The Global Wellness Institute (GWI) has announced a new initiative to explore opportunities wellness is creating in retail.

Members of the newly formed Initiative will explore the value and opportunity of creating wellness experiences in both digital and physical retail spaces; researching consumer motivation and drivers for wellness-related products or services; and anticipating future wellness retail consumer trends to support business marketing and operations.

Whitney Austin Gray, PhD and SVP at Delos Living chairs the Wellness Retail Initiative, and Francine Miley, head of health & retail for Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, a global developer and operator of flagship shopping destinations, serves as vice chair.

At Delos, Gray leads a team focused on industry research and adoption of healthy building practices, while Miley spearheads the strategic evolution of Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield’s US portfolio and how the company’s flagship brand, Westfield, responds to the needs of today’s health and wellness consumers.

The chair and vice chair are supported by Initiative members Margo Badzioch, senior research analyst at Mindbody; Alfredo Carvajal, president at Delos Living; Louise Evins, president & CEO at Evins Communications; and David Wood, CEO, Interactive Health.

The GWI supports 25 industry Initiatives that focus on developing projects, research and trend forecasts that impact wellness in a particular market segment or region of the world.