RG Retail Excellence Awards Categories
Entries now open
Recognises a fashion retailer demonstrating outstanding performance, brand strength, and customer relevance in the UK market.
Key criteria: Commercial performance, brand positioning, customer engagement, omnichannel execution, innovation in product or proposition.
Entry questions
- What were your key commercial and strategic achievements during the judging period?
- How did you strengthen your fashion proposition and brand relevance?
- What evidence shows improved customer engagement or loyalty?
- How have you innovated across product, channels, or experience?
What judges are looking for
- Strong financial and brand performance
- Clear fashion authority and differentiation
- Evidence-led results, not aspiration
Celebrates excellence in grocery retail, combining operational strength with customer trust and innovation.
Key criteria: Sales growth, availability and range, pricing and value, supply chain resilience, customer satisfaction.
Entry questions
- What were your standout performance highlights over the past year?
- How did you meet changing customer needs around value, quality, or convenience?
- What operational or supply chain improvements made a material difference?
- How do you measure customer trust and satisfaction?
What judges are looking for
- Operational excellence at scale
- Clear customer-first decision making
- Tangible performance metrics
Rewards a homeware retailer that has delivered standout performance through product, design, and customer experience.
Key criteria: Product differentiation, merchandising, brand clarity, growth performance, customer insight.
- How have you delivered innovation in Homeware retail?
- What customer experiences or services set you apart?
- How have you built loyalty and community?
- What commercial results demonstrate success?
What judges are looking for
- Innovation and experiential excellence
- Strong customer metrics
- Clear market leadership
Recognises leadership and innovation in beauty retail, across product, experience, and community.
Key Criteria: Customer loyalty, innovation, experiential retail, digital engagement, commercial results.
Entry questions
- How have you delivered innovation in beauty retail?
- What customer experiences or services set you apart?
- How have you built loyalty and community?
- What commercial results demonstrate success?
What judges are looking for
- Innovation and experiential excellence
- Strong customer metrics
- Clear market leadership
The ultimate award recognising the UK retailer that has delivered exceptional all-round performance.
Key criteria: Financial performance, leadership, customer experience, innovation, resilience, long-term strategy.
Entry questions
- Why does your business represent retail excellence overall?
- What were your most significant achievements across the business?
- Can you demonstrate a clear improvement in financial performance (it’s not about how big your profits are, but how much financial improvement you have made)?
- What makes your organisation a benchmark for the industry?
What judges are looking for
- All-round excellence
- Leadership, resilience, and strategy
- Consistent evidence across multiple functions
Honours a leader whose career has made a lasting and significant contribution to UK retail.
Key criteria: Longevity, industry impact, leadership legacy, mentorship, innovator, influence beyond one organisation.
Entry questions
- Outline the individual’s career and major milestones.
- What lasting impact have they had on UK retail?
- How have they influenced people, culture, or the wider industry?
What judges are looking for
- Long-term impact
- Industry-wide influence
- Legacy beyond one organisation
Celebrates an emerging retail professional showing exceptional promise and impact early in their career.
Key criteria: Personal achievements, leadership potential, innovation, peer recognition, career progression.
Entry questions
- What makes this individual exceptional at their career stage?
- What measurable impact have they delivered?
- How do they demonstrate leadership potential?
What judges are looking for
- Clear trajectory
- Evidence of impact
- Peer and leadership recognition
Recognising outstanding excellence in HR leadership and team performance that has delivered measurable impact on people, culture, and business success. This award is open to HR teams, leaders or combined submissions where strategic HR delivery has driven meaningful workforce and organisational outcomes.
Key criteria: Strategic HR impact, workforce and culture outcomes, innovation in people practices, measurable results, leadership and organisational contribution
Entry Questions
- What people or cultural challenges were addressed?
- What HR initiatives or leadership actions drove the greatest impact?
- How were outcomes measured and what results were achieved?
- How did HR support or enable wider business strategy?
What Judges Are Looking For
- Evidence of strategic HR influence
- Demonstrated cultural or organisational change
- Strong leadership, advocacy and delivery
Rewards a marketing team that has demonstrated strategic excellence, creativity, and consistent commercial impact across the business.
Key criteria: Clear marketing strategy, effectiveness across channels, brand and demand impact, use of insight and data, ROI and business contribution.
Entry questions
- What was your marketing strategy and how was the team organised to deliver it?
- What changes did you make (including innovations) to drive commercial success?
- How did your marketing activity drive brand objectives and commercial growth
- How did insight, data and measurement inform decisions and optimise performance?
- What results and ROI demonstrate your teams positive impact on the business?
What judges are looking for
- Strategic influence across the organisation
- Consistent, high-quality delivery
- Strong leadership and team effectiveness
- Clear demonstration of ROI
Recognises a standout partnership between a retailer and a brand (or brands) that delivered mutual value and enhanced the customer experience.
Key Criteria: Strategic fit, originality of collaboration, quality of execution, benefits to all partners, customer impact, measurable commercial or brand results.
Entry questions
- What was the objective of the partnership?
