The winners of this week’s Dandenong Retail Traders’ Association Central Dandenong Retailer of the Year Awards.A FLOURISHING nail and beauty business has taken out central Dandenong’s top retail award.
The Central Dandenong Retailer of the Year Awards ceremony was held on Tuesday night at the Dandenong Club.
Crystal Nails in McCrae Street, Dandenong, owned by Lisa Pham, won the evening’s biggest prize, the Central Dandenong Retailer of the Year award.
The awards are run by the Dandenong Retail Traders’ Association (DRTA), and its chairman Roy Aspinall congratulated Ms Pham on her success.
“Lisa Pham from Crystal Nails is a very worthy winner of the Central Dandenong Retailer of the Year Award,” Mr Aspinall said.
“Lisa established Crystal Nails in 2002, and she and her team have built a vibrant business that is growing all the time and is a proven leader in retailing in central Dandenong.
“In their nails and beauty courses they have graduated 50 students in the last year, along with their flourishing retail business.
“They follow last year’s winners, Jennifer and Jim Puppa of Gemini Equipment, 2005 winners Glenys and Ian Loft of Compleat Angler, 2004 winner Paul Atherton of Answers for Hair, and the inaugural winners Victoria and Clotaire Biyendolo of Big In Black.”
The winner of the Central Dandenong Retailer of the Year award is an automatic entry in the Greater Dandenong Chamber of Commerce Premier Regional Business Awards, adding further prestige to the award.
“Entries were excellent for this our ninth annual awards and these awards are growing in popularity as time goes by,” Mr Aspinall said.
“The quality of the entries was high, making the task of the judging panel a difficult one.”
In 2005 a new award, the Chairman’s Award, was presented for ‘A Significant Contribution to Central Dandenong Retailing’.
Mr Aspinall said the award was not an annual one and would as only be presented when there was a worthy recipient. The DRTA executive decides the winner.
The inaugural winner in 2005 was Leanne McCready from the City of Greater Dandenong Business Development Unit, and last year Caroline Fulford from the Dandenong Market was decided as a most worthy recipient.
Mr Aspinall said there was no stand-out candidate this year.
Guest speaker at the dinner was Racing Victoria chairman of stewards Des Gleeson.
In closing, Mr Aspinall congratulated all the winners and thanked the City of Greater Dandenong Council and Sign-A-Rama Dandenong for their support with the awards, and wished all retailers the best for the Christmas season and for trading in 2008.
