features and distinctive industrial styling. In a busy consumer electronics environment, customers needed to understand those differences quickly while navigating multiple products and device platforms.
The business challenge was therefore larger than designing an attention-getting fixture. The merchandising needed to organize a complex accessory assortment while maintaining a strong UAG brand presence and supporting practical retail requirements such as product access, replenishment, graphics updates and ongoing assortment changes.
Building a Scalable Consumer Electronics Merchandising System
STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE
Create a flexible retail merchandising architecture that could translate UAG's product and brand strategy into a clear physical shopping experience.
The system needed to establish hierarchy, simplify product selection and create enough visual consistency that individual displays, hanging accessories, graphics and packaging would feel like parts of one retail program rather than unrelated executions.
MERCHANDISING SYSTEM
The program connected several customer-facing components:
Permanent two-sided floor fixtures provided the primary branded destination. Slatwall and hook merchandising extended the product system into existing retail architecture. Packaging carried product identification and benefit communication directly to the SKU level. Branded graphics reinforced UAG's visual language while product education helped explain differences within the assortment.
Together, these elements created a merchandising system rather than a single fixture.
CROSS-FUNCTIONAL LEADERSHIP
I connected creative development with the engineering and production requirements necessary to move the program into retail.
That meant balancing brand expression, product organization, ergonomics, structural design, graphics, manufacturing requirements and customer approvals while collaborating with the client, engineering resources and production partners.
The objective throughout development was to solve creative and production questions together rather than handing an unresolved concept downstream.
EXECUTION & SCALE
The program moved from concept and visualization through structural development, engineering, graphics, production documentation and manufacturing.
Detailed design and assembly drawings defined construction, component relationships and assembly requirements. Production documentation helped translate the approved design into repeatable fabrication while the broader system supported related executions including packaging, display graphics and branded hooks.
The permanent display was ultimately developed for electronics retail environments in the US and Thailand.
CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE
The experience was designed around a simple sequence:
See > Orient > Understand > Compare > Select
The customer first recognizes UAG from a distance. At the fixture, products are organized so the shopper can quickly determine what is relevant to their device. Graphics and packaging then communicate protection, features and product differentiation before the customer makes a selection.
The objective was not to overwhelm the shopper with information. It was to structure the information so the right details appeared at the right point in the decision.
PROGRAM IMPACT
Created an integrated merchandising architecture that connected permanent fixtures, accessory merchandising, graphics, packaging and product education within one recognizable retail system.
The program demonstrated how a complex technology accessory portfolio could be translated into a repeatable customer-facing experience while maintaining brand consistency and production discipline across multiple retail executions.
INTRODUCTION
Urban Armor Gear required more than an individual display. The opportunity was to create an integrated merchandising system that organized a growing accessory portfolio, communicated product benefits and created a consistent brand experience across retail environments.
Case Study
BURT’S BEES
TURNING BRAND STRATEGY INTO A REPEATABLE RETAIL SYSTEM
Visual Standards & Scalable Merchandising
INTRODUCTION
The Burt's Bees program was developed as a coordinated family of merchandising solutions rather than a collection of unrelated displays. The objective was to create a recognizable brand experience that could flex across retail environments while maintaining consistency in product presentation, communication and execution.
I developed the merchandising system alongside standards that helped define how the brand translated into the retail environment, creating a repeatable foundation for future execution.
MERCHANDISING ARCHITECTURE & GOVERNANCE
3 of 6
Case Study
ELMHURST
ONE BRAND. MULTIPLE RETAIL TOUCHPOINTS. ONE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE.
Packaging > Shelf > Display > Club > E-Commerce > Retail Environment
INTRODUCTION
Elmhurst required a merchandising approach that could work across very different customer touchpoints rather than a single retail execution. The opportunity was to create consistency across packaging, shelf merchandising, club retail, pallet programs, e-commerce and broader retail environments.
I developed the program as an interconnected merchandising ecosystem, creating a consistent brand and customer experience while adapting the execution to the requirements of each channel.
STRATEGIC PRINCIPLE
Maintain a consistent customer and brand experience while adapting execution to the physical, operational and commercial requirements of each retail channel.
5 of 6
Case Study
DERMALOGICA
DESIGNING RETAIL AROUND EDUCATION AND PRODUCT DISCOVERY
Customer Need > Associate Behavior > Product Interaction > Experience > Fixture Solution
INTRODUCTION
Dermalogica presented an opportunity to make product education part of the physical retail experience. The merchandising environment needed to support product discovery while also enabling Skin Specialists to demonstrate products, interact with customers and reinforce the expertise behind the brand.
