Thursday 11th October 2012
Bestway Retailer Development Award Winners 2012
Twenty-two independent retailers shared the £43,000 cash prize at the 11th Bestway Retailer Development Awards at London’s Grosvenor House, Park Lane, this evening.
Over 400 people attended the event which since 2001 has recognised those behind the convenience store movement across England and Wales and become one of the retail industry’s top award schemes. This year the honours were extended to include Scotland and were billed by Bestway’s group chief executive, Zameer Choudrey, as “a celebration of Great Britain’s independents.”
Muhammad Shahzad of the Russell Supermarket in Marchmont Street, London, claimed the title of Bestway Overall Retailer of the Year and the top prize of £10,000.
Speaking at the awards, Mr Choudrey said: “The Bestway Retailer Development Awards have for the past decade recognised those providing outstanding service and support to their local communities – and the crucial role they play as a route to market for suppliers in the grocery sector. Bestway itself was founded 35 years ago by independent retailers and it’s always inspiring to see the talent we have in this industry. I congratulate all the winners and runners-up and wish them continued success.”
Retail Development seminars run by Bestway as part of the awards have helped more than 4,000 independent retailers to build a more profitable business. Winners are judged on improvements made over the past 12 months in criteria including customer service; the range of goods stocked; Point-of-Sale (POS) materials; sales, including the success of new lines; pricing policy; and store layout.
The regional winners – including the inaugural Scottish Retailer of the Year – each received £3,000, with the runners-up collecting £2,000 each. They were:
North
- Winner: John Leak of Much Hoole Village Store, Preston
- Runner-up: Raja Jamil of Best-in Supermarket, Oldham
South
- Winner: Shahzad Khaddam of MH Food Store, Luton
- Runner-up: Selliah Karunakaran of Luton Food and Wine, Luton
Scotland
- Scottish Retailer of the Year: Abdul Rashid of Salina Mini Market, Glasgow
- Runner-up: John McGowan of Icon Stores, Aberdeen
Bruce and Donna Morgan of Best-one Brownlies in Edinburgh picked up the Best-one trophy and £3,000, with Padma Makan of Best-one in Clayton, Manchester, claiming the £2,000 runner-up Best-one symbol group prize. Mohammed Issa MBE of 1st Stop 2 Shop in Dundee, Scotland, collected the Community Award along with £1,000 for his valuable work towards the welfare of the local community. And 12 Category Winners walked away with £1,000 each for their award-winning display and promotion of products across key sectors; they were:
Chilled & Frozen (sponsored by Birds Eye, Kepak, Muller, Wiseman Dairies)
- Jitendra Patel of Niki News, Battersea, London
General Grocery (sponsored by General Mills, Heinz, Kellogg’s, Nestlé Grocery, Tate & Lyle)
- Mohammed Naeem Wasim of Moston Superstore & News, Mostyn, Manchester
Household, Health & Beauty (sponsored by Kimberley Clarke, Procter & Gamble, Reckitt Benckiser)
- Thiru Ramash of Toddington Food & Wine, Dunstable, Bedfordshire
Tobacco (sponsored by Imperial Tobacco)
- Narinder Devgun of Heath Hayes Post Office, Birmingham
Confectionary (sponsored by Kraft, Nestlé Confectionary)
- Azeem Siddiq of Pure Convenience, Salford
Crisps & Snacks (sponsored by KP McVities, PepsiCo Walkers)
- Thiru Ramash of Toddington Food & Wine, Dunstable, Bedfordshire
Soft Drinks (sponsored by AG.Barr, Britvic, Boost, Coca Cola, GlaxoSmithKline, Red Bull)
- Vishnu Patel of Nikes Convenience Store, Houghton Regis, Bedfordshire
Water (sponsored by Nestlé Waters)
- Rajvinder Bains of Ospringe Food & Wine, Faversham, Kent
Wines & Spirits (sponsored by Accolade Wines, Diageo, J Gallo, Pernod Ricard)
- Mohammed Asim Aksar of News One, Heywood, Lancashire
Beer & Cider (sponsored by AB Inbev, Heineken UK, Magners, Molson Coors)
- Shahid Hussain of Glanamman Service Station, Carmarthen, Wales
Pet Food (sponsored by Masterfoods, Nestlé Purina)
- Vasutheyan Rajaratnam of VM Stores, Cardiff, Wales
Baby Food (sponsored by Danone Baby Nutrician)
- Vishnu Patel of Nikes Convenience Store, Houghton Regis, Bedfordshire