Voting now open for your local ‘High Street Hero’

After the toughest year in a generation for our local high streets, the call has now opened for local shoppers to name the local retailers they feel should be rewarded for their tireless service to their community.

Whether your High Street Hero is your favourite butcher, baker, or barista, the campaign is a celebration of the brilliant work of independent retailers and the pride they bring to local communities. Votes are already rolling in and the competition is heating up as the deadline for nominations set to close in early August.

High Street Heroes NI is a joint campaign from Retail NI and the Irish News supported by Camelot and Translink. With thousands of votes cast last year across Northern Ireland competition is set to be stiff as town and villages vie for the overall titles.

Votes can be cast across 12 different categories with shoppers and customers asked to name their favourite convenience store, deli, butcher, off-license or Covid-19 champion, among others.

To give your local independent retailers the recognition they deserve place your vote at the High Street Heroes Retail NI website.

The High Street Heroes categories include:

Favourite retail outlet

Convenience Store

Off-Licence

Coffee Shop

Healthcare Retailer

Fashion Retailer

Butcher

Deli

Homeware Retailer

Overall Favourite High Street of the Year

Community COVID-19 Champion

Independent Retail Employee of the Year.

Retail NI Chief Executive, Glyn Roberts said: “We are delighted to launch High Street Heroes NI to highlight and celebrate the huge contribution independent retailers make to our local high streets and the economy. High Street Heroes NI gives consumers the opportunity to vote for their favourite independent retailer and high street.”

Chair of Mid Ulster District Council, Councillor Paul McLean said: “Retail NI’s campaign puts the focus deservedly on our independent retailers, who have had to be more resilient than ever over the past 18 months. I am extremely proud of the independent retailers in Mid Ulster District Council and the contribution they make to our community. Retail NI’s campaign ensures the service and innovation independent retailers bring to the high street is rightfully recognised and provides encouragement to our retailers through an extremely tough year.

“Independent retailers bring a mix of tradition and diversity to our high streets and that is something that should be celebrated. It is the distinct character and service provided by independent retailers that bring shoppers to our Mid Ulster towns and villages daily.”

--

Thank you for reading this article. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by Coronavirus impacts our advertisers.

Please consider purchasing a copy of the paper. You can also support trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription of the News Letter.