Leading retail figures to reward the industry's brightest
The retail industry's future leaders will be recognised at a gala awards ceremony in London on November 8. The Retail Week Rising Star Awards will coincide with the Careers in Retail show at Olympia and are to be judged by an elite panel of UK retailers.

Entrants have until August 26 to submit their entries across eight categories, from Buyer of the Year to Store Management Star of the Year.

Assessing the entries will be New Look boss Phil Wrigley, HMV chief executive Alan Giles, Debenhams chairman John Lovering, Zara boss Mike Shearwood, and Allan Leighton from the Royal Mail and Bhs, plus top judges from Woolworths, Signet Group, The Pier and Harvey Nichols.

'It is a fantastic idea to make heroes of the people operating at the heart of retailing. They are the ones who are focused directly on our customers and that remains the key driver of the success or failure of every retail business,' said Giles.

The awards are sponsored by RPS and Alliance & Leicester.

For more details go to www.risingstarawards.co.uk.