HOW TO WIN A RETAIL WEEK AWARD “This is the night of the year.” John Lewis awards.retail-week.com WELCOME Dear Entrant, In 2016 Retail Week will be celebrating the 21st anniversary of the Retail Week Awards with Oracle. Over the last 21 years this illustrious event has championed, toasted and rewarded the finest achievements in the sector. Moreover, the Retail Week Awards with Oracle have acted as a window into the trends shaping the future of the sector and the people and companies leading those changes. Winning one of these coveted awards puts you amongst some of the most highly regarded names in the sector and, as a reflection of that standing, winning one is not only a great accolade but a great challenge. Over the past three years, the team at Retail Week has been overhauling all the criteria in all of the categories to make it as explicit and clear as possible what our illustrious panel of judges is looking for in each category. Each January, I chair the industry leaders that make up our judging panel. It is a long, challenging but incredibly rewarding day. Our judges really understand the importance of these awards, and deliberate carefully to make sure we look at every aspect of the entries. I am always asked what makes a great entry stand out. So here are my three top tips as chair of judges: 1. Read the criteria and answer the questions directly - it sounds obvious but many entries fail to do this and the judges constantly check and recheck the criteria in the process. 2. Ensure you submit clear financials where required. The panel is entirely confidential, no information is shared outside of the judges but statistics to back up your narrative make a huge difference. 3. Please submit any supporting materials that are relevant and asked for in order that the judges can have all the information presented to them. Each year I carefully review all my judges and this year is no exception. Please turn to page 3 to see the outstanding judging line-up for 2016. I wish you the best of luck for the Retail Week Awards with Oracle 2016. Chris Brook-Carter, Editor-in-Chief, Retail Week awards.retail-week.com | 020 3033 2657 TOP TIPS Here are some top tips from our Executive Editor, George MacDonald 1.Be concise as well as comprehensive. While it’s valuable to provide as much relevant information as possible your chances of success will be improved if you can make very clear, very quickly, how your entry meets the criteria and what makes it stand out. 2.Check that you have addressed the award criteria before finally submitting your entry. Otherwise excellent entries can fall at the first hurdle if information on a key criterion is omitted. 3.Be as specific as possible. A statistic that illustrates success will be more powerful than a generic comment. 4.Choose your categories carefully. One or two powerful entries in categories in which you have excelled stand a better chance of success than across the board entries in every category. 5.Remember that the information you provide remains confidential to the judges. You can be confident that information which may be seen as sensitive (such as sales changes etc) will not be shared more widely – and such information often provides the best illustration of success. PRESS AND PR Summary of the press coverage winners received in 2015 Social media reach: 6.6 million Media coverage: 53 pieces Audience reach: 87,307,912 Coverage highlights include: The Times, Sunday Telegraph, Yahoo Finance, Liverpool Echo and Kingfisher “The difference with Retail Week Awards is its business related rather than just product focused, so to get recognition for the brand as a whole, something we’ve invested so heavily in over the past few years, is just incredible.” Winner, Range of the Year, Lidl awards.retail-week.com | 020 3033 2657 THE 2016 JUDGING PANEL Alan Giles Associate Fellow, Saïd Business School, University of Oxford Alan is an Associate Fellow at Saïd Business School, Oxford where he teaches a course on retailing on the MBA programme, and an Honorary Visiting Professor at Cass Business School. He is currently a non-executive director of Rentokil Initial plc and The Competition and Markets Authority. He was Chairman of Fat Face, the 200 store active lifestyle casual clothing brand owned by Bridgepoint Capital from September 2006 until July 2013, and was Chief Executive of HMV Group until September 2006, having led its leveraged buy-out in 1998 and subsequent LSE flotation in 2002. From 1993 to 1998 he was Managing Director of Waterstones, and earlier in his career he worked in various marketing roles for Do It All, WH Smith Retail, and Boots. He was a nonexecutive director of Somerfield plc until 2004 and Wilson Bowden plc until 2007. Alex Baldock CEO, Shop Direct Alex Baldock joined Shop Direct as CEO in September 2012 and is spearheading its transformation from a catalogue business into a world class digital retailer. Under Alex’s leadership, Shop