I developed retail merchandising systems and experiential fixtures that combined product presentation, education and interaction within a cohesive branded experience.
CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE
6 of 6
Case Study
M•A•C Cosmetics
PREMIUM PERMANENT RETAIL EXPERIENCE
Long-Term Brand Standards in Permanent Retail
INTRODUCTION
Permanent retail environments have a different responsibility than short-term promotional displays. They have to maintain brand relevance, withstand continuous customer interaction and create a consistent premium experience over time.
For M•A•C Cosmetics, I developed permanent merchandising solutions that balanced strong brand expression with product presentation, customer interaction, durability and production requirements.
BRANDING THAT ENDURES
Secondary Projects
ADDITIONAL RETAIL
EXPERIENCE
Microsoft XBOX - E3
Major Product Launch / Experiential Marketing
Integrated licensed retail merchandising, branded environments and consumer engagement.
Immersive brand environment, product marketing and executive hospitality.
PepsiCo - MTN DEW KICKSTART
Promotional Activation
High-impact promotional merchandising and shopper engagement.
Sony Pictures Animation - The Emoji Movie
Integrated Campaign
Permanent product merchandising and brand presentation.
Columbia Sportswear
Product Presentation & Retail Brand Expression
Featured Programs
Mattel
Focus
Developed a broad range of retail fixtures and shopper marketing solutions for Mattel that strengthened product visibility, improved in-store presentation and supported multiple product categories. Programs included branded displays, merchandising systems and retail graphics designed to enhance shopper engagement and retail execution.
Retail fixtures
Production
Brand consistency
Store execution
National retail
Business Impact
Strengthened retail execution across multiple Mattel product categories through scalable fixture and shopper marketing programs that increased product visibility, supported national launches, improved merchandising consistency and enhanced production readiness.
Project Leadership
Led multiple Mattel retail merchandising projects from concept through production, coordinating cross functional teams, fixture development, shopper marketing programs, vendor collaboration and production documentation to deliver consistent retail execution across multiple product categories.
Production Documentation
Developed production ready documentation for multiple Mattel retail merchandising programs, including engineering drawings, specifications, graphic layouts and manufacturing files that supported efficient fabrication, vendor coordination and consistent retail execution.
Featured Programs
Burt’s Bees
Focus
Developed many scalable retail merchandising programs for Burt's Bees that unified permanent fixtures, countertop displays, endcaps and visual merchandising systems into a cohesive retail platform. Led cross functional development from concept through production, creating consistent retail experiences that supported national product launches, shopper engagement and retail execution across multiple channels.
Retail systems
Fixture family
Visual merchandising
National rollout
Business Impact
Strengthened retail execution across national retail channels
Increased product visibility and shopper engagement
Improved product discovery through integrated merchandising systems
Connected packaging, fixtures and retail displays into cohesive programs
Supported seasonal launches and new product introductions
Standardized merchandising solutions for consistent retail execution
Reinforced premium brand presentation across retail environments
Accelerated speed to market through scalable merchandising systems
Enhanced retailer and consumer experiences
Supported commercial growth through effective retail merchandising programs
Project Leadership
Led multiple retail merchandising programs from concept through retail execution by coordinating cross functional teams, fixture development, production documentation, vendor collaboration and national product launches while maintaining brand standards and merchandising consistency.
Production Documentation
Developed production ready documentation for multiple retail merchandising programs including engineering drawings, specifications, BOMs, planograms and manufacturing files to support efficient fabrication, supplier coordination and consistent retail execution.
Featured Programs
Elmhurst
Focus
Developed an integrated retail merchandising ecosystem for Elmhurst that unified packaging, shelf merchandising, retail displays, club store pallet programs and e-commerce assets into a cohesive retail platform. Created scalable merchandising solutions that strengthened retail consistency, improved product visibility and supported consumer engagement across multiple retail channels.
Integrated merchandising ecosystem
Packaging
Displays
Shelf merchandising
Club displays
Retail consistency
Business Impact
Strengthened retail consistency across multiple channels by integrating packaging, shelf merchandising, retail displays and club store programs into a scalable merchandising ecosystem that improved product visibility, supported retail execution and reinforced a cohesive brand experience..
Project Leadership
Led multiple Elmhurst retail merchandising projects from concept through production, coordinating packaging, retail displays, shelf merchandising, club store programs, vendor collaboration and cross functional teams to deliver consistent retail execution across multiple channels.
