Sainsbury’s was crowned top dog at the 2006 Retail Industry Awards last night after walking away with three major accolades.
The chain proved it was well on the road to recovery as it picked up both the Fresh Produce Retailer of the Year award and the much-coveted gong for best overall supermarket, at the awards ceremony held at London's Grosvenor House Hotel.
The company’s first victory of the evening was pipping rivals Somerfield, Waitrose and Morrisons to the post in the fresh produce category, sponsored by Foods From Spain.
Judges highly commended Morrisons for “its innovative merchandising and excellent in-store execution at point of sale”.
But Sainsbury’s impressed the panel overall with its dramatic overhaul of the category, and its multifaceted approach to inspiring customers with its “Season’s Best”, Active Kids and “Try something new” campaigns.
Judges said: “Sainsbury’s has innovated and added value. It has created a point of difference by encouraging people to eat fresh produce and try their hand at cooking again.”
The industry later recognised Sainsbury’s improving performance with the Supermarket of the Year award, sponsored by Gallaher Limited, for “a sales-led recovery and the clearest business turn-around in the industry, led by a chief executive who has helped the business rediscover its vibrancy”.
The praise for chief executive Justin King did not stop there as the industry credited his dramatic impact on the company’s success with the Outstanding Achievement Award.
King was commended for delivering on his mission to make “Sainsbury’s Great Again” and transforming the profitability of the once ailing store in the two years since he joined the company.
Judges said the company had succeeded by getting “back to basics” - improving availability and cutting costs to win back customers.
Presenting the award, Checkout magazine editor Fiona Briggs commented on Sainsbury’s triumph in June this year, where World Cup hype and warm weather helped it lift like-for-like sales past Tesco for the second quarter, with a growth of 5.7 per cent.
Waitrose narrowly missed out on the top prize, receiving a highly commended for “advancing the agenda on food quality”.
But the up-market retailer shone in the flower category, taking home the Fresh Flower Supermarket of the Year award, sponsored by Flower Council of Holland.
Judges singled out Waitrose for its newly-introduced branded department, Blossom & Bloom, and a hard-working technical team, which has helped the chain outperform the market, it said.
