For the latest installment in addictive reality television, tune in to one of the many home renovation shows. Programs like “Flip that House” or “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” offer a behind-the-scenes taste of renovating a space, from the design plans through all the problems and up to the climactic reveal.

There’s no less drama behind the scenes of real-life retail renovations – in a lot of ways, there’s more. A home renovation is largely about aesthetics and the property owner’s taste. Those elements are important in retail renovations, as well, with one crucial twist: Will the new design drive business?

To honor the blood, sweat and two-by-fours that go into such massive endeavors, VM+SD created the Retail Renovation Competition, which, for the third year in a row, takes an exclusive look at retailers’ makeover processes. This year’s contest included a slew of entries from around the world and across the retail spectrum: a roller skating rink-turned-furniture store, an Australian surf shop, a supermarket in Turkey. But which retailer had the most intensive process? And in the end, amidst myriad hurdles, who was able to turn a less-than-desirable space into a retail gem that wows?

Armed with “before,” “during” and “after” project photos, a panel of judges gathered at the Cincinnati offices of FRCH Design Worldwide to select seven winning entries and a Renovation of the Year.

The overall winner was Panino Sportivo (New York), a 1440-square-foot panini shop designed by New York-based Studios GO Intl., for converting an awkward-shaped space into a sleek and trendy sandwich shop. “It was a tremendous challenge,” said one of the judges, Jim Kelly, design director at Macy’s Inc. (Cincinnati). “They didn’t have good bones to work with, but managed to develop a great little restaurant.”

The storefront of Panino Sportivo. Judges agreed that Studios Go Intl.'s work with such a narrow space earned it the Renovation of the Year honor.

Coverage of this project, and all the other winners, is featured on the following pages. An awards ceremony for the Renovation of the Year and a presentation by two of the winning teams will take place during the International Retail Design Conference, September 19-21, in Atlanta.

This year’s Cincinnati-area judges were: Macy’s Kelly; Nadine King, design manager, Luxottica Retail Group; Andrew McQuilkin, vp, design director, FRCH Design Worldwide; Robert Rich, principal, BHDP Architecture; Harry Sparks, AGI Intl.; and Alison Mann, a student at the University of Cincinnati’s Department of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning.

To find out more about VM+SD’s Retail Renovation Competition, or to enter next year’s contest, contact assistant editor Lauren Mang at 513-263-9380 or lauren.mang@stmediagroup.com. Also check www.vmsd.com for updates.

And remember, Bravo: We had it first.

[The contest’s policy is that judges whose firms worked on projects entered in the competition are not present during discussions and voting on those submissions.]

We've divided up the winners into two parts for your viewing pleasure. Part I and Part II

And don't forget to check out the 2007 Renovation of the Year here.