Production Documentation
Developed production ready documentation for multiple Elmhurst retail merchandising programs, including packaging specifications, display drawings, graphic layouts and manufacturing files that supported efficient production, vendor coordination and consistent retail execution.
Featured Programs
M•A•C Cosmetics
Focused on
Developed premium permanent fixture and beauty merchandising programs for M•A•C Cosmetics that combined precision manufacturing, retail display systems and visual merchandising standards into scalable retail solutions. Delivered consistent retail execution that elevated product presentation, supported seasonal launches and reinforced premium brand standards across prestige beauty environments.
Premium permanent fixtures
Beauty merchandising
Precision manufacturing
Retail standards
Business Impact
Strengthened retail execution across prestige beauty environments through scalable merchandising systems that increased product visibility, supported seasonal launches, improved retail consistency and reinforced premium brand presentation across multiple retail touchpoints.
Project Leadership
Led multiple M•A•C Cosmetics retail merchandising projects from concept through production, coordinating fixture development, visual merchandising, vendor collaboration and cross functional teams to deliver consistent execution across prestige beauty retail environments.
Production Documentation
Developed production ready documentation for multiple M•A•C Cosmetics retail merchandising programs, including fixture specifications, graphic layouts and manufacturing files that supported precision production, vendor coordination and consistent retail execution.
Featured Projects
Sony Pictures Animation
Focus
Developed large integrated retail campaigns for Sony Pictures Animation that combined licensed merchandising, retail environments and branded displays into cohesive consumer experiences. Coordinated cross functional teams to deliver scalable retail programs that supported theatrical launches, retail partnerships and consistent execution across multiple channels.
Large integrated retail campaign
Retail environments
Licensed merchandising
Cross functional coordination
Business Impact
Strengthened retail execution across licensed consumer product programs by integrating retail environments, branded displays and licensed merchandising into scalable campaigns that increased shopper engagement, supported product launches and delivered consistent retail experiences across multiple channels.
Project Leadership
Led multiple Sony Pictures Animation retail merchandising projects from concept through production, coordinating licensed merchandising, retail environments, vendor partners and cross functional teams to deliver integrated retail campaigns across multiple channels.
Production Documentation
Developed production ready documentation for multiple Sony Pictures Animation retail merchandising programs, including display specifications, graphic layouts, engineering drawings and manufacturing files that supported efficient production, vendor coordination and consistent retail execution.
Project Leadership
How I Lead Retail Programs
Successful merchandising programs require far more than creative ideas.
Throughout each project I serve as the connection point between marketing, creative, engineering, manufacturing, suppliers and retail partners to keep projects moving toward successful launch.
Typical responsibilities include
Managing project timelines
Coordinating vendors
Reviewing production samples
Resolving manufacturing issues
Supporting retailer requirements
Creating production documentation
Guiding cross functional communication
Maintaining project momentum
From Creative Concept to
Retail Execution
Project Documentation
Great merchandising ideas only succeed when manufacturers can build them consistently.
I develop production ready documentation that helps suppliers fabricate accurately, reduces revisions and supports successful retail execution.
CADs
Engineering drawings
Assembly sheets
BOMs
Planograms
Retail elevations
Production specifications
Fixture details
Installation instructions
Callout drawings
Sample Documents
Assembly Sheets
Vendor Fix Documents
BOM Shipping Manifests
Fixture Details
Seasonal Graphics Update
Callout Drawings
Experience Supporting
National Retailers
Supporting Merchandising Initiatives
Every retailer has unique merchandising standards, fixture requirements and approval processes.
My experience includes supporting merchandising initiatives across mass retail, warehouse clubs, consumer electronics, home improvement and specialty retail channels.
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Improving Retail Programs Through AI
Artificial intelligence has become part of my daily workflow.
I use AI to accelerate project planning, summarize meetings, organize documentation, strengthen presentations, improve communication and streamline retail program development while maintaining the judgment and accuracy required for production work.
Working with Me
Why Teams Enjoy Working With Me
Reliable communication
Organized project leadership
Production focused thinking
Collaborative problem solving
Calm under pressure
Continuous improvement
Strong follow through
Respect for schedules
Next Generation
I’m Ready to Help Build the Next Generation of Breville Retail Experiences
Breville's merchandising programs require thoughtful planning, strong collaboration and disciplined execution.
My experience leading retail fixture programs from concept through production has prepared me to contribute immediately while continuing to grow alongside the merchandising team.
I would welcome the opportunity to discuss how my experience can support Breville's upcoming retail initiatives.