Harpers Awards 2014: still time to enter

By Erin Smith, Richard Siddle

Published: 14 February, 2014

The Harpers Awards is a opportunity to be recognised as a key merchant, retailer and UK on-trade establishment in the trade. Be rewarded for all the hard work you and your team do. With a host of categories across the industry and the on- and off-trade, here's how you can get involved.

Harpers Awards 2014 Harpers Awards 2014

Independent retailers had a strong performance through Christmas with some reporting sales up by as much as 37%, and The Harpers Awards is great opportunity to recognise the hard work of you and your team.

Equally the on-trade has seen a recent rise in like-for-like sales with a relatively upbeat start to the year with 7.2% in January in 2013.

Now in its third year, the Harpers Awards has quickly established itself within the industry as a key event of the year. In fact, it has become much more than an awards ceremony. It is a unique opportunity for all sectors of the industry - including suppliers, distributors, and retailers, as well as businesses and individuals across the on- and off-trades - to come together, network and celebrate each others' efforts in this competitive world we all operate in.

We looks to reward and unite all the various parts of the industry.

The awards dinner is set for the evening of June 2, the first evening of the London Wine Fair. The evening is also the perfect opportunity for up-and-coming businesses and personalities to make their mark on the sector and stand out further from the competition. In previous years the awards have been able to identify and reward both individuals and companies that have quickly gone on to become key and respected figures in the trade.

Rewarding excellence

Given the widespread and diverse nature of our industry, the Harpers Awards are split in to different sections to ensure businesses and individuals are able to compete against their closest rivals.

When drawing up the awards categories this year, particular attention has been paid to recognising the importance of the online retail sector, whether that be standalone online players, the growth in multi-channel retailing, or the development of ecommerce sites across the both multiple and independent sectors.

Harpers is pleased to announce that the different awards categories and sections for this year that recognise outstanding merchants and retailers include:

Top Merchants Awards

These awards recognise excellence within our growing independent merchant sector. Please note the Top Merchants Awards look to recognise merchants that operate a high-street retail operation. Top Merchants are invited to nominate themselves and a separate independent judging panels will select shortlists and winners.

Industry Awards

These accolades are open to all sectors of the trade, be it producers, suppliers, merchants or businesses across the on- and off-trades. Again, we invite businesses to nominate themselves. Shortlists and winners will be decided by a series of independent expert panels.

At Your Service Awards

These awards pay tribute to the professionalism and highest standards across the UK on-trade. Here the judges will be looking to reward outlets they think have the best drinks offers, across hotels, bars, restaurants and pubs, as well as Best Group, Best Front of House/Sommelier and Best On-Trade Personality.

These awards will be chosen by the Harpers on-trade voting academy made up of key figures in the trade, including consultants, suppliers, distributors, sommeliers, MWs, restaurant critics and journalists. They are not open to self nomination.

How to enter

Full details on how to enter the awards, including the specific criteria for individual categories are available on the dedicated section of Harpers.co.uk. Click here.

The site has been designed so that all self-nomination entries can be made directly online along with any digital supporting material. Additional printed supporting material can also be submitted by post.

Please note that for the 2014 awards an administrative charge of £97 plus VAT is being introduced for all categories that invite self-nomination - that is, the Top Merchant and Industry Awards categories - to help with the judging process.

The entry process is now open with a closing date set for Friday, March 7, 2014.

Any separate printed supporting information should be sent by post to Leanne Willard, Harpers Awards 2014, Name of Category, William Reed Business Media, Broadfield Park, Crawley, West Sussex RH11 9RT.

Please note we will not be able to return any entry information that is sent through by post. For more details, contact Leanne Willard at leanne.willard@wrbm.com

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