In the past 12 months, every KBB retailer has faced disruption like never before.
Unquestionably, it’s been an agonising time, but paradoxically that upheaval has also brought out the very best in entrepreneurial creativity and tenaciousness. Retailers have been forced to adapt to these extraordinary circumstances at lightning speed simply to stay in business and keep trading.
And, frankly, many of the stories of that adaptation and have been simply astonishing.
From the biggest retailers to the smallest, the talent of individuals and their ability to think on their feet and implement ideas quickly has been, dare I say it, something incredibly positive and inspiring to watch.
The spirit that made them want to be business owners the first place has been tested but triumphed and that’s incredible.
Now we want to hear those stories. We want to hear how you did it, what you found in yourself when you dug deep.
How did you get those jobs finished? How did you help your staff through the turmoil? How did you keep in contact with your customers? How did you pivot to online appointments? How did you make your showroom safe while still keeping it an aspirational retail experience? How did you cope with the sudden high demand?
What’s the survival story of your business in the year of Covid?
The kbbreview Retail & Design Awards has been going for 27 years and we’ve always rewarded the very best examples of retailers and their showrooms – but clearly in the last 12 months everything has changed.
So we’ve changed too.
We’ve changed the judging and the criteria to directly ask the questions above. This year isn’t about growth, or investment, or strategy or planning, it’s about survival. To operate a kitchen or bathroom retail business in 2020 and still be here in 2021 is the biggest test imaginable of whether you’re a good retailer or not.
And our awards are all about highlighting good retailers.
So whether you’re a big retailer or a small high street business, we want to hear your stories. They’re all tales of adaptation and rapid evolution and they’re all inspiring. Maybe this whole remarkable experience could be topped off with the most sought-after trophy in the kitchen and bathroom sector – don’t miss the opportunity, it’s yours to take.
All the information you need to enter the kbbreview Retail & Design Awards 2021 is here
You can also listen to dedicated awards episodes of The kbbreview Podcast – the first two are below or you can search ‘kbbreview’ in your podcast app of choice. You can hear from organisers and former winners to get top tips on the benefits of entering as well top tips and advice on putting winning entries together.
And here’s a list of the categories you can enter
The Retail Categories
- Kitchen Retailer of the Year
- Bathroom Retailer of the Year
- Kitchen Showroom of the Year
- Bathroom Showroom of the Year
- New Kitchen Retailer of the Year
- New Bathroom Retailer of the Year
- Community Champion of the Year
- Installation Company of the Year
The Design Categories
- Kitchen Designer of the Year – project cost up to £30,000
- Kitchen Designer of the Year – project cost £30,000 – £50,000
- Kitchen Designer of the Year – project cost over £50,000
- Bathroom Designer of the Year – project cost up to £10,000
- Bathroom Designer of the Year – project cost £10,000 – £25,000
- Bathroom Designer of the Year – project cost over £25,000
The Special Categories
- Lockdown Support Special Award (for suppliers only)