Direct, the UK’s fourth largest online retailer with annual sales of more than £1.7 billion, has moved into profit for the first time in a decade. The retail group, which includes digital department stores Very.co.uk and Littlewoods.com, is now delivering strong growth with pre-tax profit surging 512% to £40.4m in its last financial year. Over the past two years, customer satisfaction has soared 24 points and employee engagement has also risen to a record high. Alex has helped focus the business on its purpose of making good things easily accessible to more people. Angela Spindler CEO, N Brown Group Angela started her career in FMCG sales and marketing roles with Cadbury Schweppes, Coca Cola and then Mars. In 1997 she joined Asda. She stayed at Asda for 10 years, in that time she held a variety of positions: Property and Store Development Director, Food Trading Director, Marketing Director and finally Global Managing Director for George clothing. She joined Debenhams plc as Managing Director in 2007 but within a year took up the opportunity to be CEO of a Private Equity backed value retail business “The Original Factory Shop”. She joined N Brown Group plc as CEO on 1 July 2013, an opportunity she describes as “the perfect fit”. Beth Butterwick CEO, Bonmarché Appointed to the Group in 2011, Beth led the turnaround of the new business strategy. This enabled the acquisition of the business and assets of the Bonmarché group by Bonmarché Limited, an affiliate of Sun Capital Partners, Inc, in January 2012. With over 21 years’ retail experience, Beth started her career as a graduate trainee with Marks & Spencer plc where she progressed to Head of Buying for the Accessories Group. She joined Gap Inc as part of the Senior Management Team responsible for the European expansion. Following this, she was appointed as Commercial Director at MS Mode BV, based in the Netherlands, where she played a key part in its performance improvement, prior to its acquisition by Excellent Retail Brands Group in January 2011. Catriona Marshall CEO, Hobbycraft Catriona Marshall is the Chief Executive of multichannel retailer Hobbycraft, which specialises in arts and crafts. Catriona is the former Trading & Marketing Director of specialist pet food and accessories retailer Pets at Home, where she was responsible for its brand and in-store customer proposition development as well as its multi-channel presence. She joined Pets at Home in 2003 from Wal-Mart, where she was Private Label Director for Wal-Mart Europe and had worked previously for Mondelez and Mars Confectionery. Ian Filby CEO, DFS As CEO of DFS, Ian Filby has brought a fresh approach to the furniture store changing its image with the resultant increase in EBITDA from £72m to £86m. As a retail expert, Ian champions the importance of marketing and has a focus on the customer being central to everything he does. Ian joined Boots as a Retail Marketing Trainee and subsequently enjoyed a number of Buying and Marketing roles culminating in his appointment to the Boots Executive 10 years ago, mainly as Trading Director. Ian left Boots in July 2009 although he remained there as a part time Consultant until September of 2010 as well as being their representative on the BRC where he was Honorary Treasurer. During this year of plurality, Ian was Interim CEO of Groupe Aeroplan London (Nectar) for 6 months and remained a non-Executive member of their Group Advisory Board for a further three years. Mark Newton-Jones CEO, Mothercare Mark Newton-Jones is the CEO of Mothercare Plc, the leading global retailer for parents and young children. The Mothercare group is comprised principally of two major retail brands with international appeal; Mothercare and Early Learning Centre, and has more than 1,500 stores in 60 countries. Mark was appointed as Interim CEO in March 2014, taking up the position of CEO in July 2014. Under Mark’s leadership the business has launched an ambitious turnaround plan to develop a digitally-led business, supported by a modern retail estate offering style, quality and innovation in product and great service for its customers worldwide. Prior to joining Mothercare, Mark was CEO of Shop Direct Group, a position he held for almost ten years. Mark holds two nonexecutive director positions at boohoo.com and Pockit and is Chairman of Graduate Fashion Week. Matthew Williams CEO, Topps Tiles Coming from a family of retailers, Matt got the retail bug early, working in stores at the weekend while still at school. Joining Topps Tiles as Property Director in 1998 soon after its IPO he spent the next six years expanding the Group’s UK store base, acquiring more than 200 new sites, which still make up a large part of the store portfolio today. Promoted to the role of Chief Operating Officer in 2004 he was a key member of the team that established Topps as the leading independent tile retailer in the UK. Stepping up to the CEO post in 2007, his