- Why was this partnership strategically compelling?
- How was the partnership executed in practice?
- What value did it deliver to customers and to each partner?
What judges are looking for
- Strong strategic alignment between partners
- Originality and quality of collaboration
- Mutual commercial and brand benefit
- Clear value delivered to customers
Recognises excellence in private label development, from concept to customer impact.
Key criteria: Product quality, differentiation, pricing strategy, customer adoption, commercial success.
Entry questions
- What was the insight behind the product range?
- How does it differentiate from competitors?
- What commercial or customer results were achieved?
- How does it support the overall brand?
What judges are looking for
- Quality and innovation
- Clear customer demand
- Strong sales or margin impact
Rewards a supply chain initiative that improved efficiency, resilience, or sustainability.
Key criteria: Operational impact, innovation, scalability, cost or service improvement, resilience.
Entry questions
- What challenge did the initiative address?
- What was implemented and why?
- What impact did it have on performance or resilience?
- Can it be scaled or replicated?
What judges are looking for
- Operational impact
- Innovation under pressure
- Measurable efficiency gains
in association with Acopia
Celebrates a newly opened store that sets a benchmark for retail experience.
Key criteria: Store design, customer experience, performance vs expectations, innovation, local relevance.
Entry questions
- What was the concept behind the new store?
- How does it enhance customer experience?
- How has it performed against expectations?
- What makes it distinctive?
What judges are looking for
- Design and experience excellence
- Commercial performance
- Strategic relevance
Recognises a digital team that has delivered outstanding performance through technology, digital platforms, and data-driven innovation to drive business and customer outcomes.
Key criteria: Strategic clarity, collaboration across the business, innovation and delivery, measurable digital growth or efficiency gains, scalability of initiatives.
Entry questions
- What were the digital team’s priorities during the judging period?
- How did the team collaborate across the organisation?
- What initiatives or programmes were delivered?
- What impact did the team have on business performance?
What judges are looking for
- High-performing, collaborative digital teams
- Delivery of complex or large-scale initiatives
- Clear contribution to business performance
- Ability to scale or sustain success
Rewards a digital project that materially improved customer or business performance.
Key criteria: Innovation, customer benefit, technology use, scalability, measurable results.
Entry questions
- What problem did the initiative solve?
- How was technology used?
- What benefits were delivered to customers or the business?
- What evidence supports success?
What judges are looking for
- Practical innovation
- Customer benefit
- Clear ROI
Rewards a retailer demonstrating leadership in sustainability and responsible retailing.
Key criteria: Environmental impact, social responsibility, governance, transparency, measurable progress.
Entry questions
- What sustainability priorities did the retailer focus on during the judging period?
- What actions were taken to address these priorities?
- What measurable progress or outcomes have been achieved?
- How is sustainability embedded into long-term strategy?
What judges are looking for
- Demonstrable action rather than ambition
- Transparent measurement and reporting
- Integration of sustainability into core strategy
- Evidence of ongoing commitment and progress
Celebrates a female leader making an outstanding impact in retail.
Key criteria: Leadership influence, business impact, role modelling, advocacy, career achievement.
Entry questions
- What leadership role does the nominee hold?
- What impact have they delivered for the business or organisation?
- How do they support, inspire, or advocate for others?
What judges are looking for
- Strong leadership impact and business results
- Role modelling and advocacy for others
- Influence beyond formal job title
- Contribution to a more inclusive retail sector
Recognises a finance team delivering strong financial performance and strategic insight.
Key criteria: Financial results, forecasting accuracy, strategic support, cost management, governance.
Entry questions
- How has the finance team supported overall business performance?
- What financial outcomes or improvements were achieved?
- How does the team enable better strategic decision-making?
What judges are looking for
- Strong financial discipline and governance
- Insightful support for strategic decision-making
- Evidence of improved performance or resilience
- Clear linkage between finance activity and business outcomes
Celebrates the most impactful and memorable Christmas advertising campaign.
Key criteria: Creativity, emotional resonance, brand fit, reach and engagement, commercial impact.
Entry questions
- What was the creative idea and objective of the Christmas campaign?
- How did the campaign connect emotionally with audiences?
- Which channels were used and why?
- What impact did the campaign have on brand or commercial performance?
What judges are looking for
- Creative originality and emotional resonance
- Strong alignment with brand and seasonal context
- Cut-through in a crowded market
- Evidence of commercial or engagement impact
Recognising outstanding physical activations and retail media strategies that delivered engaging customer experiences and measurable commercial impact.
Key criteria: Strategic clarity, creativity and execution quality, customer engagement and relevance, measurable commercial impact.
Entry Questions
- What was the physical activation or retail media strategy and its objectives?
- How did customers engage with the experience or media execution?
- What value did it deliver to brand partners and the retail business?
- What measurable results were achieved and how were they tracked?
What Judges Are Looking For
- Strategic clarity and commercial impact
- Creative, high-quality physical execution
- Clear customer engagement and relevance
- Measurable results for brand, retail and partner