Birmingham has launched its first retail awards to honour the best shops, restaurants, bars and hotels in the city.
The Retail Birmingham Awards will hand out 22 awards to celebrate everything the city’s retail sector has to offer.
Organised by Retail Birmingham, a not-for-profit company set up more than three years ago to promote the city’s 1,000 shops, bars and restaurants, the scheme is replacing its successful predecessor, the Style Awards.
Held annually over the past three years, the Style Awards attracted top celebrities including Wolverhampton-born soul diva Beverley Knight, Birmingham pop star Jamelia and Kerrang! DJ Kate Lawler.
Organisers behind the new awards say they will open up the competition to celebrate a wider and more diverse range of retailers – including jewellers, hairdressers, sports shops, banks and gadget outlets.
Awards on offer include children’s retailer of the year, department store of the year and restaurant of the year, which is being sponsored by the Birmingham Post.
Steve Hewlett, spokesman for Retail Birmingham, said: “The awards aim to celebrate stores that have shown immense dedication in helping the city to maintain its reputation as one of the UK’s leading shopping destinations.
“I would urge shoppers to vote and tell us who their favourite retailers are so we can celebrate their achievements over the past 12 months – whether they be designer brands, high street stores or independent traders.”
The winners of 21 of the 22 categories will be those who get the most public votes. The 22nd category – the outstanding customer service award – will be decided by experts from Retail Birmingham. All the winners will be announced at an awards ceremony at the city’s Town Hall on March 3.
The awards are just one of the initiatives being spearheaded by Retail Birmingham in a bid to attract consumers from around the world to shop in the city and boost the local economy.
Other schemes include the Style Birmingham campaign, which regularly holds major events in the city, such as last year’s Style Birmingham Live – a three-day fashion and beauty extravaganza featuring catwalk shows hosted by TV star and heart-throb George Lamb.
Style Birmingham also hit the headlines in May after naming Jamelia as its face of spring/summer fashion and she joined Style Birmingham Magazine as a guest columnist, giving an insight into her glamorous celebrity lifestyle.
People wishing to vote have until February 17 to log on to www.stylebirmingham.com to nominate their favourite shops. Votes cast on the site will create a final short-list of four retailers in each of the categories.
