Perry and Maxwell throw weight behind fashion retail awards
The pair have agreed to act as MC and guest speaker respectively at the awards evening which will see more than 200 of the fashion industry's leading lights gather together to hear who will be named Australia's top fashion retailer.
The annual event, the third staged by Ragtrader and TNT, saw entries flood in from across the country with national chain stores, Tarocash, David Lawrence, Country Road and incumbent General Pants joining boutique stores Morrison, Villoni Fashions and Cloud Berry in vying for the title.
Winners will be announced during a glittering cocktail party to be staged at Sydney's Establishment Hotel on November 29.
Ragtrader publisher Tracy Yaffa credited the addition of extra categories as the reason for the popularity of this year's awards.
Yaffa said that unlike in previous years where there were three awards dished out - best chain, best independent and best department store - this year's event encouraged a more diverse range of entrants with the chain store category broken up into best under-20 and best over-20 and the boutiques segment expanded to feature best kidswear, womenswear and menswear retailer. A separate department store category will also feature as part of this year's programme.
The official judging process began several months ago following the opening of nominations in June. Intervening months have seen award judges furiously scrambling behind the scenes with suppliers contacted, spot checks conducted and initial phone interviews undertaken to help narrow down the list of finalists.
Last month saw award scrutineers Amanda Young and Belinda Smart take to the road to conduct indepth examinations of the headquarters of the chosen few, taking into account such things as store layout, marketing and promotional activity, employee training and operational systems.
Finalists in each category, which will be named in the November 17 edition of Ragtrader, will be flown to Sydney and hosted at the awards function. However, additional tickets are available at a cost $55 each and can be obtained by contacting Francesca Schmutz at Two de Force on 02 9281 8788 or via email Francesca@twodeforce.com.au