Spark Retail NZ Awards have revealed 49 businesses as finalists across eight categories, alongside 41 stores competing in a public-voted category.

The NZ Post Young Retailer of the Year category features eight finalists due to the volume of high-quality submissions. 

The full list of finalists by category is available on Retail NZ’s site.

“Our judges were impressed by both the variety and quality of entries for our Sustainability Leadership Award, with initiatives ranging from electric heavy vehicles to recycling schemes, from ethical product sourcing to power efficiencies,” said Carolyn Young, Retail NZ’s CEO.

The Knapp Sustainability Leadership Award also features eight initiatives, with nominated projects covering electric heavy vehicles, recycling schemes, ethical product sourcing, and power efficiencies. 

Public voting is now open for the Spark People’s Choice Award. Other award categories include technology innovation, store design, online operations, and customer service. 

The winners will be named at an awards dinner on September 3 at the Hilton Hotel in Auckland Central.

The results come after Retail NZ opened nominations for this year’s Retail NZ Awards, which introduced new categories and a public voting element back in March.