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6 Dec 2023

Bristol and Cirencester-based bespoke fine jewellery retailer Titcombe Bespoke Jewellery, a member of the National Association of Jewellers, has received one of its most unusual commissions...

6 Dec 2023

Reynolds’ Butchers in Parbold, near Wigan, have set up a scheme called Mary’s Mince to help people living in the village.

5 Dec 2023

Research commissioned by American Express Shop Small reveals the top 10 high streets for independent shops in the UK, shining a light on the nation’s small businesses that play...

5 Dec 2023

A new campaign is calling on police & crime commissioners to tackle crime on a local level, as theft against convenience retailers reaches record highs.

4 Dec 2023

Recent data from VistaPrint, reported by London Loves Business, has revealed that 70% of London small businesses generate up to a substantial 86% of their annual revenue...

23 Nov 2023

Retail sector leaders have expressed a range of concerns, from taxation to business rates, following the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement this week.

22 Nov 2023

Six independent bookshops from around the UK have been named as the winners of the inaugural Booker Prize Indie Bookshop Spotlight, a competition in which independent bookshops and booksellers...

21 Nov 2023

The National Federation of Subpostmasters has received a response from new Conservative party chairman Richard Holden MP regarding the petition to keep DVLA services in post offices.
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21 Nov 2023

The British Business Bank has launched a new guide aimed at smaller businesses to help them understand how different financial products can support them at all stages of their development.

21 Nov 2023

Independent retailers across the UK are set to defy the Black Friday sales frenzy for the third year running, according to a survey conducted by Bira, the British Independent Retailers...

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Frankie Bridge helps launch search to find Britain's Best Small Shop of 2020

Posted on in Business News , Cycles News

Singer and now author Frankie Bridge has helped launch the search to find the UK's Best Small Shop of 2020.

Visiting independent bookshop Linghams in Heswall, the Wirral, Frankie, whose new book Open: Why Asking For Help Can Save Your Life is now available at booksellers across the UK, kickstarted this year's competition for which entries are now open.

The annual competition, which culminates in a ceremony at the Houses of Parliament, highlights the best of Britain's independent retail sector, celebrating the commitment and creativity of independent retailers on the UK's High Streets and the central role they play in their local communities. It is managed by the Independent Retailers Confederation (IRC).

Previous winners have included Bristol-based delicatessen Papadeli, the 2019 winner, and The Mainstreet Trading Company, a combined bookshop, café, deli & homeware shop based in St Boswells, in the rural Scottish Borders, which won in 2018.

To enter, shops must 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.

Competition entrants will be challenged with promoting the benefits of their retail offering to consumers with part of the selection process being voted on by the general public on the contest's website.

"Despite the challenging retail environment, there is plenty of evidence that people value and think it is important to support small local businesses and independent retailers"

"Despite the challenging retail environment, there is plenty of evidence that people value and think it is important to support small local businesses and independent retailers," explains Mark Walmsley, Chairman of the Independent Retailers Confederation.

"These retailers sit at the heart of communities up and down the country, offering a meeting place, not to mention choice, diversity, innovation and genuine customer service. That's what we are celebrating with these awards. We have a bright and vibrant independent retail sector and it's important that we put it in the spotlight."

2019 research by the British Independent Retailers Association (member of the IRC) found that independent retailers opened 4.5% more shops in 2018 than a year earlier, with independents accounting for 64% of all retail and leisure units in Great Britain.

To enter your shop for the Best Small Shops Competition 2020, visit https://www.indieretail.uk/best-small-shops/.

Enter the Best Small Shops competition now

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