Online retailing in the Middle East will be one of the new categories to be honoured at the upcoming Retail City Awards in Dubai, a programme which distinguishes outstanding retail projects.

The event is taking place during Cityscape Global at the Dubai International Exhibition and Conference Centre, running from September 27 to 29.

Other new categories at the 2011 awards include Innovation in Retail and Interior Store Design, as well as the popular categories from previous years such as Retailer of the Year, Mall of the Year and Best Corporate Social Responsibility of the Year.

“The speed at which retail trends are developing is significant in this region, and we wanted to provide opportunities for those leading the way in categories such as online retail to be recongised for their innovations,” said Chris Speller, group exhibitions director, Retail City Awards.

“The awards have continued to grow year-on-year.  The standard of nominations so far this year is raising the bar yet again and our judges have a tough job ahead of them deciding on the winners.”

Previous winners at the Retail City Awards include Festival Centre, The One and Dubai Duty Free.

The awards will be announced at a special ceremony following the Retail City Conference co-located at Cityscape Global on September 27. The deadline for nominations is September 8.