Independent Retailer of the Year

Who Can Enter?

Entrants must be independent retailers who own 10 stores or fewer, and will be considered in the following subcategories:

• Up to 1,000sq ft
• Between 1,001sq ft and 2,999sq ft
• 3,000sq ft and over

Entries must be for a single nominated store and all submitted information should relate to the performance of that store. Where a refit has been carried out, it must have been completed by the end of December 2011.

Entry Criteria

STAGE 1 – ENTRIES BY14th May 2012
Retailers are required to demonstrate how they have performed during the 12 months to 1 April 2012, providing documentation (including photography). How did you:

• Understand and meet the needs of shoppers
• Respond to specific needs
• Show true innovation
• Maintain the highest store standards
• Show commitment to the community
• Show commitment to meeting the challenges facing the industry
• Differentiate your store from the competition
• Make improvements to the business with tangible results.

Please list:

• Sales per square foot
• Shop floor size
• Year on year sales growth. Please provide profit performance figures at both trading and business level. This information will be kept confidential for judging purposes only
• Weekly trading hours
• Services provided at the store, eg ATM, Lottery
• Total number of stores you have owned and length of time you have owned them
• How you would promote this award if you won.

STAGE 2 – SHORTLISTING 21 MAY 2012
A panel consisting of convenience retail experts, including convenience consultants SRCG, will evaluate the entrants based on the criteria detailed above and will generate a shortlist to be visited by SRCG. SRCG will visit each of the shortlisted entrants and will carry out an assessment of the store, to include an interview with the manager/owner on site, which will be captured on film. This assessment will also involve a visit from a mystery shopper.

STAGE 3 – FINAL JUDGING 20 JULY 2012
The final judging session will be chaired by an independent industry expert and SRCG will provide the detailed store visit overview for the panel to assess. This will form the basis for the final decision taken by the judging panel.

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