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Retail Industry Awards Categories
We understand that this is an extremely busy and challenging time for our industry and we want to make things as easy as possible for you when entering the awards. As a result entries will remain open until Wednesday 10 June .
Please note that due to earlier judging dates we are only able to extend the entry deadline for the Independent Retailer of the Year, Supermarket of the Year and Convenience Retailer of the Year categories until Tuesday 2 June . If you struggling to meet the deadline please contact Emma Parslow who will be able to advise and offer any help possible.
The Retail Industry Awards are FREE to enter. Before entering why not read our useful hints and tips to help make your entry stand out.
Click here to view our supplier categories.
Store Manager of the Year
This award is open to store managers from the food and drink retail trade, including major multiples, convenience store chains and off-licences. Applicants should be employees rather than business owners and will be considered in the following two sub-categories:
• INDEPENDENT – Retailers with 10 stores or fewer
• MULTIPLE – Retailers with more than 10 stores
Best Use of Technology
This award is divided into two categories:
INDEPENDENT – convenience retailers with 10 stores or fewer
MULTIPLE – groups with more than 10 stores
We are looking for operators who can demonstrate best-in-class use of technology within their business, whether that be online grocery retailing, digital marketing and social media, or in-store technologies such as shelf-edge labelling, self-checkout, media screens and payment apps.
Submissions should focus on activity between 1 March 2019 and 29 February 2020.
Chilled Retailer of the Year
- INDEPENDENT – Open to retailers with 10 stores or fewer. Entries must be for a single store
- MULTIPLE CONVENIENCE – Open to multiple chains or symbol groups with more than 10 managed convenience stores. Entries should be for the whole chain
- MULTIPLE – Open to
groups with more than 10 stores
Drinks Retailer of the Year
Entrants to this award will be judged in the following two sub-categories:
- INDEPENDENT – This sub-category is open to retailers with 10 stores or fewer that have off-licence as part of the product mix in-store or that are specialist off-licence stores.
- MULTIPLE – This sub-category is open to companies operating more than 10 stores, whether they are specialist off-licences or where the off-licence is part of the sales mix in a supermarket or multiple convenience chain.
Submissions should focus on achievements between 1 March 2019 and 29 February 2020.
Food-to-Go Retailer of the Year
This award recognises retailers who can demonstrate
excellence in the field of food-to-go (including hot and cold drinks) within a
convenience store setting.
It is divided into two categories:
• INDEPENDENT
– Open to retailers with 10 stores or fewer. Entries must be for a single
store.
• MULTIPLE CONVENIENCE – Open to
multiple chains with more than 10 managed convenience stores. Entries should be
for the whole chain.
Forecourt Retailer of the Year
Entrants to this category will be considered in three sub-categories:
• Independent – Independently owned forecourt store, either standalone or forming part of a chain of 10 stores or fewer. Entrants must own the freehold/lease of the site, not just the franchise.
• Company-owned – Individual forecourt store forming part of a network of more than 10 outlets that are owned, operated and controlled by a single company with a central head office. Includes franchised sites.
• Multiple – Group consisting of more than 10 stores. This award is for the whole network, not individual sites. Outstanding individual sites operated by a multiple, or run by a contract/commission manager on their behalf, should be entered into the company-owned category.

Fresh Flower Supermarket of the Year
This category is open to all larger multiple retailers, defined as companies operating more than 25 stores. Entries should be submitted in the form of a PowerPoint presentation of no more than 12 slides.
Submissions should focus on performance between 1 March 2019 and 29 February 2020.
Fresh Produce Retailer of the Year
This category is open to retailers in which grocery products
account for more than 50% of sales. Entries will be considered in the following
three sub-categories:
• INDEPENDENT – Retailers with 10 stores or fewer
• MULTIPLE – Retailers with more than 10 stores
• SYMBOL GROUP – Head office
Submissions should focus on achievements between 1 March 2019 and 29 February 2020.
INDEPENDENT
Retailers entering the independent category should either
provide a PowerPoint presentation or a 500-word statement describing why they
deserve to win this award.
MULTIPLE
Retailers entering the multiple sub-category should submit their entries in the form of a PowerPoint presentation of no more than 12 slides.
SYMBOL GROUP
Those wishing to enter should also submit their entries in
the form of a PowerPoint presentation of no more than 12 slides.
Independent Community Retailer of the Year
The INDEPENDENT Community Retailer of the Year accolade recognises and rewards independent convenience retailers who are actively involved in their communities, looking at how a business works within the community for mutual benefit.
Entrants must be independent retailers who own 10 stores or fewer.
Information should focus in particular on activity over the 12 months to 1 April 2020. Include specific examples wherever possible.
