Metcash Food & Grocery held its annual expo on the Gold Coast, July 19-21, and used the occasion to honour some of the best retailers in the IGA group.
Held at Jupiter’s Casino on July 20, the Retailer of the Year Awards recognised stores and departments that had achieved something out of the ordinary through sales increases or innovations, providing the benchmark for what it means to be an IGA retailer.
Top honours were bestowed upon:
- Frewville Foodland IGA, SA – SUPA IGA/Foodland IGA Retailer of the Year.
- Ritchies IGA Mt Eliza, Vic – IGA Retailer of the Year.
- IGA X-press Lauderdale, Tas – IGA X-press Retailer of the Year.
Accepting the award for Frewville Foodland IGA, Commercial Retail Group General Manager Spero Chapley spoke of his family’s passion for the industry and the importance of loving your work.
“We spend hours at work and at home thinking about business, about the supermarket industry,” he said. “But really, what’s the use if you can’t have fun, can’t enjoy it, can’t build relationships, friendships?”
“We love what we do and we enjoy every moment of time we get to spend with our friends, our family, our colleagues. It’s interesting times, challenging times. But please, enjoy it.”
Retailers were also awarded for their success in particular departments, with some stores topping multiple categories. White’s SUPA IGA Bli Bli, Queensland, was named SUPA IGA Deli Department of the Year and SUPA IGA Dairy-Freezer Department of the Year; Pearsall IGA, Western Australia, was named IGA Grocery Department of the Year and IGA Dairy-Freezer Department of the Year; and IGA X-press New Town, Tasmania was named IGA X-press Fresh Department of the Year and IGA X-press Grocery Department of the Year.
Tony and Elisabeth Romeo of Romeos Retail Group were entered into the Dr Thomas S Haggai Hall of Fame.
The full list of award winners and photos will by published in an upcoming edition of Retail World magazine.
