TRRAIN Retail Awards 2019 recognise front-end retail associates

Worlds first and only retail customer service awards. TRRAIN Retail Awards, concludes in Mumbai.

Mumbai: These unsung heroes return lost diamond rings to customers. And deliver emergency first aid. They work all night to gift wrap a large order; even when not paid extra.No wonder that their CEOs are putting up a ramp show for them, singing for them and celebrating their customer service excellence.

In a classic reversal of roles, front end associates were on stage and their CEOs were in the audience clapping for them. This was the magic of the 8th TRRAIN Retail Awards, the world’s only such property that recognises exceptional customer service, and was held at the Renaissance Powai, on 27th Feb, following the Retail Leadership Summit 2019.

Front-end retail associates, from remote corners of India working across the retail sector, in categories like Apparel, Specialty Stores, Department Stores, Malls and QSRs, were recognised for their work. A total of 126 brands sent in 170 stories from 17 states and 87 cities across India. Awards were given away to 18 employees.

Naresh NK, of Big Basket, Bengaluru, Vaishak K, Shoppers Stop Ltd, Bengaluru; Sanjay Reddy, Marks & Spencer , Mumbai; Aju Allesh, Levi's, Kochi; Pawan Kumar, Manyavar, Begusarai, Vikash Kumar, Global Desi, New Delhi, Yadhu Krishnan, Lifestyle, Kochi, Pramod Kumar Shetty, Ample Technologies Pvt. Ltd., Panjim; Hemant Bandkar, Big Basket, Mumbai; Jatavath Ravinder, Wonderla, Hyderabad; Anu Ponnan, Tanishq, Kochi; Soumen Kangsa Banik, Tribhovandas Bhimji Zaveri (TBZ), Kolkata; Asha Shah, Manubhai Gems Pvt Ltd., Mumbai; Sana Khan, Chumbak, Mumbai; Ruban V, Fastrack, Chennai; Fazaloor Rehaman Yettinagudda, Domino's Pizza, Dharwad , Arti Gupta, Simran Sahni’s Health Zone, Lucknow, and Raju K, Wonderla Holidays Ltd, Bengaluru.

In addition to this, HR departments of 6 organisations were rewarded for their initiatives. Natural Salon, Inorbit Malls and Shell Retail were given awards for being inclusive workplaces, and Infiniti Retail, Kaya and Landmark Group were given the HR initiatives awards.

The jury that deliberated over these awards includes Manish Dureja, MD & CEO JetPrivilege, and Swapna Pradhan, Dean - Academics (Full Time Programs), Prin. L. N Welingkar Institute of Mgmts. Devl & Research and Mr. Rohit Srivastava, Chief Strategy Officer - Contract India.

BS Nagesh, Founder, TRRAIN and inceptor TRRAIN Retail awards said, “The success of the retail industry critically hinges upon front-end retail associates who deal with and delight millions of customers every day. TRRAIN Retail Awards is our attempt to celebrate and applaud these foot-soldiers of India’s retail sector. The idea of recognising customer service excellence has forayed into the international retail as well. Intercontinental Group of Department Stores (IGDS) recognised the best retail associate in the world at The World Department Store Forum (WDSF) in 2015 and 2017. Similarly, the MAPIC awards held at Cannes also introduced a new category for recognising customer service excellence in association with TRRAIN. This year we are looking forward to recognising more stories at the WDSF in Tokyo.”

Harish Bhat, Brand Custodian at Tata Sons was the Chief Guest at the event.

“As more and more of us are getting addicted to digital interface, more customers are craving for a human interface. The front line staff can provide this. Whether it is Croma’s promise of ‘main hoon na’ or our Titan “make hearts beat’ customer experience program, its all about creating moments of delight for the customers,” shared Harish Bhat.

A major highlight of the TRRAIN Retail Awards was a fashion show curated by Anita Dongre with CEOs of key retail stores walking down the ramp.

Every retail CEO was in the room, and retail leaders such as Ajay Kaul, Everstone Capital (ex- Jubiliant Foodworks), Anuj Puri Anarock , Deepa Menon Senior VP PVR , Gaurav Mahajan,President - Apparel,Raymond , Lalit Agarwal ,CMD V Mart, Manish Mandana CEO, Being Human, Nivedita Nanda, CHRO, Kaya , Rahul Mehta President CMAI, Rahul Vira CEO - Skechers - South Asia, Rajneesh Mahajan, CEO,Inorbit, Rakesh Biyani, Future Group , Richa Bhatnagar , CPO, Bestseller, Shalini Vohra, CHRO,CROMA , Uma Talreja, CMO SSL and Vineet Gautam CEO Bestseller India walked the ramp in Anita Dongre designer wear.

“We feel humbled by fact that our initiatives are being adopted by different countries and associations as a connected effort to bring change in people’s lives,” summed up BS Nagesh.