Recognising Retailers At Z Energy

Auckland retailers Wayne and Melanie Kennerley have taken home the title ‘Retailer of the Year’ at Z Energy’s (Z) annual Retailer Awards, for their outstanding contribution to the company this year.

Z’s GM Customer Andy Baird congratulates Wayne and Melanie saying: “These awards help us recognise Z retailers that have gone above and beyond. Wayne and Melanie won Z’s Retailer of the Year Award for their ability to deliver a strong performance, while also balancing several significant infrastructure upgrades across their sites this year.”

Z has over 180 retail sites, stretching from the far North to the deep South, with 16 retailers operating clusters of these sites. Andy explains it’s not simply about providing fuel and a local shop for the area, as Z retailers and their teams seek to play an active role in their communities.

“Our retailers do a fantastic job at representing Z in the communities we operate in. They contribute to the local economy by creating employment opportunities for locals and are focused on building relationships with our customers, community groups and other local businesses.”

Wayne says he and Melanie are thrilled to be recognised: “Winning this Award recognises the hard work our teams deliver across South Auckland day and night. We’re so proud of the site teams who passionately deliver barista coffee, an increasing range of quality hot food and convenience grocery options. Our site teams are well supported by a long serving operations and office team who through their continued focus on safety and standards are a key reason why we’ve received this award.

“Both Melanie and I love retail and we’ve been doing it for a while. Being able to see staff develop careers with us over long periods and the relationships we’ve developed in the community keep us going through the challenges, which this year included a fire, several break-ins, robberies, and the inevitable day to day challenges that retailers face. To receive the Retailer of the Year Award is an honor we don’t take lightly.”

Another two awards were presented to Z retailers this year: the Excellence in Food and Coffee Award, and the Kevin Burns Award.

Canterbury based retailers Jade and Graham Lowe, took home the Excellence in Food and Coffee Award for their fantastic efforts to lead coffee growth and sales conversions this year.

The Kevin Burns Award, named in honor of the late Z Retailer Kevin Burns, is given to the retailer that stands out for their professionalism and encompasses a wide range of focus areas such as safety, wellbeing, a commitment to their community and encouragement to their team to bring their full self to work. This year it was awarded to Clint and Sally Nel – who operate a cluster of Northland and Auckland Z sites – for their excellent commitment to their team in 2024.

“We’re immensely proud of all our retailers. While only several awards are handed out on the day, the event is an opportunity to recognise all Z retailers that live up to Z’s values and exemplify how ‘Z is for Aotearoa New Zealand’,” says Andy.

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