There is another week for suppliers to nominate outstanding retailers for the Excellence in Housewares Awards – see categories below. The number of nominations received is the key determiner for most of the retail categories.
There are three ways to submit nominations:
- Suppliers can click HERE to fill out and submit an online form.
- Suppliers can download a form to fill out and return by clicking HERE.
- Suppliers can email nominations directly to PH’s Jo Howard at joh@max-publishing.co.uk
“Given the challenges of the market, it has never been more important for suppliers to recognise the great lengths their stockists are going to provide outstanding customer experience and choice,” commented Rob Willis, PH’s publishing director.
He continued: “We urge all suppliers to submit whatever nominations they can, and circulate the nomination form to members of their sales team to encourage a wide range of new and established retailer names from across the housewares spectrum.”
Suppliers can send in multiple sets of nominations (ie from different sales regions), but nominations for the same retailer will only be counted once per supplier. Suppliers are asked to specify first and second choice nominations in each category.
PH will contact retailers nominated for Display, Initiative and Training awards to invite them to submit photographs or further information.
The 2019 Retailer Award categories are:
Best Department Store – Independent
Criteria: Nominees should be an individual independent department store or branch of a small group of up to three stores. Excellence in areas across the retail spectrum, including: product range, product knowledge, staff training, customer care, marketing and promotion, display and (if relevant) multi-channel retailing.
Best Department Store – Multiple Branch or Group Member
Criteria: Nominees should be a specific branch of a department store chain or group of above three stores (including members of the Fenwick Group). Excellence in areas across the retail spectrum, including: product range, product knowledge, staff training, customer care, marketing and promotion, display and (if relevant) multi-channel retailing.
Excellence in Non – Specialist Multiple Retailing
Criteria: Nominees should have in excess of four stores, and stock housewares as part of their selection of goods. This includes supermarkets, home improvement stores, garden centres, home furnishing stores and general stores (but does not include department stores). The award is for excellence across the retail spectrum including product range, marketing and promotion, display and (if relevant) multi-channel retailing.
Excellence in Specialist Retailing (Multiples and Large Independents)
Criteria: Nominees should be a specialist retailer (other than a department store chain) with three stores plus an online store, or four or more stores. They should demonstrate excellence in areas across the retail spectrum including: product range, product knowledge, staff training, customer care, marketing and promotion, display and (if relevant) multi-channel retailing.
Most Promising Newcomer
Criteria: Nominees should be a new cookshop or housewares business (not including new branches of cookshops), which has opened or started up over the past three years (ie since 1 July 2016).
Excellence in Direct Retailing
Criteria: Nominees should be retailers of housewares that use one or more non- ‘bricks and mortar’ channels as a highly significant or primary route to its consumers. Retail channels may be internet, catalogue, TV or a combinations of these.
Excellence in Retailer Initiative
Criteria: This award is for a single recent initiative to promote the sale of housewares products and/or raise the profile of the shop and foster customer loyalty (from any housewares retailer, whether independent or multiple).
Excellence in Retail Training
Criteria: This award is for a retailer’s approach to training for its team. This can be an on-going training programme or specific training initiative that has been instigated (or been particularly significant) in the last year.
Retail Employee Of The Year
Criteria: Nomination of retail employees who make a difference with their enthusiastic, attentive and knowledgeable service (and who could be considered ‘the unsung heroes’ of the shop floor or customer services team.)
Bira Cookshop & Housewares Retailer Of The Year
Criteria: Nominees must be independent bira members currently and through to 2020. (We will check nominees are members). Excellence in areas across the retail spectrum, including: product range, product knowledge, staff training, customer care, marketing and promotion and display (and – if relevant – multi-channel retailing.)
Please submit retailer nominations by June 14, 2019.
For information on how retailers can self nominate, please click HERE.
For information on how to enter products, please click HERE.
If you have any queries, please email joh@max-publishing.co.ukor emmac@max-publishing.co.uk or robw@max-publishing.co.uk
All of the Excellence in Housewares Awards finalists will be featured in Progressive Housewares’ July/August issue, and the winners will be revealed at the glitzy awards night on October 2 at the Royal London Lancaster.
One of the retail winners will become the gia (Global Innovation Award) UK winner 2019/2020 and will represent the best of UK retailing at Chicago’s The Inspired Home Show (March 14-17 2020) and its gia awards night.
