Retail NZ has named the winners of the 2026 Spark Retail NZ Awards, recognising top businesses and entrepreneurs across the industry.
Following the selection of shortlisted finalists in July, the annual event assesses operational efficiency, commercial results, and customer engagement across physical and online channels.
Retail NZ awarded the Visa Lifetime Achievement Award jointly to three figures: Briscoe Group MD Rod Duke, James Pascoe Group founders Anne and David Norman, and Michael Hill Jewellers founder, the late Michael Hill.
Online retailer Book Hero secured the Spark People’s Choice Award after a public voting round that recorded nearly 8000 votes.
E-commerce platform The Nile New Zealand won two titles, receiving both the Annexa Technology Innovation Award and the IconicAI Online Store of the Year Award.
Other category winners include:
- OneMusic Best New Store Design: Rebel Sport (Mount Wellington).
- ServiceIQ Customer Service Experience of the Year: Container Space.
- Mastercard Most Improved Store: Unity Books.
- KNAPP Sustainability Leadership Award: The Warehouse Ltd – The Good Drop.
In the individual categories, Brooke Elliott-Forster-Clampitt of Normanby Fine Wines & Spirits won the NZ Post Young Retailer of the Year award for workers aged 25 and under.
Daniel Tollenaar of Nutrition Warehouse received the Kora Outstanding New Talent Award, which covers industry professionals with under five years of experience.
Retail NZ CEO Carolyn Young said the shopper experience emerged as a central theme across all award categories, demonstrating the consumer needs at the core of retail offerings.
“Retail is often the first job for many New Zealanders, and it not only offers amazing career pathways within the sector, but it also provides key skills that are adaptable to other industries,” said Young.
“It is heartening to see so many Kiwis new to the sector showing such promise so early on in their careers and making a meaningful difference in their stores,
This year’s Spark Retail NZ Awards has been an amazing opportunity to look back and recognise all the achievements and successes of the sector over the past 12 months, despite the challenges being faced by the sector, and we look forward to bringing back the event in 2027,” she added.
