Ballantynes' competition: Retail opportunity for budding designers

Content Marketing: Central city department store Ballantynes is again running its Bring it to the Boardroom competition, offering budding designers and entrepreneurs the opportunity to submit their products and potentially have them sold in the store.

Finalists will be selected from the entries and in early September will provide a presentation to Ballantynes’ buyers and executive team, who say they will be looking for items that are innovative and have that “special Kiwi flair”.

The winner receives the rights to sell their product exclusively at Ballantynes for up to 12 months or while stocks last, retaining 100 per cent of the product’s sales revenue. Additionally, the winner will benefit from expert mentoring and a promotional package.

The competition was launched in 2016, to run every second year. However, due to Covid, last year’s competition was postponed until 2021.

“This is our third time doing Bring it to the Boardroom and we are really happy to have this back on our calendar. For us, this is about giving back to our community,” says chief executive Maria O’Halloran.

“We want to open up an avenue for those entrepreneurs, budding designers and creators from across the country to showcase their work and along the way, gain an insight into the whole retail process. We’re so excited to see what unfolds.”

Marketing manager Shelley Gayford says the previous competitions have seen a diverse range of products being put forward, including children’s items, fashion accessories and pantry items.

Winners of the 2016 edition of Bring it to the Boardroom were Lianne de Jong and Lee Scheepers from Marlee and Jo, who presented a range of children’s keepsake books, which are still being sold at Ballantynes.

“We started selling the Marlee and Jo product just after they won the Ballantynes Bring it to the Boardroom competition back in 2016,” Ms O’Halloran says.

“To this day, their product continues to be very popular with our customers – they offer a product with a real point of difference and something no other supplier offers in our store. It is great to support local and we have loved watching, and being a part of, Lee and Lianne’s successful journey.“

Anyone can register their interest online - www.ballantynes.com.nz/boardroom - providing the product they are submitting is not currently being sold in a physical store, is not already in commercial arrangements with another company and does not infringe on the copyright, patent or trademark of another product or brand. 

Registrations close on Monday, August 23, 2021, with the finalists taking their products to the Ballantynes’ boardroom on Saturday, September 4, 2021.