The Greats Awards 2020 may have been a virtual event this year, but the whoops of joy and screams of delight could be heard from homes, shops and offices around the country on Wednesday night (September 30) as Great winners celebrated their success!
Winners shared their reactions with GiftsandHome.net:
“Absolutely thrilled to have won the Best Independent Gift Shop London category,” exclaimed Harriet and Adam de Wolff, co-owners of The Indigo Tree which has stores in Crystal Palace and Streatham, South London. “The award was a totally unexpectedand truly wonderful surprise. We are especially delighted, as this is such a boost for the whole team who work so hard. To be nominated and so well supported by our many suppliers is heart warming.”
Click below to see The Indigo Tree’s Adam de Wolff reaction at hearing that The Indigo Tree had won.
“We let out a huge roar when we heard our name announced as a winner,” revealed Keiron Cockley, co-owner of four Brocante stores in Cornwall, and winner of the Best Specialist Multiple Gift Retailer Award. “Probably far louder that we would dare do in a smart hotel! Then we opened the posh champagne!”
Janet Hartree, owner of Ewe & Me and Ewe Too in Grantown-on-Spey was equally thrilled. “It was such a great night, regardless of the circumstances and we all dressed upand opened some bubbles. It was lovely seeing our shop front up there with the other finalists, and we were overjoyed when Alan said we were winners, cue much hugging and whooping. Thank you all so very much for a wonderful evening. We are grateful to you all for giving us this opportunity to shine and celebrate in a year to remember. Ever since we heard the wonderful news, we’ve been so busy with well wishers, and our customers are really excited for us.”
Click below to see the team from Ewe and Me and Ewe Too toasting the other Greats finalist just before the Awards kicked off.
Over in Wales, Rachel Bates, owner of The Celtic Company in Welshpool, was equally thrilled. “We were completely overwhelmed by winning the Independent Gift Retailer of the Year – Midlands and Wales category,” she enthused “It was such a honour to be in the same category as other such amazing shops but to win is just incredible! In what has been a tough year for all retailers this really has given our whole team, whole high street and whole town such a boost to take us into the festive period! Thank you to all of the team at the Greats for doing such a fantastic job with all the challenges the awards set them this year. We feel very honoured to have been a part of it all.”
In Colchester, whoops of joy could be heard from Bill Nettelfield, owner of Bill and Bert’s, winner of the Best Newcomer South & Wales category, as he watched from home. “Back at the start of the year, when we were nominated, we thought how great it was, having only opened last August, to be thought of as worthy of being nominated Last night, when Greats compere Alan Dedicoat announced we had won it was a really great feeling. In such a strange year, to pick up this award is a real buzz that will keep us going with our heads well and truly up.”
Click below to watch Bill’s reaction.
Further North, Lucy and Paul Hull, owners of For The Love of the North in Corbridge and Whitley Bay, winner of the Best Newcomer Midlands, North and Scotland, wanted to wish all finalist the very best of luck at the start of the evening.
Click below to see For The Love of the North’s Lucy and Paul.
Meanwhile, jumping for joy on the supplier side were the team from Joe Davies, which won the Gold Award in the Best Service to the Independent Retailer category. “Winning the Gold Award was particularly emotional after everything Joe Davies, our customers and everyone in the industry has gone through since March,” managing director Steve Davies told GiftsandHome.net “This year we have never been prouder of our customers. Throughout the crisis, independent retailers have proved themselves to be more resilient, hardworking, pragmatic and adaptable than ever, and for them to recognise our efforts is amazing. All of us here are on Cloud nine!”
For the full list of Greats 2020 winners, click HERE.
