The 10th annual Middle East Retail Academy (MERA) Awards took place on May 9th in Dubai, in conjunction with regional consumer tech channel event DISTREE Middle East 2017. The awards recognised outstanding performance in the market, with categories covering distributors, retailers, e-tailers and online marketplaces.
Stuart Wilson, organiser of the MERA Awards, stated: “We congratulate all winners on their achievement. The winners in each category were determined using continuous channel feedback from the last 12 months, plus input from a VIP Jury. We continue to see high levels of innovation in the regional consumer tech channel as distributors, retailers, e-tailers and marketplaces redefine models of consumer interaction and embrace new omnichannel models.”
List of 2017 MERA Award winners:
- Redington: Volume Distributor of the Year – Middle East
- TargetOne: Accessories Distributor of the Year – Middle East
- Lime Concepts: Lifestyle Distributor of the Year – Middle East
- Carrefour: Overall Retailer of the Year – UAE
- Sharaf DG: Specialist Retailer of the Year – UAE
- Extra: Retailer of the Year – Saudi Arabia
- Lulu: Retailer of the Year – Oman
- Sharaf DG: Retailer of the Year – Bahrain
- Alghanim (x-cite): Retailer of the Year – Kuwait
- Lulu: Retailer of the Year – Qatar
- CompuMe: Retailer of the Year – Egypt
- Carrefour: Retailer of the Year – Jordan
- M2: Retailer of the Year – Lebanon
- Electrocity: Retailer of the Year – Iran
- Carrefour: Retailer of the Year – Iraq
- Digikala: E-tailer of the Year (TIED RESULT)
- Letstango: E-tailer of the Year (TIED RESULT)
- Souq.com: Online Marketplace of the Year
The winners in all award categories were selected from companies participating in DISTREE Middle East 2017. New awards introduced in 2017 included Retailer of the Year for Iran as well as Online Marketplace of the Year.
“The Middle East consumer tech channel continues to reinvent itself as new business models and new geographic opportunities emerge. It was fitting that Souq.com picked up the new Online Marketplace of the Year Award so soon after its acquisition by Amazon. The awards for Electrocity and Digikala also highlight the huge opportunity that exists in Iran, and the rapid development of structured retail and e-tail within this strategic regional market,” added Wilson.
