Australia’s leading Independent Grocers of Australia (IGA) stores were recognised at the prestigious annual IGA Awards of Excellence held on the Gold Coast on 9 July.
The IGA Awards of Excellence acknowledge the dedicated efforts of the stores and their teams in their local community, and heralded the winning stores as the benchmark for other 1400 independent supermarkets across the IGA retail network.
The national awards were judged on a range of criteria including customer service, community contribution, department excellence, brand values, sales, profits, merchandising, shopper experience and the store’s overall performance.
The awards were presented to the store teams by Scott Marshall, Metcash CEO of Supermarkets and Convenience and Ian Ashcroft, Chair of the IGA National Retailer Council.
Metcash CEO of Supermarkets and Convenience, Scott Marshall, said, “These awards give us the opportunity to celebrate the dedication, passion and excellence that IGA stores have demonstrated over the past year.
“IGA retailers go above and beyond to deliver a tailored and stand out customer ex
perience for their local shoppers and we’re delighted to recognise their outstanding achievements, and contribution to the independent retail grocery industry.”
IGA Awards of Excellence take place each year at a gala dinner during the Metcash Food and Grocery Expo on the Gold Coast to celebrate the success across IGA’s network of stores.
Over 6000 retailers and suppliers visit Expo from across the Metcash business to experience retailing best practice and latest products and food trends to bring to shoppers at their local IGA.
Twenty-one category awards were presented. The major award winners are listed below:
National Retailer of the Year
- Ritchies SUPA IGA Dromana, Victoria – The Ritchies Group
SUPA IGA Store of the Year
- Ritchies SUPA IGA Dromana, Victoria – The Ritchies Group
IGA Store of the Year
- Romeo’s Food Hall IGA MLC Martin Place, NSW/ACT – Romeo’s Retail Group
IGA X-press Store of the Year
- IGA X-press Bowen Hills, Queensland – Shikhil Nagpal
Hall of Fame:
Oliver and Roseanne Bertoncini, Pearsall IGA – Pearsall, WA
- Outstanding retailers, community advocates and business identity, Oliver and Roseanne Bertoncini were inducted into the prestigious IGA Hall of Fame, which recognised outstanding achievements and contributions to the Australian independent retail grocery industry
Here is the summary of winners announced during the evening:
Ritchies SUPA IGA Dromana, Victoria – The Ritchies Group
- National Retailer of the Year
- SUPA IGA Store of the Year
- Retail Transformation & Innovation Award
- SUPA IGA Bakery Department of the Year
Romeo’s Food Hall IGA Summer Hill, NSW/ACT – Romeo’s Retail Group
- SUPA IGA Delicatessen Department of the Year
- SUPA IGA Dairy-Freezer Department of the Year
Romeo’s Food Hall IGA MLC Martin Place, Romeo’s Retail Group
- IGA Store of the Year
- IGA Bakery Department of the Year
- IGA Fresh Produce Department of the Year
Other IGA Awards of Excellence winners include:
- John David Team Member Award: Katherine Nadwie-Smith, Sensory Insights Manager – Macquarie Park NSW
- IGA Hall of Fame 2018 inductees: Oliver and Roseanne Bertoncini (WA)
- IGA Community Award: Ashcroft’s Group, Orange NSW/ACT – Ian & Rochelle Ashcroft
- IGA Customer Service Award: Frewville Foodland IGA, SA – Commercial Retail Group
- IGA X-press Small Format Store Innovation Award: Swanbourne Market IGA X-press, WA – Steve Carre
- IGA Delicatessen Department of the Year: Ritchies IGA Mount Eliza, VIC – The Ritchies Group
- Foodland IGA/SUPA IGA Grocery & General Merchandise Department of the Year: Ceduna Foodland IGA, SA – Geoff Boettcher
- IGA Grocery & General Merchandise Department of the Year: Supamart IGA Rose Bay, NSW – Karellas family
- SUPA IGA Fresh Produce Department of the Year: North Road SUPA IGA, WA – Bob Cybula
- SUPA IGA Meat Department of the Year: Queens SUPA IGA, WA – John Rigter
- IGA Meat Department of the Year: IGA Mt Cotton, QLD Tyrone & Leanne Jones
- IGA Dairy-Freezer Department of the Year: Dysons IGA Numurkah, VIC – Colin Dyson
- Rising Star Award: Mark Pettit – IGA Tweed Valley Way, QLD
good ceremony