fanatical approach to customer service has since driven Topps market share to new records. Away from work, he is a keen skier, mountain biker and walker. awards.retail-week.com | 020 3033 2657 THE 2016 JUDGING PANEL Mike Shearwood CEO, Karen Millen In March 2013 Mike took over the newly independent Karen Millen, as CEO. The brand trading from 56 countries in both North and South hemispheres, derives over 60% of its sales from the international markets, with its couture inspired fashion all being designed exclusively in its London atelier. Mike was previously CEO of Aurora Fashions, which included the brands Coast, Oasis, Warehouse, alongside Karen Millen and remains as a non-executive Director on each of their boards. Prior to Aurora Fashions, Mike was UK Managing Director of Inditex, having joined in January 2000 as Managing Director for Zara UK. Over the subsequent seven years and prior to joining Mosaic, Mike introduced five other Inditex brands to the UK and Irish markets. Mike has also held various senior roles at Vision Express and is a qualified optician. Nigel Oddy CEO, House of Fraser Nigel Oddy, Chief Executive Officer, House of Fraser, has over 35 years’ experience in the retail sector. His skill base covers retail, merchandising and buying, as well as sourcing. He has worked with factories across the world and has spent an extensive amount of time in the Far East. His first 23 years were spent with Marks & Spencer, which included time in Store Management, Buying and Merchandising, and setting up the Sourcing office and running the retail operation in Hong Kong. Following this, Nigel spent a number of years as MD of a small family owned Furniture Business in the North East of England, and then he joined SB Capital, an American private equity investor. Nigel joined House of Fraser following the takeover of the Business by the Highland consortium in Jan 2007, initially as Director of Home and Hospitality, but subsequently he took responsibility for Merchandising, Store Development, Marketing, Planning and Trading and International. Peter Ruis CEO, Jigsaw Peter Ruis is the CEO of the Jigsaw group, responsible the business worldwide, including the Shop at the Bluebird. Jigsaw is one of the few remaining family owned fashion retailers, retaining a successful multi-channel presence on the British high street, within department stores, and in the US, Middle East, South Africa, Singapore, Ireland, and Australia. In a challenging market the brand has bucked the trend, driving double digit like for like, and exponential profit growth. Creatively Jigsaw has once more carved out a unique niche with subversive campaigns, the new lifestyle Duke Street Emporium, and soon to be launched luxury line. Peter started his career at Marks and Spencer as a graduate trainee in 1989. Phil Whittle Head of Store Operations, Schuh Phil has worked in the retail trade since 1984 having started as a Saturday boy in his local greengrocers. His first full time job was as a Retail trainee with Harrods when he joined in 1987. In 1990 he joined Clarks shoes as a Trainee store manager and I progressed through a number of store management positions until he was eventually seconded to their training department. In 1994 he joined River Island as a Regional Footwear Manager for the North and then in 1996 moved to schuh as Northern Regional Manager. He has progressed through the business over the past 19 years to his current position as Head of Store Operations where he has overall responsibility for an ever increasing 106 stores and 11 field managers. Richard Pennycook CEO, The Co-operative Group Richard is Group Chief Executive of the Co-operative Group, he has nearly 25 years’ experience in retail, starting with the management buyout of Allders in the late 1980s, where he was the CFO of European Duty Free and ran the North American operation for a time. Over the years, he has been involved in the growth of Morrisons, J D Wetherspoon and the turnarounds of Laura Ashley, Welcome Break and Bulmers. Previously a non-executive director of Richer Sounds, Richard is also non-executive Chairman of The Hut Group. Rob Templeman Chairman, Gala Coral As well as being Chairman of Gala Coral Group, a role he assumed in November 2010, Rob Templeman is also Chairman of the RAC. Rob has over 25 years’ experience in consumer-facing businesses. He has been the Chief Executive of some of the largest companies in the UK, including Debenhams, Homebase, Harveys Furnishing Group and Halfords, where he was also the Chairman. Previously, Rob has also held the roles of Chairman of the British Retail Consortium, and Chairman of the charity Graduate Fashion Week. In addition, Rob was also a Trustee of the charity CHILDREN with CANCER UK, and chaired the committee for their annual Ball. Stephen Robertson Non-Executive Director, Timpson Group Stephen is chairman of Business West, nonexecutive director of fast growing Timpson