Insight, NACS Announce Judges for 2011 International Convenience Retailer of the Year Award
LONDON -- Insight and NACS have announced the judges for this year’s International Convenience Retailer of the Year Award, sponsored by Imperial Tobacco.
New to the panel this year are Joe Barrett, director of Applegreen, the 2010 award winner, and Stephanie Rice, founder of Rice Retail Marketing. Returning panel members are:
-- Joe Bona, president, retail division, CBX
-- Simon Chinn retail analyst, Verdict Research
-- Ramon Kuijpers, international key accounts manager, Reemtsma Cigarettenfabriken GmbH, and Imperial Tobacco Group company
-- Don Longo, editor-in-chief, Convenience Store News & Single Store Owner
-- Sheryle Moon, executive director, Australasian Association of Convenience Stores
-- Dan Munford, managing director, Insight Research
Fiona Briggs, editor, Global Convenience Store Focus, and Erin Pressley, editor, NACS Magazine, will co-chair the judging panel.
The 2011 International Convenience Retailer of the Year Award program was launched in January and is currently inviting entries from leading convenience and forecourt retailers around the world.
Retailers are required to submit documentation based on a number of key criteria and supply photographic and/or video evidence (for further information click here.)
The judging is conducted in two stages. In the first stage, the judging panel reviews the entries to produce a short list of retailer. Then, the short list is featured on Global Convenience Store Focus and readers are invited to vote online for their favorite format.
“We are delighted to have established such an experienced and international panel of convenience expertise,” said Insight managing director Dan Munford. “We are delighted to welcome on board Joe Barrett from Applegreen, the winner of the 2011 Award; and Stephanie Rice, an expert in local marketing. Our judges have an in-depth knowledge and understanding of the convenience sector and they represent some of the leading global convenience store markets. Their input will help to ensure the shortlisted entries in the 2011 International Convenience Retailer of the Year Award will be truly world class.”
Imperial Tobacco is sponsoring the award for the third consecutive year.
Previous winners of international convenience awards, sponsored by Insight and NACS, have included Tesco Express Environment Store and Spar Ireland’s Eurospar format.
In 2009 readers of Global Convenience Store Focus voted Spar China as their winner of the award. The Spar Hongtu store in Dongguan City, Guangdong Province, is independently owned by the Hu Family.
In 2010, Applegreen, Ireland’s leading independent forecourt retailer, won the readers’ vote from an impressive shortlist comprising 7-Eleven, Australia; Pick n Pay, South Africa; Rutter’s Farm Stores, USA; TEMMA, REWE, Germany and Topaz/Centra, Ireland.