Welcome to the Retail Industry Awards 2011

Now entering their 16th year, the Retail Industry Awards remain the only awards of their kind where the whole industry gets together to celebrate everyone from the smallest independent retailers to the largest supermarket groups.

The Retail Industry Awards continue to raise their profile year on year and now enjoy greater recognition than ever before – both within the trade and amongst consumers. Last year saw the winners using their logos more extensively than ever, in newspaper and magazine adverts, on television and in online and in-store marketing. We’re really proud of the importance the industry now places on winning these awards.

This year we have made further improvements, including strengthening some of the entry criteria to make the judging process even more robust. We’ve also added a new award to the line-up – Most Sustainable Retailer of the Year – and are delighted to welcome on board new sponsors PepsiCo to support it. Another addition is the Product Launch of the Year Awards, designed to recognise the magnificent support afforded by the industry’s suppliers. New products are the lifeblood of the sector and our retailers wouldn’t be where they are today without the unstinting efforts of their supplier partners.

There have also been some additions to our line-up of sponsors, and we’re delighted to welcome to the fold Kerry Foods and Packaging News.

Thanks, too, to our loyal supporters who continue to back the awards year after year – Booker, Cadbury, Dairy Crest, Dole Fresh UK, Flower Council of Holland, Heineken, JTI, Mars Chocolate, Parfetts and P&G. What really makes the Retail Industry Awards stand out from the crowd is the transparency, credibility and inclusiveness of the judging process. It really is at the heart of everything we do and we’re delighted once again to be working closely with our judging partners from SRCG, Business in the Community, EBLEX/BPEX, IGD, Kantar Worldpanel, Mintel, Nielsen, Seafish, SymphonyIRI and Verdict.

As ever, we’ll also be calling on expertise from the likes of the Association of Convenience Stores,
National Federation of Retail Newsagents, Rural Shops Alliance and Petrol Retailers Association to name but a few.

The 2011 Retail Industry Awards will be held on 22 September at the Park Plaza Westminster Bridge hotel, London. We look forward to receiving your entries and to another outstanding awards event in 2011.

Helen Lyons
Publisher
Retail Portfolio
Metropolis Business Media