Group, Hargreaves Lansdown plc and Clipper Logistics plc. He also serves on the advisory boards of Legend Exhibitions and Retail Week. Stephen’s career started in marketing roles in fmcg businesses – Unilever, Alberto Culver, Mars Inc, Mattel – before serving on the boards of major UK retailers. Stephen spent 7 years as marketing director at B&Q before leading the acquisition of Screwfix Direct which he then chaired through a period of strong growth. He went on to become director of communications at Kingfisher plc and took the helm of the Ellen MacArthur sponsorship programme. Subsequently, he served on the boards of WH Smith and Woolworths. Stephen was Director General of British Retail Consortium for 5 years to the end of 2012. Vanessa Gold Managing Director, Ann Summers Vanessa Gold is Managing Director of Ann Summers one of the UK’s most well-known high street retailers offering customers a unique shopping experience. Ann Summers is one of the UK’s most successful family run businesses with 145 retail stores, a thriving e-commerce site and over 5,000 party planners. Vanessa appeared on Channel 4’s Undercover Boss which gave her and the Ann Summers board the opportunity to understand what their customers really want. Ann Summers has since partnered with Shop Direct and is now their no1 lingerie brand, Superdrug and more recently ASOS. Although her key focus is to continue to strengthen the brand identity in the UK with a complete portfolio review, store refurbishment plan and web re-platform she is also keen to develop the brands international journey. awards.retail-week.com | 020 3033 2657 CATEGORIES Customer Experience Initiative of the Year Pure-play Etailer of the Year Highlighting an initiative launched by a retailer that delivers new standards in customer service and experience, this award is looking for examples of excellence that have been introduced during the last 12 months that demonstrates your business understands the commercial benefits of a commitment to customer service and providing a great customer experience. It is open to retailers operating through any combination of channels. This is a wide ranging category which may include for instance anything from queue busting initiatives to in-store dining or website navigability. For pure-play retailers entries should be overall projects rather than a specific technology implementation (The latter should be entered in the Customer Technology Innovation of the Year category.) This category is intended to celebrate excellence among those retailers which trade only online. Specifically it is intended to reflect excellence in the sector in the last 12 months. They may also use catalogues to drive online sales. The Deloitte Employer of the Year An award that not only identifies the retailer demonstrating a commitment to make their business a great place to work but one that recognises that an engaged workforce are the best brand advocates a retailer can have. Retailers have to fight hard to recruit and retain people and this award aims to highlight those businesses that have put people at the heart of their overall strategy. It also champions those retailers that leverage an engaged workforce to deliver great customer experience. This award is open to all retailers, regardless of turnover or size. Marketing/Advertising Campaign of the Year This category recognises any marketing initiative - whether an advertising campaign, promotion, sponsorship or online marketing initiative - which has delivered measurable results for the retailer. The judges will be looking at the campaign strategy, the creative execution and most importantly, evidence of tangible success. Multichannel Retailer of the Year This category is open to retailers which trade across a combination of channels including both stores and digital platforms. The judges will be looking out for how the business over the last 12 months has used its combination of channels to grow sales and profits, improve customer service and exploit new opportunities for growth. The emphasis is on how these channels have been leveraged as a whole rather than the performance of any one channel. Own Brand Range/Product of the Year Own brands are increasingly at the heart of retailers’ strategies, providing a point of difference and a hot bed of innovation. This award is designed to recognise the role and importance of private label and own brand ranges and products, house brands and exclusive tie ups in delivering growth for their retailers. The judges will be looking for evidence of ranges and products that have had an outstanding 12 months, delivering growth for their retailers and products in tune with their customers’ needs. International Growth Retailer of the Year Highlighting the growing importance of overseas expansion for British retail, this award celebrates the outstanding work of UK retail brands abroad. This award recognises the best of British retailing abroad, whether