Retail Operational Excellence

Six of Singapore’s best retailers were honoured by the Singapore Retailers Association (SRA) for the outstanding impact they each made on the retail scene in Singapore through innovation, creativity and retail excellence.

For 17 years, the Singapore Retailers Association (SRA) has been presenting the coveted SRA Retail Awards to the industry’s crème de la crème for adding new and exciting dimensions to retail and taking the industry to new heights.

Supported by SPRING Singapore and the Singapore Tourism Board, the awards were presented by guest-of-honour, Dr Koh Poh Koon, Minister of State for Trade & Industry, and R Dhinakaran, president of SRA.

The winners of the SRA Retail Awards 2016, who emerged top out of some 40 contenders, are:

• Best New Entrant of the Year: Warehouse Club @ Joo Koon Circle.Warehouse Club (WHC) oers a new and exciting experience — shoppers can buy in bulk to enjoy greater savings, and also shop for quality products from well-known global brands not available elsewhere in Singapore. Displaying and merchandising its stocks by pallets and cartons, WHC provides a spacious and shopper-friendly warehouse shopping experience, while its walk-in chiller and central storage freezer offer the unique experience of buying fresh and frozen products in a cold room environment.
• Best Retail Concept of the Year:  DFS Wines & Spirits Duplex @ Changi Airport Terminal 3.

  DFS Wines & Spirits Duplex provides a stimulating, adventurous and delightful retail experience. Shoppers are immediately wowed by the double-height atrium with 998 bottles on display — a betting entrance for the duplex which carries one of the largest ranges of spirits, wines and tobacco brands in the region.

• Best Retail Event of the Year: “Star Wars at Changi Airport” by Changi Airport Group.Apart from a Star Warsthemed shopping promotion, online contest and exclusive merchandise giveaways, Changi Airport put up a concerted eort to thrill shoppers through a series of exciting Star Wars-related activations and an immaculate display of realism. e promo’s series of well thought-through activations created an immersive intergalactic experience, drew huge crowds and increased retail sales.
• Best Efforts in Social Responsibility: Dairy Farm Singapore. Dairy Farm Singapore has continuously reinforced the spirit of community bonding, environmental conservation and caring for the less fortunate. To further drive the CSR spirit, the group engaged different generations of Singaporeans including needy families to celebrate SG50 through a string of activities which promoted communal harmony, and caring for each other and the environment.
• Manager of the Year: Mah Choon Meng, retail associate director, Singtel.Mah has cultivated a high level of respect from his team of 333 star and  constantly uses his vast experience to drive positive changes at Singtel. A creative leader with a passion for improving sales and operational performance, he has led his team successfully through the transformation of Singtel shops, ensured the seamless introduction of the Sales Man App which enabled his sta to better serve customers, shortened customers’ waiting time through the E-appointment system, and upgraded the skillset of his retail team.
• Young Executive of the Year: Chew Wei Kean, senior pharmacist, Watsons.Creative, passionate and resourceful, Chew is not only committed to being a top-notch pharmacist, but also constantly goes the extra mile to exceed customers’ expectations and improve operational effciencies at Watsons. rough his own initiative, he used his self-acquired IT knowledge to improve communication and productivity by developing several web-based tools including WePharm which gives the stores immediate access to all medications available in Singapore.

As part of SRA’s annual industry recognition eorts, SRA also paid tribute to the winners of the SRA Shopping Centre Awards 2016 and recipients of the National Retail Scholarships at the SRA Ball 2016.