Five reasons why it’s great to win an SLR Award!

Entering awards takes a little time and effort to do well, but winning a coveted SLR Award can make a massive difference to your team, your customers, your community and your business.

By Antony Begley

We know that it’s time-consuming to enter industry awards properly, but that time is certainly not wasted if you end up on a shortlist or, better still, if you end up winning an award. Nowhere is this truer than at the SLR Awards thanks to the special combination of factors that make the SLR Awards unique in this industry:

• SLR is the only awards where a judge – me! – literally visits every shortlisted store. That guarantees consistency of judging in a way that no other awards programme can match.
• Also uniquely, SLR is the only industry awards ceremony where we shoot video of all winners, allowing us to show the videos on the night to let everyone in the room see precisely why the winning store came out on top. Plus, we then circulate that video on social media and put it on the SLR Awards website so that everyone else can see too.
• At the SLR Awards, every shortlisted retailer is invited completely free of charge – with a partner – to attend the ceremony. And that includes plush accommodation!
• SLR is the only magazine on earth to have owned and run its own convenience store for five years. In other words: we get retail like no one else.
• In the same vein, SLR has the longest-standing Editor in the entire convenience retailing sector in the UK. Nobody has more experience than us.

So you can rest assured that the SLR Awards are run fairly and knowledgeably and if you are shortlisted or a winner, you’ve very much earned your place among the industry’s leading lights.

But what exactly are the benefits of winning an SLR Award? Some are obvious, but some not so much. So we thought we’d highlight a few of the benefits that come your way when you win an award.

1. Even entering is a benefit

Before we even get to the awards evening in Glasgow, the simple process of entering can be beneficial. It forces you to sit down, take a step back and have a good, hard look at your store, trying to see it through the eyes of your customers. That process can help you identify areas where you’re doing well but can also help flag up areas where there’s room for improvement.

2. It’s good for your team

Who doesn’t like to work in a progressive, award-winning business? Winning an SLR Award can have a strong positive impact on your team and can make them feel valued. They’re playing their part in delivering a store that their industry peers adjudge to be outstanding. It can also help with staff retention, a key challenge these days.

3. It’s good for your customers

Similarly, who doesn’t want to shop in an award-winning store? Seeing those industry awards behind the till or hearing about them on social media can really help cement your relationship with customers and give them a little civic pride about their award-winning local store.

4. It’s good for business

Just as critically, winning an SLR Awards is good for business. Appearing on stage to collect your Award before hundreds of industry colleagues then appearing in the pages of SLR and on social media puts you in front of suppliers and other organisations who will then be more interested in working with you in the future. High-profile retailers and stores are the ones invited to participate in beneficial supplier projects and asked to feature in local, regional and national press and on television.

5. The Awards are a great night out

We obviously hope that the SLR Awards a great night out for everyone who attends – but if you happen to pick up an award into the bargain, you and your team are in the perfect place for a team-building celebration. It feels great to be recognised by, and in front of, your peers. It can help make all the hard work feel worth it.

So why not set aside a quiet half hour and plan your entries in good time? Visit slrawards.com to get started.

Awards Categories

In-Store

• Food-to-Go Retailer of the Year
• Forecourt Convenience Retailer of the Year
• Fresh & Chilled Retailer of the Year
• Home Delivery Retailer of the Year
• Newstrade Retailer of the Year
• Off-Trade Retailer of the Year
• Scottish Brands Retailer of the Year
• Smokeless Alternative Retailer of the Year
• Soft Drinks Retailer of the Year

In-Action

• Community Retailer of the Year
• New Store of The Year
• Refit of the Year
• Sustainability Retailer of the Year
• #ThinkSmart Innovation Award
• Team of the Year
• Special Recognition
• Outstanding Achievement
• Scottish Local Retailer of the Year