Times Business
It’s time for you to name Durham’s best retailers
3:04pm Friday 20th August 2010
NOMINATIONS have opened for an annual awards to honour Durham’s best retailers.
Customers are being encouraged to nominate their favourite shops, bars and restaurants ahead of the fifth Durham City Retail Awards.
The winners will be announced at a ceremony at Ramside Hall Hotel and Golf Club on Wednesday, September 29.
The best of the city’s retail businesses will be competing across 13 categories in an awards scheme which aims to celebrate the city’s shopping and leisure experience.
Nominations close on Wednesday, September 1, after which judges will pay a mystery visit to the six most popular premises in each category, with three going through to the final.
First staged in 2006, the awards have become a highlight of the city’s business and social calendar and competition is expected to be fierce.
Last year, about 500 guests attended the ceremony, where La Cookshop took four awards including Overall Retailer of the Year.
A spokesman for organisers Marketing Durham said: “Last year’s event was an outstanding success and the quality of entries proved very high across all the categories.
“We hope that this year’s awards will prove bigger and better than ever before.
“The Durham City Retail Awards will reward those who have provided outstanding customer service, product knowledge and retail experience in Durham City.”
Shoppers can nominate their favourite retailer either by visiting the website www.
cityofdurhamretailawards.
co.uk or by filling in one of the nomination slips being delivered around the city and posting it in one of the collection boxes in the Prince Bishops Shopping Centre or The Gates.
Businesses will have the chance to nominate their own staff in several categories, including Retail Person of the Year and Shooting Star of the Year.
The Durham Times, the awards’ media partner, is sponsoring this year’s Marketing Initiative of the Year award, won last year by the Prince Bishop’s Shopping Centre for its imaginative Style in the City Christmas campaign.
The awards night will be on a Summer Dream Ball theme and will start with a drinks reception, dinner and entertainment by Take That Back and a disco.
For tickets, priced £23, email retailawards@prince bishops.co.uk or call 0191-375-0146.
This year's categories
THERE are 13 categories in this year’s awards, recognising the best in all areas of the retail sector: ● Small Retailer of the Year – sponsored by Utopian Leisure
● Large Retailer of the Year – sponsored by Ramside Hall Hotel and Golf Club
● Independent Retailer of the Year – sponsored by New College Durham
● Retail Person of the Year – sponsored by Blachere Illuminations
● Window of the Year – sponsored by Royale Window Cleaning
● Retail Experience of the Year – sponsored by Ace Motorcycle Training
● Coffee Shop of the Year – sponsored by Finesse Auto Valeting
● Bar of the Year – sponsored by Best Bar None
● Restaurant of the Year – sponsored by Prince Bishops Shopping Centre
● Shooting Star – sponsored by Star FM
● Marketing Initiative of the Year – sponsored by the Durham Times
● Shop Front of the Year – sponsored and judged by Durham City Vision, Heart of the City
● Retailer of the Year – sponsored by The Gates