The winners of the 2005 Auckland Top Shop Awards were selected from more than 300 entries. Sponsored by the New Zealand Herald and The Aucklander, the awards were open to all retailers in the greater Auckland region, from Orewa to Pukekohe.
An independent panel of juclidges evaluated the stores on excellence in customer service, product knowledge, selling skills and manner of staff, as well as the store's atmosphere, design and layout.
The judging process took place throughout August and September with each entrant mystery shopped in order to determine the finalists. Each finalist was then revisited and reassessed by a judging panel of 11 retailing experts across consulting, design, HR, merchandising, media and training, the identities of which were not revealed until after the awards were announced.
Speaking on behalf of the judging panel, John Long of Retail Consulting Group said the calibre and quality of the finalists had been very impressive and it was great to see so many retailers with such high standards in place. “It made selecting the winners very challenging.”
Long said the judging was also made challenging by the award programme's emphasis on customer service, with numerous visits made to each finalist and hearty debate amongst the judges to ensure a balanced decision.
Click here to see the Award details:
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