Bona Design Lab Rebrands as BDL Partners

Global retail design firm positions for the future and taps industry veteran Byron Anderson as Managing Partner

NEW YORK, Oct. 2, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Known for its roster of clients in the global C-store sector, Bona Design Lab is now BDL Partners.

The rebrand comes as the New York-based retail design firm positions itself for the next step in its evolution.

Founder and President Joseph Bona, who has elevated the retail experience on behalf of C-store and travel center clients such as Shell Select, Alltown, Applegreen (U.S.), Migrolino (Switzerland), ampm (U.S.) and Adnoc Oasis (UAE), to name a few, is passing the baton of day-to-day operations to Byron Anderson, the firm's newly appointed Managing Partner.

Bona will continue to work closely with Anderson, providing strategic direction for BDL Partners' clients as Executive Director.

"Our new brand, in addition to being a bit clearer and easier to say, better reflects BDL Partners' collaborative, multidisciplinary approach to client service," Bona said. "Nobody understands that culture better than Byron."

As BDL's Executive Director of Client Services, Anderson has worked closely with clients such as Shell Global, Spotless Brands and Road Ranger. His retail branding and design career spans more than three decades.

"Byron has directed countless store design projects and in-store product activation programs on behalf of a Who's Who of top brands," Bona said.

Anderson previously served as a Senior Account Director at branding agency CBX, where he led projects for the likes of Duane Reade, Saks Fifth Avenue, Wawa, and Sol Energy. Earlier, he was an Account Director at Miller Zell, where he oversaw global retail initiatives for major brands such as Suzuki, Kraft Foods and Crayola.

He holds an MBA in International Marketing from the University of Miami and a BS in Graphic Arts Technology from Florida A&M University.

Bona noted that his firm's "Core Four" will remain part of the team. "We have worked with each other in different capacities for more than 20 years, providing consistency for our clients, and that will continue moving forward," Bona said. In addition to Bona and Anderson, they are Creative Director Betty Chow and Senior Project Architect Flavio Di Blasio.

As Anderson sees it, the convenience retail sector continues to grapple with unprecedented change but also stands to benefit from a raft of emerging opportunities. The list includes the phenomenal rise of squeaky clean, large-format stores and travel centers, the rapid evolution of consumer-facing technologies, the growing sophistication of food-and-beverage programs, the availability of more robust consumer insights, and the need to adapt to the EV revolution.

"Store designs need to stay relevant and keep pace, and that takes a collaborative approach and decades of expertise," Anderson concluded. "As we look to the future, I can't wait to explore new directions with our clients, Joe and the rest of the BDL Partners team."

About BDL Partners
BDL Partners is a global retail design firm known for its elevated approaches to convenience store, travel center, food and fuel retailing. Its suite of services includes brand strategy development, consumer insights, naming/logo development, site planning, store layout, exterior/interior design, and graphic design. The New York-based firm's capabilities in business analysis and consulting run the gamut from menu and communications strategies to equipment layout and workflow analysis, to financial metrics and operational consulting. www.bdlpartners.com 

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SOURCE BDL Partners