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Thank you to our Strategic Business Partners

2010 TOP SHOPŽ FAQs

Do you have a question not on the list below? If so, call 0800 24 25 24 or email topshop@retail.org.nz

Question - How do you determine who is on the initial TOP SHOPŽ mailing list?

Answer - We mail out to stores who entered in the 2008 competition, those retailers who have registered an interest and those retailers who are members of the Association.

Don't forget that TOP SHOPŽ is open to all retailers who fall within the TOP SHOPŽ regions, not just those on our initial mailing list.

If you enter in the 2010 TOP SHOPŽ Awards, you will automatically be on our 2012 mailing list and receive information at the launch of the 2012 event.

Question - I don't know what category to select, how do we choose?

Answer - The category you choose must represent the majority of what you sell in your store. If you are really unsure call 0800 24 25 24.

The list of TOP SHOPŽ categories and descriptions can be found on the TOP SHOPŽ website.

Question - We've only been operating since after 1 September 2009 but we don't want to enter the Start Up Business Category, is it ok to go into our specific category?

Answer - As a new business you must go into the Start Up Business category for this year.

Question - Why do we have to pay $50.00 plus GST to enter the TOP SHOPŽ Awards?

Answer - The $50.00 plus GST entry fee covers the cost to have your store professionally mystery shopped by Market Pulse International.

Question - Why do we have to pay a purchase component fee of $15.00 plus GST to enter?

Answer - The $15.00 plus GST covers a purchase component by Market Pulse International as part of the mystery shopping process.

Market Pulse International guarantee to spend a minimum of $15.00 in your store, therefore this charge will be recovered by you during the mystery shop.

Categories requiring a purchase component are:

Large Format Stores
Fashion, Footwear and Accessories
Lifestyle and Wellbeing
Giftware and Homeware
Specialty
Food and Beverage
Start Up
Online Retailing (tbc)

Question - Why are you offering a second mystery shop?

Answer - Market Pulse International are offering a second mystery shop to allow retailers to track your results over time. The cost for this additional mystery shop is $50.00 plus GST.

This second mystery shop will not have any bearing on the TOP SHOPŽ results. It is purely for your use.

Question - Why and when do we have to send photos in?

Answer - You only need to send photos in to the New Zealand Retailers Association if you are chosen as a finalist in your category.

The photos will be used in the audio visual presentation on the awards night.

Question - We can't afford to have professional photos taken, does that put us at a disadvantage?

Answer - Not at all. The photos are not taken into consideration as part of the judging process; they are purely for use in the audio visual presentation on the awards night.

Question - How do I send my photos in to you?

Answer - They can be sent either on disk, make sure the disk has your store name on it, or you can email them to topshop@retail.org.nz.

Question - I don't know how to get the photos on to a disk.

Answer - If you take your digital camera into a camera store, they can do all of that for you for about $10.00.

Question - What format and size do my photographs need to be?

Answer - Please make sure the photographs you submit are a minimum of 2000 pixels and are on the horizontal axis.

Question - We were away for the closing date of the entrant forms, is it ok if I send it in now?

Answer - I'm really sorry but we cannot accept entry forms received after the close off date and time.

Question - When will we receive our mystery shopping reports?

Answer - This year all mystery shopping reports will be available to you online through the Market Pulse International website.

They will be available to you following the closing date of the mystery shopping for your particular regions. We will notify you with details on how to gain access to the Market Pulse International website to view and print off your mystery shopping report.

They should be available to you on the following dates:

Christchurch - week commencing 9 August 2010
Wellington - week commencing 13 August 2010
Auckland - week commencing 23 August 2010
Waikato - week commencing 30 August 2010

Question - I've heard that only the big stores or stores with expensive fitouts win (or win the overall award).

Answer - We have a category that the big stores will enter (Large Format) so you will not be competing against them.

If you look at the previous winners of the competition, listed on our website on the TOP SHOPŽ page, you'll see that previous overall winners have come from a variety of categories.

It does not matter if you're a big or small store or how expensive your store fitout is, there are a variety of criteria that the judges are looking at and you have to excel in all of these areas AND have the WOW factor.

promoting excellence in retailing