Migros came home with the title of Market Retailer of the Year.
İstinye Park took the award for Best Shopping Mall over 50,000 square meters, Via/Port was awarded Outlet Shopping Center of the Year, the Astoria shopping center received the title of Best Marketing Campaign of 2008 and Tchibo won the top spot for Retail Concept of the Year. The selection committee, in cooperation with the Interbank Card Center (BKM), made their selections based on information submitted to the AMPD by candidates outlining all transactions realized between 2006 and the end of 2008. The information and documents from the applicants were evaluated by AMPD members, AMPD's consultation council, the AMPD executive board and an awards jury, which relied on criteria set forth by the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC), the National Retail Federation (NRF), the Federation of Asia-Pacific Retailers Association (FAPRA) and Eurocommerce.
Mehmet Nane, chairman of the 15-year-old AMPD, addressed the audience and said that the AMPD's 372 members manage over $47 billion in the organizational retailing sector and provide employment to more than 500,000 people. “Next to the energy sector, the biggest sector in terms of [gross domestic product] GDP is the retail sector,” Nane said. He called on retailers to work in harmony with one another.
Nucin Oral, head of the AMPD selection committee, said that this year there were only 12 different categories instead of the usual 14, noting that a lack of submissions hampered their ability to award the Manager of the Year prize. “Because of this, we postponed [selection in] the category until next year.”