Most Improved Store
This award is open to all INDEPENDENT convenience retailers,
affiliated or non-affiliated. Judges will be looking for clear evidence of
positive developments over a maximum two-year period to 29 February 2020.
Nominations should be for a single 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 2019.
Multiple Community Retailer of the Year
The Multiple Community Retailer of the Year accolade
recognises and rewards retailers for investing in their communities, looking at
how a business works within the community for mutual benefit.
Entrants must be MULTIPLE groups running a chain of more
than 10 stores. Entries should be for the group as a whole, rather than for an individual store.
National Lottery Retailer of the Year
This award recognises independent and multiple retailers who can demonstrate excellence in the field of National Lottery ticket sales, bringing together best-in-class merchandising, marketing and high in-store standards. Judges will be looking in particular at achievements over the 12 months to 29 February 2020. This accolade is divided into two sub-categories:
- INDEPENDENT – Open to convenience retailers and newsagents who own 10 stores or fewer. Entries should be for a single store.
- COMPANY-OWNED – Individual store belonging to a multiple convenience operator with more than 10 stores. Entries should be for a single store.
Newcomer of the Year
The Newcomer of the Year award is designed to recognise some of the brightest rising stars in the independent convenience sector.
The award is open to anyone who has joined the sector within the past two years (to 29 February 2020), bringing innovation and enthusiasm and making a real impact on the business.
The judges will be looking for individuals who are regarded as outstanding talents in their field, have great business acumen and are seen as an inspiration to their peers. They should work for an independent convenience business that is either a single store or part of a group with up to 10 outlets.
Outstanding Achievement Award
Each year, the Retail Industry Awards seek to reward an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to the UK food and drink retail sector. We look for a person who has stamped their personality on the sector, who has shown drive, passion and commitment to boost performance and quality in their business.
Post Office Retailer of the Year
This category is for owners of convenience stores and supermarkets whose outlet includes a post office counter (or combination till).
The winning stores will be those that can clearly demonstrate how they integrate the two elements – post office services and grocery/impulse retail – to make a success of the overall business. Judges will be looking for entries that show how each element works in tandem with the other to mutual benefit.
There are three sub-categories:
• SYMBOL GROUP – Individual outlet belonging to one of the major symbol groups
• MANAGED STORE – Individual outlet belonging to one of the major national supermarket groups
All entries must be
for a single named store.
Seafood Retailer of the Year
This category is open to MULTIPLE retailers
(more than 10 stores) of fresh and frozen, prepared and unprepared seafood. All
eligible supermarkets will automatically be entered for this award, but
retailers are strongly encouraged to submit their own entries.
Store Team of the Year
This award is open to teams working in individual
INDEPENDENT convenience stores or SMALL GROUPS with 10 outlets or fewer.
It is designed to recognise store teams that go beyond the call of duty to deliver outstanding customer service and make a real difference to the business and the community they serve.
Judges will be looking to reward a team that can demonstrate how its hard work, expertise and enthusiasm have contributed significantly to the success of the business over the past 12 months.
Sustainable Initiative of the Year
This award recognises a specific initiative undertaken by a UK-based grocery retailer over the past 12 months aimed at improving the sustainability of their operations and/or enabling their customers to shop in a more environmentally friendly way.
Entrants will be judged in the following two sub-categories:
MULTIPLE – groups with more than 10 stores
INDEPENDENT – 10 stores or fewer
Winning entries will demonstrate a positive impact across areas such as the environment, marketplace or workforce.
Symbol/Franchise Group of the Year
All symbol, fascia and franchise groups operating in the UK convenience retail sector are eligible to enter this award.
These will include UK-wide groups – such as Bargain Booze, Best-one, Budgens, Costcutter, Family Shopper, Lifestyle Express, Londis, Mace, Nisa, One Stop, Premier, Select & Save, Simply Fresh, Spar and Today’s – as well as regional groups such as Centra, KeyStore, SuperShop, SuperValu, Vivoxtra and Welcome.
Trailblazer of the Year
The Trailblazer of the Year award recognises up-and-coming talented individuals or pioneering businesses operating within the UK grocery retail sector.
Nominees must show evidence they have made a significant contribution to the industry during the 12 months to 29 February 2020.

Supplier Categories
Sales Team of the Year
Sales teams are a vital part of the supply chain, and an integral part of the retail sector.
The Sales Team of the Year award is designed to recognise and reward the efforts and contribution of those teams that provide outstanding support and service to retail outlets around the country.
Supplier/Retailer Initiative of the Year
Entries are open to any retailer initiatives run by suppliers that have been in operation during the 12 months to 29 February 2020.
Thank you to our supporters and partners