it is an initiative launched by a UK retailer in new or current markets that has driven growth or the outstanding operation of an existing strategy that has delivered outstanding results in the last 12 months. The judges are looking to reward The UK’s most outstanding international operator. It is open to retailers operating through any combination of channels. The Audit Partnership Corporate Social Responsibility Initiative of the Year Highlighting an initiative launched by a retailer that delivers new standards in corporate social responsibility, this award is looking for examples of excellence that have been introduced or achieved during the last 12 months that positions the business as a leader in CSR. It should not only provide clear environmental, social or philanthropic benefits but also deliver a benefit to the retailer. It is open to retailers operating through any combination of channels. awards.retail-week.com | 020 3033 2657 CATEGORIES The Zensar Technology Initiative of the Year Supply Chain Initiative of the Year A category that aims to recognise the critical and central role technology plays in British retail. This award is designed to celebrate the retailer that is leading the way in leveraging technology in its overall business strategy. It is seeking out the technology projects that have transformed multichannel offers, supply chains or store operations, delivered new routes to market or uncovered efficiencies and improved margins. This award is designed to throw a spotlight on the large scale technology initiatives that are underpinning retail strategies and is open to all retailers, regardless of turnover or size. A category that aims to recognise the outstanding supply chain initiative in retail over the last year. Transformation of the retail supply chain, from sourcing strategies, warehouse and distribution centre advancements and delivery and last mile innovations have been the backbone to many of the great leaps forward the industry has made in the last few years. This award is designed to throw a spotlight on those initiatives and highlight their importance to progressive retailing. It is open to all retailers, regardless of turnover or size. The Island Pacific Speciality Retailer of the Year In this award, we are looking for services, applications or capabilities that have been designed with the customer at their core. Retail is increasingly filled with customerfacing initiatives, enabled by technology, which are helping to change the industry. Whether this is an app or an in-store technology led service, the projects we’re looking for are often smaller scale than traditional IT projects, and are designed to solve a specific customer problem or meet a single customer need. At Retail Week we are seeing more and more retailers innovate to create a seamless customer experience, and this award seeks to recognise this. These projects may not always be large, business-transforming initiatives, but they are significant for using newer technologies and reflecting new ways of thinking in retail. This award is aimed at giving recognition to the specialist retailers that focus predominantly on one major product category or one specialist sector, which contribute to a USP for that retailer. The winning retailer will be able to demonstrate how this specialist position in the market and its specialist knowledge around its offering have given it a unique market position and delivered outstanding business performance. Speciality retailers of all turnovers and operating through any combination of channels are eligible to enter. The Realys Store Design of the Year This category is open to all retail sectors and all sizes of store, new and refurbished. The judges will be looking for innovation and creativity in the design of the store, which should be in the UK. They will also consider a format that can demonstrably show a sales uplift following the implementation of the store design and an indication that it will help deliver profitable growth to the retailer in the longer term. Customer Technology Innovation of the Year The following categories cannot be entered; the shortlist and winner will be selected by our panel of judges Growth Retailer of the Year The Clarity Retail Leader of the Year Store Manager of the Year Who is the UK’s top store manager? This category is open to all store managers no matter what size their store or business. Managers can enter themselves or can be put forward by their company, but in the case of the latter the individual store manager must have given their consent to be nominated. The judges will be looking for excellent retail skills, inspirational leadership, proven general management skills and ability to deliver the brand’s customer service values. International Retailer of the Year Retailer of the Year The Oracle Outstanding Contribution to Retail Entries close on 2 October 2015 Submit your entry at awards.retail-week.com