he region’s retail fraternity came together on October 27 at Conrad Hotel in Dubai to celebrate excellence and felicitate the stars in the business of retail at the Images RetailME Awards 2015
It’s more than just about winning in a tough retail market
It was a gala evening where the retail stars sparkled. The glittering awards ceremony was graced by about 500 professionals, specialists and VIP guests representing the who’s who of the retail industry.
The awards recognise excellence across a range of retail categories, turning the spotlight on the best-performing retailers in the region and benchmarking best practices in this vibrant industry.
There can be no greater accolade than gaining recognition from one’s peers, the awards jury comprising eminent names from the world of retail. This year we sought to do things a bit differently to make the awards process more competitive and transparent, segregating the awards into two categories – self-nominated and industry-nominated.
Under self-nomination, retailers were free to nominate themselves in any of eight categories including marketing campaign, social media campaign, retail launch, store design, online retailer, store design, store manager, CRM initiatives and responsible retailer.
Their submissions were evaluated and judged by a jury panel comprising Mohammad Alawi, CEO of Red Sea Markets Co, Saudi Arabia; Roy Higgs, president of US-based Roy Higgs International; Davide Padoa, CEO of UK-based Design International; Mohamed Galal, chairman, Tasweeq Shopping Malls Egypt; and Simon Hathaway, president of Cheil Worldwide, UK.
For the industry-nominated awards, we conducted a survey among the top regional shopping malls to short-list the best-performing retailers at their malls and elsewhere.
The names emerging from the survey were subsequently vetted by a panel of veterans and experts from the shopping centre industry that included Simon Wilcock, CEO, Arabian Centres, Saudi Arabia; Avijit Yadav, COO, GLA Management Company; Steve Bunce, director, retail asset management at Aldar Properties, Abu Dhabi; and Rebecca Arnold, general manager of Time Square Centre, Dubai.
The process helped us nominate the top-performing brands under 22 categories.
The score sheets of the jury reviews were then forwarded to an independent adjudicator, Crowe Horwath, who tallied the final results. These were kept strictly confidential until the evening of the Awards gala in order to maintain secrecy and the spirit of competition.
We thank every member of our jury for sparing time and effort to evaluate the submissions and compile the results.
A big note of thanks is also due to our partners for supporting the event: Lulu Group International; Zebra Technologies; SAP; Wipro, Sàvant Data System; Qwikcilver; Vinculum; Hamat Property Co; Kalandoor; Brands International; Crowe Horwath International (audit partner); gia (awards partner); Zee TV Network (broadcasting partner); Images RetailME; Imagesretailme.com; TextilWirtschaft; Lebensmittel Zeitung; and Indiaretailing.com (media partners).
Finally, we would like to thank all participants and congratulate the finalists and the ultimate awardees.
Self-Nomination Based Awards Categories
Most Admired Marketing Campaign of the Year: Centrepoint
Most Admired Social Media Campaign of the Year: Centrepoint
Most Admired Retail Launch of the Year: LuckyBrand
Most Admired Store Design of the Year – Fashion: Aeropostale
Most Admired Store Design of the Year – Footwear & Accessories: Toms
Most Admired Store Design of the Year: Virgin Megastore
Most Admired Online Retailer of the Year: Mumzworld.com
Most Admired Store Manager of the Year: Anton Bulatov – CALL IT SPRING
Most Admired Retailer of the Year – CRM Initiative: Club Apparel
Most Admired Responsible Retailer of the Year: THE One
Industry Nominated Jury Awards Categories:
Most Admired Retailer of the Year – Fashion (Premium): Ted Baker
Most Admired Retailer of the Year – Fast Fashion (High Street): Forever 21
Most Admired Retailer of the Year – Affordable Fashion: Max Fashion
Most Admired Retailer of the Year – Gold, Jewellery & Watches: Damas
Most Admired Retailer of the Year – Footwear & Accessories: Aldo
Most Admired Retailer of the Year – Sportswear: Nike
Most Admired Retailer of the Year – Children’s wear: Gymboree
Most Admired Retailer of the Year – Cosmetics & Personal Care Products: Sephora
Most Admired Retailer of the Year – Spa & Wellness: Fitness First
Most Admired Retailer of the Year – Pharmacy & Healthcare: Life Pharmacy
Most Admired Retailer of the Year – Home & Housewares: Home Centre
Most Admired Retailer of the Year – Consumer Electronics: Sharaf DG
Most Admired Retailer of the Year – Entertainment: Vox Cinemas
Most Admired Retailer of the Year – Leisure: Virgin Megastore
Most Admired Retailer of the Year – Food & Grocery: Othaim Markets
Most Admired Retailer of the Year – Food Service (QSR): Tim Hortons
Most Admired Retailer of the Year – Food Service (Casual Dining): The Cheesecake Factory
Most Admired Retailer of the Year – Department Store: Paris Gallery
Most Admired Retailer of the Year – Hypermarket: Carrefour
Most Admired Rising Star Retailer of the Year: Pedro
Most Admired International Retailer of the Year: H&M
Most Admired Middle East Retailer of the Year: Majid Al Futtaim
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