Product Launch of the Year

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The Retail Industry Awards are designed to recognise and reward the fantastic achievements of the UK’s top grocery retailers. But our world-beating retailers, particularly those in the convenience sector, would not be where they are today without the unstinting efforts of their supplier partners, who are constantly investing in research and development to come up with new products, brand extensions, new variants and innovative new packaging. New products are the lifeblood of the sector and it’s in recognition of that we now include Product Launch of the Year in the awards line-up.

Now entering their 11th year, these accolades recognise products available to the independent/convenience channel and are divided into 10 separate sub-categories vital to the impulse channel. They offer suppliers the opportunity to use the prestigious Retail Industry Awards Product Launch logo, which is now widely recognised by consumers, as a mark of excellence on-pack.

Suppliers are encouraged to nominate their top launches in each category and the winners will be voted for by the real experts in their field – the retailers themselves.

There are also two categories that suppliers can enter – Sales Team of the Year and Most Sustainable Product of the Year.
Enter Product Launch of the Year
VIew Supplier categories

This award is divided into 10 subcategories:

  • Alcohol – including beers and ciders, ready-to-drinks, wines and spirits
  • Chilled – including dairy, milk and milk drinks, yogurts and desserts, pasties and pies, meat and cheese
  • Confectionery – including sugar and chocolate confectionery, mints and gums, singles and sharing bags
  • Crisps and snacks – including crisps, corn snacks, rice snacks, nuts and cereal bars
  • Frozen – including ice-creams, desserts, pizzas and ready meals
  • Grocery – including packaged and tinned products, biscuits, bread, cereals, soups, sauces, tea and coffee, preserves and other ambient foods
  • Household – including laundry, washing-up and dish wash products, air fresheners and other cleaning products
  • Soft drinks – including juices, juice-based drinks, water, carbonates, squashes and energy drinks
  • Tobacco – including cigarettes, cigars, hand-rolling tobacco and accessories
  • Vaping and smoking alternatives – including disposable and refillable products, and nicotine pouches

ENTRY CRITERIA
To be eligible for the awards, your product must have been launched between 1 April 2021 and 31 March 2022  and have been widely available to the convenience trade during that period. Eligible launches may include any new SKU – be it a completely new product, brand extension or significant packaging innovation.

JUDGING PROCESS

STAGE ONE
Brand owners are asked to submit entries detailing their top product launches to the convenience channel in each of the 10 sub-categories, launched between 1 April 2021 and 31 March 2022 .
Click here to submit an entry for Product Launch of the Year
 
STAGE TWO
A list of nominated products will be published in Independent Retail News magazine and on www.talkingretail.com . Independent convenience store owners will then be asked to vote for their favourite new product in each sub-category.
 
Winners will be announced during the 2022 Retail Industry Awards, held on 20 September at The Brewery in central London.