Auckland Airport celebrates retailing excellence

Auckland Airport celebrates retailing excellence

Retail businesses based at Auckland Airport have been acknowledged for their outstanding performance at the annual Auckland Airport Retail Excellence Awards.

The Awards, which are in their fourth year, are organised by Auckland Airport to recognise outstanding team players, exceptional performance and great customer service at businesses based at the airport.

Announced at a ceremony held at the Novotel Auckland Airport, the event saw 12 awards presented, with the ‘2013 Retailer of the Year’ the major award of the evening.

The winner of the 2013 Retailer of the Year Award was Icebreaker. Based at the international terminal, Icebreaker offers a range of specialist merino wool merchandise. Icebreaker opened at Auckland Airport in 2010 and has since become the number one seller globally for the Icebreaker brand, outselling high profile stores in New York.

Icebreaker is operated by Kiwi Discovery who also own and manage several specialist and food and beverage stores at Auckland Airport. The prize that Kiwi Discovery will receive for the Retailer of the Year Award is $50,000 worth of marketing, research and training support.

Richard Barker, Auckland Airport’s general manager retail, says, “During 2013 Icebreaker demonstrated yet another year of exceptional customer experience and sales and brand awareness, as well as actively participating in both marketing and retail excellence initiatives with enthusiasm.”

The Retail Excellence Awards form part of Auckland Airport’s comprehensive Retail Excellence programme, participated in by the over 100 stores, cafes and bars based at the domestic and international terminals. The programme includes airport facilitated mystery shopping, customer service and sales training, co-operative marketing programmes and cultural awareness initiatives.

“The Awards are the culmination of our Retail Excellence programme and are a chance to celebrate the successful performances of airport retail businesses over the year,” says Mr Barker.

“The 2013 calendar year saw 12 of our airport retail businesses achieve sales growth over 20 per cent higher than the previous year, with many more achieving double digit sales growth. Across the busy Chinese New Year period, one retailer achieved sales growth in excess of 80 per cent when compared to the same period the year before.”

“The Retail Excellence Awards are also important as they acknowledge the pivotal role that airport retailers play in the perceptions of visitors to not only our airport, but to our city and country as well,” continues Mr Barker.
“Auckland Airport has been voted best airport in the Australia / Pacific region for five successive years and we must acknowledge the role the retailers play in helping to maintain this position.”

“As well as this, our airport retailers form an important part of the first and last impressions of Auckland and New Zealand for millions of international and domestic visitors. New Zealand is often regarded as one of the friendliest countries in the world and we cannot understate the contribution from our retailers in helping to uphold this image.”

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