Two winners so far in retail’s top battle

Two winners so far in retail’s top battle

In the last week, two of the country’s top retail professionals have been recognised. Rebekah Brown from Resene Mt Roskill was named Upper North Island contender for the coveted ServiceIQ Retail Professional of the Year title, and Liquor King Horsham Downs’ Ashley Brunel is back in line to reclaim his crown as 2014 overall winner, after being named the Central North Island winner.

The retail stars will compete against three other regional winners, with the overall winner to be announced at this year’s prestigious Top Shop Awards in Christchurch in early September.

Rebekah, 21, hasn’t looked back since she joined the award-winning paint company just over a year ago.

As part of its commitment to top quality product and service, Resene gives employees the opportunity to upskill on-job. For Rebekah, this means that she is earns as she learns while also gaining nationally recognised qualifications and skills to help her build a professional career in retail.

She says: “On job training has been immensely important to me and my growth as a retail assistant. It has given me the knowledge and confidence to take on more, and the ground work to move into other roles.”

So far, Rebekah has gained ServiceIQ’s National Certificates in Retail Level 1 and Level 2.

Resene’s focus on excellence is all part of the training mix.

“Having the passion to be the best at what you do and the knowledge to give your customers the best retail experience possible,” is what it takes to be a great retail professional says Rebekah.

Ashley was awarded the coveted national title in 2014, and he has every intention of continuing his reign for another year.

On-job training helped the star performer achieve his goal to lead and manage: after successfully gaining ServiceIQ National Certificates in Retail Level 3 and Level 4, he now runs Liquor King’s Hillcrest store in Hamilton.

“On-job training gives you skills that can improve your service,” says Ashley. “It also gives you skills to improve the store layout, performance, and enhance your overall customer experience.”

“You need to know your products and how they fit to suit to your customers. You need to be passionate about customer service, and you need to go the extra mile.”

The other contestants competing in the regional finals are:

Lower North Island
Selena Campbell – Rosebowl Bakery & Café, Fielding
Samuel Baker – Glengarry Kelburn, Wellington
Kalima Farris – The Pet Centre, Lower Hutt

Upper South Island
Rebekah Coulter – Leading Edge Communications, Christchurch
Mary Sangster – Children’s Bookstore, Christchurch
Nahida Lisa – Hattrick Services, Christchurch

Lower South Island
Boyce Wilson – Noel Leeming, Invercargill
Shannon Read – Mitre 10 MEGA, Dunedin
Jess Pulham – Carvin Streetwear, Gore
Abhishek Koomanthara – Noel Leeming, George Street, Dunedin

ENDS

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