Entries for all award categories in this year’s Best Small Shops competition close on Friday 11 September 2020.

The Best Small Shops competition celebrates the commitment and creativity of entrepreneurial independent retailers; plus, the central role independents play in their local communities.

The competition – now in its fifth year – relaunched post-lockdown to celebrate the return of Indie Retail to UK high streets and shopping parades.

Revisions to this year’s competition will see it better reflect the current retail climate.

For instance, in a new award category sponsored by booost, the loyalty, gifting and promotions app, judges will be seeking entries from independent retailers demonstrating specific innovation to combat the impact of Covid-19.

For this category, judges will be looking for evidence of how the safety of staff and customers was maintained; how the business diversified to maintain trading; if the shop was forced to close, what strategies it adopted to continue trading; plans put in place to retain communications with the local community; and also initiatives to reach a new customer base.

To enter the competition shops needed 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, bricks and mortar premises in the UK.
• To have a listing on the Indie Retail directory. If you don’t already have a listing you can create one for free here.
• Each Competition entry is for one retail outlet only. E.g. not a chain of outlets. Only one entry per business.

After submitting your entry, you will then be able to download the Best Small Shops logo to display on your website. The logo will link directly back to your shop listing on that site. Every business that enters the competition will feature on the Indie Retail directory raising customer awareness throughout the UK.

Competition entry guidance is available here. To enter your business and be in for a chance to be crowned Best Small Shop of 2020, please click here.