Who is the 2010 Young Retailer of the Year?

The National Retail Association ‘Young Retailer of the Year’ for 2010 has been awarded to Kaylee Albronda, a 21 year old Myer Management Trainee based in Melbourne.

The Young Retailer Event, which is in its 37th year, provides a national platform to recognise and reward excellence amongst young retailers under the age of 25, and to promote retailing as a career for young people. It gives young retailers the chance to exhibit their retailing skills, and be recognised by their peers, the retail industry, and the general community for their innovation, career achievements and outstanding performance in their stores.

National Retail Association Executive Director Gary Black was delighted to announce Kaylee as the winner and award her $1000 for her success. Gary said “On behalf of Australia’s retail industry I offer congratulations to Kaylee Albronda as the winner of the 2010 NRA Young Retailer of the Year Award. Kaylee encompasses everything a Young Retailer of the Year winner should be: retail focused, ambitious, passionate, and motivated. The judges were left in no doubt that Kaylee is the true face of the future of retail” he said.

Accepting the coveted award, Kaylee who is undertaking the 12 month Myer Graduate Development Program, said "Winning the 2010 NRA Young Retailer of the Year Award was both a fantastic learning experience and an honour to be recognised in an industry that I am passionate about. To be the National representative for young retailers is a privilege and I will endeavour to fulfil the role fully. My experiences in Myer have allowed me to broaden my retail knowledge, while working in both a diverse and challenging environment. This has provided solid foundations for my personal growth in an industry that has a wide range of career opportunities. I look forward to an exciting year ahead as I continue to grow and develop in the retail environment".

To be eligible for this prestigious award, once selected, the 22 finalists underwent a telephone interview and a presentation on their store improvement plan in front of the judging panel in Sydney. Each finalist was required to be prepared to present at the Young Retailer of the Year lunch held at the Marriott Hotel in Sydney, and were kept in suspense until the top six contestants were announced and asked to come to the stage. 120 retail executives and supporters of the 22 young retailer finalists flew in from every state and territory in Australia to attend this prestigious event.

Mr Black said the National Retail Association received close to 100 entries into the competition on behalf of young retail professionals employed by most of Australia’s iconic national chains including Myer, Target, Kmart, Woolworths, Coles, Country Road, Supercheap Auto, the Rebel Group, the Reject Shop, Toys R Us, Dick Smith, Esprit, Bed Bath n Table, IKEA, Fantastic Furniture, Michael Hill Jeweller, SABA, Boost Juice, Crust Gourmet Pizza Bar, and Yum! Restaurants. “I would like to offer special congratulations also to the 2010 Young Retailer of the Year Runner Up, David Macpherson from Kmart, and the short listed finalists Kate Swain from Coles Liquor Group, Matt Priestley from IKEA Adelaide, Justin Howe from SABA and Tim Nash from KFC, Yum! Australia. The 2010 competition brought together an exceptional field of young retailers who I am sure will go on to be the leaders of our industry in the future” he said.

A special thank you must be made to the sponsors of this year’s event: Shopping Centre Council of Australia, Service Skills Australia, Intrust Super and Sydney Business School, University of Wollongong. Thank you must also go to the keynote speaker John Joyce, CEO of the Rebel Group and workshop speakers Harald Kamp from CYK Design, J. Phillip Scott from Sydney Business School, University of Wollongong, Chris Dawson from Woolworths and Jack Hanrahan from Westfield Group.

For more information, please call Carly Faragher on 07 3240 0100 or email c.faragher@nra.net.au