Specsavers Australia & New Zealand recognised store and individual excellence across ten esteemed categories at the Awards for Excellence Dinner on 2 March.

The Awards for Excellence Dinner, which concluded the biennial Specsavers Partnership Seminar at ICC Sydney, evoked a distinctly Mardi Gras theme – a nod to the festivities taking place in the streets of Sydney that same night. Running the ceremony was much-loved Australian comedy duo Hamish & Andy, who each donned a colourful outfit and joined a troupe of samba dancers to kick off the show with a touch of glitz and pizzazz.

With Hamish & Andy’s help, the 800-strong crowd of Specsavers Partners and special guests heard some amazing ‘true stories’ of people within the business who had gone above and beyond for their customers and team members.

Specsavers Australia & New Zealand Managing Director Nigel Parker took to the stage to emphasise the high calibre of the finalists for each award, noting that the competition to take out the top prize had never been so fierce.

This year saw the introduction of a number of new awards categories, including accolades for the ‘Graduate Great Place to Work’ and ‘Excellence in Partnership Support’. Another new addition to the awards ceremony was the recognition of Audiology Partners in the Specsavers business. Introduced in 2017, Audiology services now operate in more than 80 stores across Australia and have become a seamless part of the customer healthcare offering.

Specsavers global CEO John Perkins, Aus/NZ Director of Retail Operations Chris Jones, New Zealand Director Brendan Thompson and Audiology Executive Director Darrel Magna joined Nigel on stage to present the awards to each winner.

The winners for the individual categories were as follows:

  • Excellence in Customer Service: Specsavers Hastings, NZ
  • Graduate Great Place to Work: Specsavers Salamander Bay, NSW
  • Excellence in Team Culture: Specsavers Mt Maunganui, NZ
  • Excellence in the Community: Specsavers Hastings, NZ
  • Dispensing Excellence: Specsavers Hastings, NZ and Specsavers Success, WA (joint winners)
  • Excellence in Partnership Support: Steve Kolokithas (Regional Relationship Manager, VIC/TAS)
  • Excellence in Integration of Audiology: Specsavers Rockingham, WA and Specsavers Burwood, NSW (joint winners)
  • Excellence in Overall Performance: Specsavers Mornington, VIC (Australia) and Specsavers Wanganui, NZ (New Zealand)
  • Audiology Business of the Year: My Phuong Lam (Audiology Partner for Specsavers Burwood and Specsavers Leichhardt, NSW)

From among the category winners, two stores took out the coveted titles of Store of the Year:

  • New Zealand Store of the Year: Specsavers Wanganui, NZ
  • Australian Store of the Year: Specsavers Mornington, VIC

The Awards for Excellence Dinner also featured a Platinum Prize Draw in support of three very worthwhile causes – Vision Australia, The Blind Foundation and Better Hearing – with a total of $127,500 raised.