The judging panel is a key part of the Best Shops competition. Readers nominate their favourite hidden gems, but it’s the judges’ expertise that is crucial in rewarding the star players in independent retail.
This year Simon Pratt is keen to push the idea of a shop as central to a community. As managing director of Avoca, one of Ireland’s best-known retail businesses, he has helped the firm win many accolades including being named one of the 100 Most Inspirational Stores in the World by Retail Week magazine. The company has been acquired by US corporation Aramark, but Pratt’s heart is with the small trader because they provide more than just a pint of milk, loaf of bread or the newspaper, he says: “They have a useful social function and a hard-to-quantify value to their community. They help disseminate news, keep people in touch and can play a key part in the local support structure.”
But this only works if the community supports these shops by buying what they can locally if they want them to survive and prosper, he adds.
He’s looking for shopkeepers “who provide excellent and personal service and are imaginative in what they stock, and where possible support local producers”.
The idea also translates to cafés, delicatessens, galleries or salons because the concept is the same – a great retail offer and a supportive community. “It is a joy when you come across these great shops in a brave or unlikely, often rural, location. A thriving little oasis in what could easily be a boarded-up shop.”
Deirdre McQuillan, fashion editor of The Irish Times, wants to be surprised. She’s looking for shops that are doing something different and to a very high standard, places you “feel a warmth and that you’re being welcomed”.
“It isn’t a straightforward formula you can copy and paste. For all the stores that look and feel gorgeous there are those that shouldn’t work but do. That’s the element of surprise,” McQuillan explains, recalling a coffee shop she recently happened on in the west that did just that.
“I was the only customer but the coffee was excellent, the owner was there and served me fresh scones just out of the oven with just-right homemade strawberry jam. It was simple but perfect.”
As group creative director of Brown Thomas, John Redmond circumnavigates the globe in search of new ideas to bring home. He believes the experience, the creativity, concept, theatre and customer service are core aspects of retail and “will be considering all these key criteria over the coming weeks”.
Sarah Halliwell joins the judging panel this year to improve our expertise in the salon sector. She has been writing about shopping, beauty and travel for a variety of publications including Elle magazine for nearly 20 years. Before she joined The Gloss as its beauty editor she was shopping and fashion editor at Time Out magazine, London. Going into a great shop is about so much more than what you can buy there, it’s about the experience, she believes.
“I love shops where you learn something new – where you sense real enthusiasm along with expertise, discover unexpected treasures, and want to linger so long you get a parking ticket.”
It’s a sentiment echoed by Eddie Shanahan, a fashion and retail consultant who also guest lectures at Letterkenny Institute of Technology’s retail degree programme and who is involved with Create at Brown Thomas, an annual project that champions the cream of Irish design. “A shop’s offer has to confer something new, be it in the product offer or the service. Consumers have become more discerning and are demanding a different experience,” he says.
So go on, get nominating.
Nominate your shop Is your favourite shop too shy? Sing its praises by nominating it. Visit irishtimes.com #bestshops16
