Henry Smith MP is calling on Crawley’s small shopkeepers to enter the Best Small Shops Competition, celebrating the successes of small shops and the central role they play in their local community, particularly in response to COVID-19.

The Best Small Shops Competition is open to any small shop operating in the UK. The competition is free to enter and all shops who enter will also be promoted to consumers through an online Indie Retail Directory.

Shopkeepers can nominate their businesses until Friday 11th September 2020 via www.bestsmallshops.co.uk. A shortlist will be announced in October with winners announced in November.

Henry said;

“Crawley’s small shops have so much to offer and it would be fitting for them to be recognised in the Best Small Shops Competition.

“I’d urge Crawley’s small retailers to get involved and celebrate not only the creativity of independent shops but the vital role they play in the community.

“It’s right that this sector’s response to coronavirus is marked, with a new category this year for demonstrating specific innovation to combat the impact of COVID-19.”

The judges will be looking for evidence of a small shop’s entrepreneurial spirit, ways that they have been innovative in their business and what they have done to have a lasting positive impact on their community.

The shortlisted small shops will then be in with the chance to win one of five awards, including the newly launched award for small shops’ response to COVID-19.

Notes to Editors:

Further entry guidance is available here.

For the purposes of the competition, a small shop is defined as a non-corporate business selling goods or services to the public for use or consumption rather than for resale, from a business rated premises in the UK.