An accredited Green Star professional, Alicia and her team delivered the first 6-star Green Star-rated store in Australia for Country Road and she has no plans of stopping there.

Alicia Buffinton always knew she’d pursue a career in design, but it wasn’t until she landed a job as project manager for global fashion brand Esprit that she realised she’d found her true calling in the fitout industry.

“At the time, I was in my early 20s and I loved Esprit. So, I thought, I’ll give that a go and I didn’t even really know what it [retail design] was. So, I worked on their stores and loved it!” recalls Alicia. “I loved the fast pace and I loved the fact that there was a job that combined my love of fashion and shopping and then also interior design.”

After three transformative years with Esprit, Alicia was approached by the owners of Cotton On who offered her a role heading up their store development department. At the time, the two owners only had 50 stores but they had big plans for the brand.

“Basically, they wanted to take over the world and they wanted to have all these brands,” explains Alicia.

“It was pretty crazy what they were saying, but there was something really believable about them. They were really engaging. So, I was like, OK. Let’s do it!”

“There was one year we opened over 50 stores world-wide in one month.”

“We learned not to sweat the small stuff, focus on the big picture and just make sure we could open the stores to trade for Christmas. We learnt to review stores and correct for next time, keep everyone on the journey and informed – not everything can be perfect at that pace but it you are all on the same page and same team there will be a lot more understanding.”

Now, the Cotton On Group has over 2000 stores worldwide and Alicia was key in setting up the team to deliver them, during her decade-long tenure with the epochal brand.

Now, with over 25 years of experience in design and project management and more than 1000 retail fitouts under her belt, Alicia Buffinton is an expert in her field to say the least.

As Group Store Design and Development Manager of the Country Road Group, Alicia oversees the design, build and fitout of every new store for five iconic Australian brands – Country Road, Trenery, Witchery, Mimco and POLITIX – that open in the country and abroad.

She has also been instrumental in the Country Road Group’s Green Star journey, delivering Australia’s first six-star Green Star-rated store for Country Road in Ballarat in 2023 and again in Highpoint Shopping Centre in Victoria.

These ratings issue by the Green Building Council are considered world-class, reflecting Country Road’s steadfast commitment to sustainability and environmental excellence – a value that aligns perfectly with the Country Road brand and Alicia herself.

Redefining retail design

For Alicia, retail design is more than creating spaces that look beautiful – it’s about crafting experiences that connect with customers and the local community while setting new benchmarks for sustainability.

Country Road’s regional flagship store in Ballarat is a shining example of Alicia’s ability to deliver on style and sustainability, redefining the retail experience while she’s at it. Housed in the heritage-listed former Ballarat Saving Bank building, the store seamlessly blends heritage charm with cutting-edge sustainable design that led to the brand’s first six-star Green Star rating.

Working with a local architecture firm, Moloney Architects, and long-term build partners, ONE68, Alicia and her team took the framework they had created with their portfolio of five-star accredited stores and pushed for the extra 15 points they needed to achieve their ambition.

“So essentially, Green Star accreditation is a point rating system. So, for the five-star rating, we need 60 points and then for the six-star rating, we need 75. So essentially, we had the framework and then it was about looking at that framework seeing how far off 75 points are we and what are we going to need to do to get the 75,” explains Alicia.

From benchtops made from made from recycled yoghurt containers and white goods, fitting room hooks made from recycled ocean waste to beautiful parquetry floors and spotted gum wall cladding made from sustainable timber, the Ballarat store boast some incredibly creative and “circular” design elements that all attributed to the esteemed six-star rating.

“It’s not something we could do for every store, because it did also involve a lot of work, but it was really rewarding to do it,” says Alicia.

It takes a village

Collaboration is central to the design and accreditation process. Alicia and Country Road’s in-house design team, including their own in-house sustainability specialist, work closely with architects, builders, suppliers and, of course, the Green Building Council to deliver stores that reflect the brand, meet the needs of customers, protect the heritage of a building and make an impactful design statement, all while leaving the lightest footprint possible.

“We like to look at each building and work with the building. We don’t want to just enter an environment and then put in a boring box. We really want to work with and protect the heritage of that building,” explains Alicia.

From there, Alicia looks at what can be retained or reused to avoid waste. From reusing existing ceilings and glazing – something rarely done in the industry – to creating “de-fit plans” that allow materials like joinery, benchtops and cladding to be easily removed and reused elsewhere if a store closes or needs renovating.

Collaborating with long-term build partner ONE68, who helped to deliver Country Road’s first five-star Green Star-accredited store in Chadstone in 2019, has even pioneered sustainable fixture and joinery manufacturing with Green Tag certification – a fitout industry first.

“We have a material scorecard that’s part of the Green Star [rating] and 20 points can come from that whole category. So, if you can actually have sustainable fixtures or use sustainable materials, it can have a huge impact on that materials calculator, explains Alicia.

From diverting 90% of building waste from landfill and engaging local trades and suppliers, to participating in people training and all that comes with obtaining a Green Star rating, ONE68 has been on board every step of the way.

“ONE68 has been really supportive and obviously it benefited us, but it also benefited them and their business. So, they’ve been great to collaborate with on a lot of these projects.”

Materials matter

Sustainability drives not only construction practices but also the materials used. From recycled paper panels from Italy and terazzzo-style surfaces made from recycled mugs, to carpet woven from old fishing nets and clothing hooks crafted from ocean waste, Country Road is committed to supporting the circular economy and it makes for one-of-a kind retail stores where each fixture or design element comes with an interesting backstory.

“Shopfitting can be incredibly wasteful. For us, it’s about proving you can deliver world-class design sustainably,” says Alicia.

Elevating the in-store experience

As well as championing sustainability, Country Road is always looking for ways to connect with their customers and community and create an elevated in-store experience through things like stylist services, sensory experiences and interactive product displays – such as the working sink in the Albert Park Country Road Home store where customers can sample soaps and scents.

This is especially important in a time where e-commerce is transforming the traditional retail experience. Businesses need to adopt an omnichannel approach to meet customers needs, and bricks-and-mortar stores need to serve as experience centres that offer something customers can’t get online.

“It’s important that the customer has a great experience in store otherwise why would they come? So, our job is to make sure the stores are really exciting, they’re really comfortable, and they’re really engaging,” says Alicia.

“We’re always looking at new experiences that that we can add and things that we can offer to the customer.”

Personal life

Outside of work, Alicia’s love of heritage, modern and sustainable design and crafting beautiful interiors with intention continues at home. She and her husband – also a designer – have renovated five properties together, blending timeless character with contemporary updates.

For Alicia, every project provides a chance to implement sustainable design principals to create something that is both beautiful and responsible.

“It’s about doing the right thing,” she says.

“My daughters are the next generation, so I try to explain to them what I do and why, and that some of these resources that we use, well, they won’t be around forever.”

If there’s one positive change she hopes to see in the industry in the next ten years, or sooner, it’s shopfitters viewing sustainability as standard.

“I hope to see more sustainability. We would like to see more shopfitters engaging with Green Star and Green Tag and adopting these principles.”