awards.retail-week.com | 020 3033 2657 HEAR FROM OUR WINNERS “It’s recognition from the industry, finally some of our peers see what we do and having them understand what we do makes us feel quite special. ” Winners, The Oracle Retailer of the year 2015, Ted Baker “These are the most important awards in the UK in this industry.” Winner, The Clarity Retail Leader of the year award 2015, Stefano Pessina, Walgreens Boots Alliance “It’s a huge honour to win. They’re well known as the Oscars of the retail industry.” Winners, The Deloitte Employer of the year award 2015, ao.com “It’s a very prestigious awards, it’s something that is actually recognised across the industry and will be benefiting our business going forward.” Winners, The Wincanton Supply Chain Initiative of the year award 2015, Shop Direct “It’s the pinnacle awards of the retail industry, we attend here every year. We’re just really proud; everyone wants to win an award.” Winners, The Island Pacific Speciality Retailer of the year award 2015, The Entertainer “To be recognised by the retail industry, all of our peers and other great retailers is just a fantastic accolade.” Winners, The Serco Customer Innovation of the year award 2015, Argos “Winning this award is one of the best feelings we’ve had in a long time.” Winners, The Zensar Retail Technology Initiative of the year award 2015, Shop Direct “These are the big awards; they are the ones that everyone really wants to win. They’re the best of retail so of course this is where we want to be. ” Winners, The Audit Partnership Corporate Social Responsibility Initiative of the year award 2015, B&Q “We’ve won a few Retail Week Awards over the years and I’ve got to say every year it’s the same excitement and sense of achievement and everyone in the company just feels great for winning.” Winner, Retail Leader of the Year, Nick Robertson, ASOS “It’s recognition from our peers, it’s support from the retail community and it’s a really fantastic endorsement.” Winner, Retail Destination of the Year, Trinity Leeds “Retail Week Awards gives the business credibility on a grander scale within your own peer group.” Winner, Speciality Retailer of the Year, Screwfix “You should be incredibly proud that you’re here today – this is the beginning. The fact that you’re here means you have achieved. You’re about to start a journey that’s going to be so exciting…your future begins now. ” Theo Paphitis, Chairman, Ryman Stationery awards.retail-week.com | 020 3033 2657 LAST YEARS WINNERS Winner: Clarks, iPad Foot Gauge System The Trinity Mirror Solutions Marketing/Advertising Campaign of the Year The OC&C Strategy Consultants Pure-Play Etailer of the Year The Michael Page Own Brand Range/ Product of the Year Winner: Shop Direct Winner: Primark, P.S. Beauty The HP Multichannel Retailer of the Year The Audit Partnership Corporate Social Responsibility Initiative of the Year The Veredus Customer Service Initiative of the Year Winner: Argos Winner: John Lewis, The Bear and the Hare Winner: B&Q, Greener Gardening Initiative awards.retail-week.com | 020 3033 2657 LAST YEARS WINNERS The Wipro International Growth Initiative of the Year The Zensar Retail Technology Initiative of the Year Winner: Primark, New Market Expansion Winner: Shop Direct, Experimentation at Scale The Serco Customer Innovation of the Year The Island Pacific Speciality Retailer of the Year Winner: Argos, Digital Christmas Gift Guide Winner: The Entertainer The ISG Store Design of the Year The Wincanton Supply Chain Initiative of the Year Winner: LloydsPharmacy, Betterlife Store, Leeds Winner: Shop Direct, Project Delight Highly Commended: The White Company, Norwich awards.retail-week.com | 020 3033 2657 LAST YEARS WINNERS The Deloitte Employer of the Year The Tata Consultancy Services Store Manager of the Year Winner: Astone Davids, Topps Tiles, Croydon Winner: ao.com Highly Commended: Tom Currie, Marks & Spencer, Nugent Park, Orpington Highly Commended: Shop Direct The Heidrick and Struggles International Retailer of the Year The AlixPartners Growth Retailer of the Year Winner: Aldi Winner: The Hut Group The Clarity Retail Leader of the Year The Oracle Retailer of the Year Winner: Stefano Pessina, Executive Vice Chairman and Acting Chief Executive Officer, Walgreens Boots Alliance Winner: Ted Baker Outstanding Contribution to Retail Winner: Sir Ian Cheshire awards.retail-week.com | 020 3033 2657 FOR HELP WITH YOUR ENTRY PLEASE CONTACT: David Rebelo | [email protected] | 020 3033 2657 TO BOOK YOUR TABLE PLEASE CONTACT: Roseanne Oakshott | [email protected] | 020 7715 6326 TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT SPONSORING THESE AWARDS PLEASE CONTACT: Susan Hickmott | [email protected] | 020 3033 4222 awards.retail-week.com Follow us at @retailweekaward To stop receiving information regarding the Oracle Retail Week Awards 2016, please email [email protected]
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