Tie for the Top Spot in the Retail Award of Excellence for Hungarian Products

The winners of the Retail Award of Excellence for Hungarian Products 

This year saw a unique situation among the winners of the Retail Award of Excellence. The award, co-established by Magyar Termék Nonprofit Kft. and Trade magazine, was jointly won by CBA Kereskedelmi Kft. and PENNY Market Kft. Auchan Magyarország Kft. claimed the silver medal, while SPAR Magyarország Kereskedelmi Kft. earned the bronze. The special professional award went to TISZA-COOP Zrt.

The winner of the Retail Award of Excellence jointly are CBA Kereskedelmi Kft.:

Eszter Benedek, managing director of Hungarian Product, Zsolt Gyelán, vice president of CBA, Zoltán Noszlopy, purchasing director of CBA, Zsuzsanna Hermann, managing editor of Trade magazin

The winner of the Retail Award of Excellence jointly are PENNY Market Kft.:

Eszter Benedek, managing director of Hungarian Product, Géza Vincze, purchasing director of PENNY and communications director Eszter Kazatsay, Zsuzsanna Hermann, managing editor of Trade magazin

The silver medalist of the Retail Award of Excellence is Auchan Magyarország Kft.:

Eszter Benedek, managing director of Hungarian Product, Ildikó Balázs, director of corporate relations of Auchan, Zsuzsanna Hermann, managing editor of Trade magazin

The bronze medalist and the Customer Prestige Award winner of the Retail Award of Excellence is SPAR Magyarország Kereskedelmi Kft.:

Eszter Benedek, managing director of Hungarian Product, Krisztina Várkonyi, purchasing manager of SPAR, Zsuzsanna Hermann, managing editor of Trade magazin

The trade special prize of the Retail Award of Excellene is TISZA-COOP Zrt.:

Eszter Benedek, managing director of Hungarian Product, János Mezei, commercial director of Coop Star Tibor Fekete, member of the board of CO-OP Hungary, Zsuzsanna Hermann, managing editor of Trade magazin

SPAR Wins Customer Choice Award Again

Given the importance of consumer feedback, an online survey was conducted on the Magyar Termék loyalty site (www.magyaranyero.hu), gathering nearly five thousand responses regarding the purchasing habits of Hungarian Product-labeled goods. In this survey, 23% of respondents indicated that SPAR was the store chain where they most easily found their favorite Hungarian Product-labeled goods. Consequently, SPAR won the Customer Choice Award for the second time, following their victory in 2023. The award was received by Krisztina Várkonyi, SPAR’s Head of Procurement. The survey also revealed that the majority of respondents (71%) shop at five major chains: LIDL, SPAR, ALDI, PENNY, and TESCO. Another important statistic is that only 10% of respondents do not regularly pay attention to whether they are purchasing a Hungarian Product-labeled item.

The Purpose of the Award and the Evaluation Process

The Retail Award of Excellence for Hungarian Products was established in 2018 by Magyar Termék Nonprofit Kft. and Trade magazine to recognize the work of retail chains that actively support the market access of Hungarian products. At the same time, they aim to encourage retail networks to actively promote and sell goods bearing the Hungarian Product label. The chief patron of the award is Dr. István Nagy, Minister of Agriculture.

The award is given to the retail company that, according to the votes of Hungarian Product licensees, does the most to promote and sell domestic products. More than 250 licensees, based on their own experiences, score the chains on objective criteria. Their votes are supplemented by those of a professional jury composed of representatives from Hungarian Product licensees. The award goes to the company that receives the most points.

The evaluation takes into account the sales volume of Hungarian Product-labeled items in the respective retail chain, the satisfaction of the licensees with the display and sales opportunities for these products, and the success of the promotions organized for the labeled products. Additionally, the store chain’s introduction also carried significant weight.

As the leading publication in the FMCG market, Trade magazine is pleased to host the presentation of the jointly established Retail Award of Excellence for Hungarian Products and, since last year, the Customer Choice Award at the five-day Business Days conference. The magazine regularly features articles on companies using the Hungarian Product label, their product promotions, and campaigns, and publishes a special supplement on Hungarian products in its year-end issue.