The next four weeks are going to be a nail-biting time for two Greats award winning gift shops: Mooch Gifts & Home, which has shops in Stourport on Severn and Bewdley, and Joco Interiors in Nuneaton.
The gift shops are among 25 independent retailers in the running to be named Britain’s Best Small Shop of 2019, with the winner announced at the House of Commons on Tuesday November 5.
“This year has just been absolutely amazing for the business,” Joco’s owner Jo Williams told GiftsandHome.net, while Jon Mays, co-owner of Mooch commented: “win or lose we feel privileged to have got this far, when there is so much doom and gloom regarding UK high streets. It’s great that awards such as these exist to highlight that there are actually a lot of positive things happening. If you do something different people will notice you and talk about what you do.”
The Best Small Shops competition, organised by the Independent Retailers Confederation (IRC), celebrates the commitment and creativity of UK independent retailers and the central role they play in their local communities.
“Independent retailers are the lifeblood of UK high streets,” states Mark Walmsley, chairman of the IRC. “They offer tradition, choice and innovation through the diversity of niche products and services, and have been, and still are, an integral part of local communities around the UK.”
He continues: “The Best Small Shops competition enables us to celebrate this unique industry. It is all about recognising the community and culture that is independent retail, giving us the chance to highlight its innovation, customer service, commitment to community and diversity.”
In addition to being a finalist in the Britain’s Best Small Shop competition, Joco Interiors has also been shortlisted in the Retailer of the Year category of the Coventry Telegraph Business Awards. The winners will be announced on November 21.
Top: Standing out: Mooch Gifts & Home in Stourport on Severn.
