We travel thousands of miles each year to visit our international clients, to experience the latest in retail design and to explore and seek inspiration from diverse cultures.

Communication has never been easier. We can pick up the phone or set up a Skype call to our friends, suppliers and clients in far-off corners of the world, 24/7. Email transcends time zones and conference calls make the world a smaller place, but the sentiment of an expression and the subtlety of cultural difference can be lost through the eye of a webcam – all this technology is no substitute for a face-to-face meeting.

In the last year, we’ve visited 32 countries, worked in 25, travelled over 270,000 miles and stayed in over 125 hotels. From Moscow to Mexico, China to Chile, we’ve gone around the world more than five times.

On any given day of the week, members of our design teams are spread across the globe, travelling and working locally to support our clients and adapting our creative expertise and knowledge to their home territories. By matching our clients’ needs with best practice and global trends, we help create unique solutions for brands and their markets. ‘Think global, act local’ has never been more relevant.

The internet is a great tool for research, but it can’t overwhelm your senses with the sights, smells, noises and tastes of the real world. We lead research trips with our clients, travelling to emerging markets and familiar territories alike, to check out a brand’s latest store or discover new trends – and we always make time to take in an exhibition, or to try a new restaurant. We’re inspired by the diverse and unique experiences we encounter on our travels and, where relevant, these influences are captured in our work.

We never leave home without a camera and we add any interesting shots to our invaluable image library. Holding over 300,000 photos that document design, retail and culture from around the globe, this resource ensures that all our designers and every client can benefit from each trip. Travelling to, or with, our clients, and seeing the world through their eyes, helps to broaden the conversation. Sharing our knowledge, experiences and opinions enhances our relationships and our creative solutions.

We never stop looking and we learn something new every day. This approach helps shape our opinions and the future of our work and ensures our ideas stay fresh and responsive to the changing face of global retail.