ISB Top 50 leader among 2021 retail innovation award winners

The Retail Doctor Group has announced the six winners of the 2021 edition of its Australian Retail Innovators awards. The awards are designed to showcase retailers who are outstanding in their approach to innovation and out-of-the-box thinking across the six categories. An international panel of retail experts were invited to select the winners from a pool of finalists chosen for their contributions to the retail industry over the past year.

The winners, chosen for their exemplary service and performance, in each of the six award categories are:

Customer Experience category

Genesis Motors took out this category for their “fresh take on the car sales model, and meeting customers more than halfway in the purchase journey.”

Between The Flags for Digital Innovators category

Between the flags were lauded by the judges for “having grasped the possibilities of digital technology” with their implementation of in-store touchscreens that enable customers to pick up where they left off online, without having to restart the buying process from scratch.

Omnichannel Excellence category

Mecca were named as the omnichannel champions for bridging the gap between their online community and in-store service experience by offering video calls with their beauty experts, livestreamed tutorials and a physical selfie studio directly connected to social media platforms.

The Party People for Research & Strategic Focus category

Inside Small Business 2020 Top 50 Small Business Leader Dean Salakas added to his trophy cabinet by bagging this award category for having “successfully kept on top of rapidly changing consumer needs during a volatile year” through adapting their product range top offer a coronavirus survival category of party goods.

Good Sammy Enterprises for Social Cause category

Good Sammy Enterprises in WA won this award category for or providing opportunities for the people with a disability in the state through training and development programs, in-house jobs and advocating for opportunities in the wider community for their clients.

Inspiring retail leaders

Five people took this category out for their innovation and having “proven themselves as outstanding leaders, guiding their teams to greatness and pushing the boundaries of success”. They are:

  • Anthony Grice, CEO of Clark Rubber
  • Anthony Heraghty, CEO & MD of Super Retail Group
  • Feras Karem, CEO & MD of Pharmacy 4 Less
  • Sean Farrell, Head of Retail at Ben & Jerry’s ANZ; and
  • Stephanie Leathers, General Manager at Aje