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The annual search to find Britain’s Best Small Shop, a competition managed by the Independent Retailers Confederation, has begun.
Celebrating personal commitment, innovation and community engagement, the Best Small Shops competition recognises the contribution of independent retailers on the UK’s high streets and shopping parades. The 2018 competition had “by far the biggest impact of anything we have been involved in before”, according to 2018 winner Rosamund de la Hey of the Mainstreet Trading Company.
The competition is open to any UK independent retailer, selling goods or services to the public. It will close early September and a shortlist will be invited to attend the competition reception at the Houses of Parliament in November, where they will have the opportunity to meet with MPs, trade representatives and other shortlisted retailers, before the winner and runners up are announced.
For 2019, competition entrants will be challenged with promoting the benefits of their retail offering to consumers with the initial selection process being voted on by the general public at indieretail.uk. The most successful applications selected over ten weeks of consumer voting will go forward to an industry panel and formal review, to select the shortlist for the reception event. Competition entrants will need to succinctly showcase their proposition to consumers, outline areas of community engagement, alongside innovation and development plans for their business over the coming years.
The competition opened at 10 am on 4th July 2019 at www.bestsmallshops.uk.
To enter the competition you will need to:
– Be an independent retailer, defined as a non-corporate business selling goods or services to the public for use or consumption rather than for resale, from a business rated premises in the UK
– Create a public facing listing on the Indie Retail website
– Complete the online competition entry form in full online
– Submit your entry before 8 am on 9th September 2019
