Online voting opens for Retail Birmingham Awards 2011

17th January 2011. Posted by Ruth Pipkin.

As online voting for this year’s Retail Birmingham Awards opens, Retail Birmingham is calling on the city’s shoppers to vote for their favourite stores. Over 20 retailers will be crowned at a red carpet ceremony in March, following a month-long public vote on stylebirmingham.com.

Voting for this year’s awards is now open, giving the general public the opportunity to nominate their favourite city centre shops. Votes cast on stylebirmingham.com will create the final shortlist of four retailers for each of the 21 categories.

The Retail Birmingham Awards 2011 categories include Fashion Retailer of the Year for menswear and womenswear, Children’s Retailer of the Year, Hair Salon of the Year, Restaurant of the Year, Independent Retailer of the Year and Shopping Destination of the Year. There is also a final award, which will be voted for by retailers, for Outstanding Customer Service Award.
Organised by Retail Birmingham, the Business Improvement District for the city’s central shopping area, the awards aim to celebrate stores that have shown immense dedication in helping the city maintain its reputation as one of the UK’s leading shopping destinations. The ceremony will take place at Town Hall Birmingham on 3 March and will be hosted by BBC Midlands Today presenter, Suzanne Virdee.

Steve Hewlett from Retail Birmingham said:
“Following on from three successful years organising the Style Awards, we felt that it was the right time to launch the Retail Birmingham Awards. This year’s awards will encompass a wider range of retailers, as featured in the recent City Centre Shopping Guide, of which 100,000 copies were distributed across the region.

“The aim is to encourage shoppers to vote online and tell us who their favourite retailers are, creating a shortlist that recognises and celebrates achievements of these retailers over the past 12 months. This will include everything from designer brands and high street stores to smaller independent traders.”

Retail Birmingham represents over 1000 retailers across the city, including shopping centres, fashion stores, bars, restaurants and hotels. Each year, through the consumer brand Style Birmingham, retailers are featured in the City Centre Shopping guide, providing residents and visitors with a comprehensive directory.

Voting for the Retail Birmingham Awards 2011 is open until 17 February. To vote for your favourite stores, visit www.stylebirmingham.com/awards. 

Ends

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Notes to Editor
•    Retail Birmingham is the Business Improvement District for the city’s central shopping area. A not-for-profit company, it represents over 1000 retailers in the city centre.
•    Style Birmingham is a campaign run by Retail Birmingham on behalf of retailers. Through stylebirmingham.com, Retail Birmingham promotes news, events and offers to residents and visitors.
•    Retail Birmingham Awards will take place on 3 March at Town Hall Birmingham. Voting for the awards takes place on stylebirmingham.com from 17 January until 17 February.
•    The categories for Retail Birmingham Awards 2011 are:
o    Fashion Retailer of The Year (menswear)
o    Fashion Retailer of the Year (womenswear)
o    Children’s Retailer of the Year
o    Jewellery & Accessories Retailer of the Year
o    Footwear Retailer of the Year
o    Sportswear & Outdoor Retailer of the Year – Sponsored by BRMB
o    Beauty & Health Retailer of the Year
o    Hair Salon of the Year
o    Cards & Gifts Retailer of the Year
o    Books, Magazines & News Retailer of the Year – Sponsored by Birmingham Mail
o    Technology Retailer of the Year
o    Restaurant of the Year – Sponsored by The Birmingham Post
o    Bar of the Year
o    Café of the Year
o    Food Retailer of the Year
o    Hotel of the Year
o    Services Retailer of the Year
o    Department Store of the Year – Sponsored by BRMB
o    New Retailer of the Year – Sponsored by Birmingham City Centre Partnership
o    Outstanding Customer Service Award - Sponsored by Birmingham & Solihull Skills Council
o    Independent Retailer of the Year Award
o    Shopping Destination of the Year – Sponsored by Retail Week