Big W Outranks Bunnings Warehouse as #1 Australian Retailer in 10th Annual All-Star Bash

Last updated: 2025/03/07 at 1:14 PM

Hiren Lakadiwala

8 Min Read

As Power Retail celebrates a decade of e-commerce evolution, winners like The ICONIC and Luxury Escapes signal the future of retail

Power Retail, Australia’s leading resource for e-commerce news, data, and insights, hosted the 10^th annual All Star Bash at Crown Palladium, Melbourne. Known as the country’s biggest e-commerce celebration, the event honoured retailers excelling in service, innovation, and impactful campaigns.

Hosted by comedian Tom Gleeson, with a special performance from ARIA-nominated pop star Zoë Badwi, the milestone event drew over 650 industry leaders for a night of recognition and celebration.

A highlight of the evening was the announcement of Australia’s Top 100 Online Retailers, part of Power Retail’s rolling Top 500 Online Retailer Rankings. Featuring both pureplay and omnichannel retailers, the Top 100 spotlights the industry’s best, with category winners representing the top-performing leaders in Australian e-commerce.

After coming fourth in the category last year, Big W has overthrown the two-time champion Bunnings Warehouse for the first time, and swept up the Top Department Store Retailer category, beating out Kmart, who retained the title in 2023 and 2024. On this, Big W X Director, Jo-Ann Hicks says, “we’re particularly proud of our Ecom business, which has tripled over the past 5 years.

This growth reflects our commitment to innovation and response to the changing retail landscape. We launched our marketplace over a year ago, which has seen tremendous growth bringing more choice to our customers.”

David Fear, Head of Data at Power Retail comments on Big W’s win stating; “this year, for the first time, our evaluation metrics have included customer satisfaction—complementing the continued use of the Net Promoter Score (NPS) introduced last year.

Big W’s enduring commitment to an integrated, omni-channel experience is evident, with 93% of customers expressing satisfaction with their online journey. Their exceptional performance across the key stages of Acquisition, Conversion, Fulfillment, and Retention further highlights their leadership in the online retail space. In addition, Big W’s focus on competitive pricing and a wide product range continues to resonate with customers, while their reliable service—demonstrated by fast delivery and excellent customer support—has solidified customer trust and loyalty.”.

Bunnings has dropped 4 places, now placed 5^th overall, while JB HI FI retains second place again this year. Notably, Officeworks, the winner of the inaugural Top Retailer has remained in the top 10, ten years on. The top twenty in order are: Big W, JB Hi-Fi, Kmart, Chemist Warehouse, Bunnings Warehouse, Myer, Officeworks, The Iconic, Rebel, BCF, Adore Beauty, Petbarn, David Jones, Dan Murphy’s, Target, The Good Guys, Appliances Online, IKEA, Bonds and Spotlight.

Another notable category win includes JB-HI-FI retaining the Top Electrical & Office Retailer for the third year in a row with Marketing Director Gary Siewert stating, “this recognition reflects the hard work and commitment of the JB Hi-Fi teams across our Stores, Support Office, and Distribution Centres”.

Grant Arnott, CEO and founder at Power Retail says “With a record number of entries to the All Star Bash in 2024, there was more competition than ever across all the awards. Everyone that has emerged with one of our All Star jerseys this year has broken new ground in digital retail and shone brightly in yet another challenging year for e-commerce. It’s amazing to look back now at 10 years of the All Star Bash as a reflection of digital retail’s trajectory, through boom times and tough times, and see the incredible impact the Top 100 businesses have had on the economy.”

Power Retail’s Top 100 ranking is based on a rigorous methodology analysing retailer performance across four key consumer lifecycle stages: Acquisition, Conversion, Fulfilment, and Retention.

Enhancing this approach, the Retail Performance Scorecard evaluates over 30 key data points that matter most to consumers, including traffic, site performance, mobile experience, delivery options, payment methods, and customer engagement metrics. This system highlights where retailers excel and areas for improvement, offering a comprehensive view of online retail success.

Another main component of the awards includes the announcement of the All Star Bash Award Category Winners. With over 300 submissions, these awards were judged by leading retail experts, including E-commerce Expert Lisa Jones, retail marketing and consumer behaviour researcher Prof. Gary Mortimer, and Power Retail’s own Grant Arnott.

The Top Travel Retailer category was back this year with Luxury Escapes taking the prize. Top Sustainable Retailer, which has been shifted this year to Top Sustainability Initiative, went to conscious fashion brand Elk the Label. Beating out Luxury Escapes for their Top Australian Marketplace title is none other than e-commerce giant THE ICONIC who lead the marketplace category.

Top Online Only Retailer, CEO of THE ICONIC Jere Calmes felt proud of the brand’s achievements while considering the brand’s category wins. He shared, “Winning the Top Online Only Retailer and Top Australian Marketplace All Star Bash Awards in 2025 is a proud moment for THE ICONIC and our entire team. This recognition reflects the hard work and dedication we have put into creating exceptional customer experiences and bringing to life our vision, creating a better way to shop.”

Calmes reflects on the last year stating, “2024 was a huge year for THE ICONIC. We reached key milestones across all facets of the business, from leveraging AI to enhance customer search and discovery, to the launch of our new Masterbrand – Got You Looking – to expanding our delivery options across Australia and overhauling our online warehouse management system.

These awards acknowledge the passion and energy our team has invested over the last 12 months and motivates us to continue setting benchmarks for online shopping in Australia.”

2025 All Star Bash Award Category Winners: