Community Retailer of the Year

Who Can Enter?

The Community Retailer of the Year accolade recognises and rewards retailers for investing in their local communities. This category looks at how your business works within your community for mutual benefit.

Entries must be for a single nominated store and all submitted information should relate to the performance of that store over the 12 months to 1 April 2012.

They will be considered in the following three sub-categories:

• MULTIPLE STORE: individual supermarket forming part of a chain of 10 or more
• COMPANY-OWNED: individual convenience store forming part of a chain of 10 or more
• INDEPENDENT: retailers with fewer than 10 stores

Entry Criteria

Entrants should provide 500-750 words describing the store, its location and shoppers, with a short overview of the range of things you do in your community.

Key points to consider including in you entry are:

• How the store supports local causes
  • Include specific examples of any partnerships you have with local charities, schools or community groups and how together you tackle disadvantage or make a positive impact on the community groups or people you are working with
  • Please include any documentation, letters, press reports, or colour photography illustrating your partnerships and include any charities you have worked with in the past 12 months

• Education of staff about the importance of building the store’s presence in the local community. This includes things like inspiring or training your staff, or asking your customers and suppliers to support you in your community work

• How you manage your community investment, for example:
  • How much employee time and skills you give to your community
  • Do you give materials, provide premises or prizes, etc?
  • Do you feed back to your staff or raise awareness of what you have achieved so that supporters can see what they have achieved and the difference your store has made in the area?

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