Retail excellence recognised at Trafford Centre Awards 2010
Selfridges and Legoland lead the accolades
A glittering awards ceremony last Thursday (14th) recognised the jewels in the crown of North West retail, as shops and restaurants received their prestigious 2010 Trafford Centre Awards.
The winners were selected after thousands of votes were cast by Trafford Centre customers in recent months – all proving eager to pay tribute to their favourite stores, cafes and entertainment venues within the scheme.
More than 400 guests enjoyed a gala dinner and entertainment at Manchester’s Hilton Hotel as the winners of 24 categories took to the stage to collect their prizes.
Selfridges led the way, receiving four honours in total including Health and Beauty Store of the Year, Footwear & Accessories Store of the Year, and the prestigious Richard Bonner Award for Outstanding Contribution to The Trafford Centre & Overall Favourite Venue. They also scooped the new In-store Concession of the Year Award for their MAC concession.
Jeff Johnson, General Manager, Selfridges Trafford Centre said, “We are delighted to win our awards. Hats off to our events and partnership teams for bringing excellence, to ensure that Selfridges is the number one destination for shoppers at The Trafford Centre. We are very proud of our brand partnerships, and look forward to building on these to provide more exclusive offerings for our customers.”
The Legoland Discovery Centre was awarded two titles, making an impressive debut as Newcomer of the Year in the Leisure category, and also walking away with the Entertainment Attraction of the Year award.
Rachel Lockitt, Legoland Discovery Centre, The Trafford Centre commented, “We are so pleased to win two awards. The Trafford Centre is an amazing venue, and we’ve had a fantastic year. We have to say a big thank you to The Trafford Centre for helping to make our success possible.”
The Menswear Store of the Year was Next, whilst the Ladieswear Store of the Year accolade went to Topshop. Meanwhile, Hollister took the award for Store Interior of the Year and John Lewis was awarded Homeware Store of the Year.
Highlights of the ceremony included GAP’s Nicky Matthews taking the Outstanding Customer Service Award for Retail. Nicky organised a Trafford Centre Charity Store in an empty unit and successfully persuaded other retailers to donate their unwanted stock. The project raised a total of over £23,000 for charity in just three days.
Presenting the award, celebrity host Mike Toolan of Key 103 said: “Nicky stood out for this award as the project is a fantastic idea. Nicky has done an amazing job to work with other retailers, and to raise so much money for charity is a remarkable achievement.”
Store Manager of the Year was awarded to Karen Millen’s Orladh Seddon, and the Restaurant Manager of the Year title went to Mianna Dodd from McDonald’s.
Commenting on the lavish ceremony, Director of Operations Gordon McKinnon said: “This is a very special event for the Trafford Centre, as it gives us a chance to reward the outlets and people who make us such a special destination for our millions of customers each year.
“We are so proud of all our staff and outlets here, all of them deserving of recognition, and an event such as this is an opportunity to honour all those individuals who continue to work so hard to make the Trafford Centre an unrivalled success.
“Once again we’ve had a fantastic evening, which has highlighted the way in which customer care, atmosphere, product offering and community spirit are all such important elements of the Trafford Centre.”
