Shopping centre giant Westfield has again pledged its support to the Young Retailer of the Year Awards and confirmed it will offer this year's winner a place on the 2012 Westfield World Retail Study Tour.
The 2012 Young Retailer of the Year Awards, hosted by the National Retailer's Association (NRA), will take place at a gala dinner at the Rydges Melbourne Hotel on Wednesday August 1 this year.
The annual competition provides a national platform to recognise and reward excellence amongst young retailers under the age of 25, and aims to promote retailing as a career of choice for young people.
Last year, the 2011 Young Retailer of the Year, Kmart Tamworth's general merchandise manager Jennifer Skeahan-Heugh, won a place on the 2011 Westfield World Retail Study Tour, which will begin on May 9, visiting Tokyo, New York, London, Paris and Milan.
Last week, Westfield's retailer relations general manager Jack Hanrahan confirmed that Westfield would again provide the same opportunity for the 2012 NRA Young Retailer of the Year award winner.
“By providing a place on the Westfield World Retail Study Tour as the winning prize, we hope to encourage retailers to give their worthy staff this unique opportunity by nominating them for the 2012 Young Retailer of the Year Award,” he said.
“The aim of the tour is to educate, motivate and inspire retailers by exposing them to the latest global retail trends and technology, and providing interactive learning experiences with leading edge retailers and providers globally.”
The Westfield World Retail Study Tour aims to educate and inspire retailers and includes travel across five of the world’s major retail capitals, including Tokyo, New York, Paris, London and Milan. Members of the tour have the opportunity to attend over 50 retail-related presentations and workshops, plus behind-the-scenes sessions at retailers’ head offices, and meet some of the world’s best retailers and learn their strategies and secrets first-hand. Basic costs for the tour start at $14, 549 and also include airfares, five-star accommodation in all cities, team dinners in Tokyo, Paris and Milan, conference sessions, and local guides in all cities.
Entries into the 2012 Young Retailer of the Year competition will be accepted until Friday 25 May. Young retailers must be under the age of 25 years as at October 1, 2012 to be eligible to enter. Retailers are encouraged to submit entries from any store throughout Australia, with no limit on the number of entries that can be submitted per state.
Important dates are as below. For more information click here.
Friday May 25: Applications close
Friday June 29: Finalists announced
Tuesday July 17: Finalist telephone interviews
Wednesday July 18: Finalist telephone interviews
Wednesday August 1: Finalist panel interviews: Rydges Melbourne Hotel
Wednesday August 1: Retail workshop: Rydges Melbourne Hotel
Wednesday August 1: Dinner and awards ceremony: Rydges Melbourne Hotel