Retail Champions

Above: Philip says that there were many highlights in 2022, including the opening of a new store in Birmingham.

Last year’s Progressive Preschool awards celebrated the efforts of independent retailers in the preschool space, providing a much-needed boost following another uncertain year for the high street. PPS catches up with some of the winners to find out how 2022 was for them and what their plans are for the next 12 months.

PHILIP SHAW, HEAD OF MARKETING AND CONTENT, NEWBIE AND ME WINNER OF BEST INDEPENDENT NURSERY RETAILER

“The biggest challenge has been opening the new Birmingham store, which opened on the run up to the Black Friday weekend. The timing was perfect as so many expectant parents joined us for the opening making it a successful launch. There have been so many highlights this year, but to name a few; The exclusivity of the Egg Stealth, launch of the new Silver Cross Dune & Reef, the backlog of stroller season, our mother and baby event with Mini First Aid, breaking our record on social media, growing on TikTok, and of course, winning the Best Independent Nursery Retailer Award.

“Without giving too much away, we are going to continue to do what we do best - offering carers and expecting parents a place to explore the amazing range of nursery products in-store. We are always learning and developing, whether it’s from a Google review, or from a customer in-store, feedback is key.

“The award honestly means the world to us. It’s recognition of our hard work, and that we are doing the right thing. The best part of winning this award is that everybody involved at Newbie and Me has played a part. From the staff on the shop floor giving amazing customer service, to the owners of the business planning our next move - we are a big family who all believe in Newbie and Me.”

KAMLESH AMIN, OWNER, JJ TOYS WINNER OF BEST INDEPENDENT TOY RETAILER

“The last 12 months have been spent attempting to achieve some stability after the unpredictability experienced since 2020. We are very fortunate to have amazing customers who understand the experience of visiting the toy shop, versus purchasing online and the one of the highlights will always be seeing the happiness of our customers and their children when they find exactly what they want, despite not having any idea before they walked in the door.

“As for challenges, the ongoing cost-of-living crisis is a major concern, we are a business but want to ensure that we provide a great service and a wide range of toys that are inclusive to everyone and offer opportunities for people to provide gifts to their loved ones. We always want to ensure that we can find your perfect gift and cater to your specific circumstances.

“We will look to continue growth in the area in 2023, we developed a strong online presence during the pandemic and this is another aspect of the business we would like to grow.

“We have been running the business for 40 years this February and our aspirations are always the same: provide our customers with the level of care that we would give to our family and look to continue the great work we do within the local community, whilst promoting the 'shop local' campaign to support the many amazing small businesses in the area.

“Winning this award is truly an honour. It was hugely unexpected but so appreciated. This validates all the hard work that goes into running the business. This is also an award which we share with our customers - they are our most valuable asset and we are constantly learning from them, even after all these years.”

Above left: Kamlesh says winning the Best Independent Retailer award is “truly an honour”.

USMAN ALI AHMED, OWNER OF TOYS4YOU WINNER OF BEST INDEPENDENT GIFT RETAILER

“2022 was an eventful year for Toys4you, as with all businesses it has been a tough year due the cost of living crises, however as a business we try to find a positive from all the negativity that is going around. People have become savvier with what they are buying, so they are after quality stuff at affordable price and that’s what we are currently doing. In April 2022 we opened our first physical store in Sutton Coldfield and after a few months we came on board with Toymaster as a member and the brands we stock massively increased.

“As with other businesses we talk to, online sales have dropped which is natural as after the pandemic people prefer to shop in store more, so in-store sales increased.

“2022 brought its own challenges, due to increases in costs like utility bills and staff wages. We are trying to keep our heads above water and are hopeful that in upcoming months things will improve.

“We have high hopes for 2023; our focus is to further build our brand and encourage people to buy local and support individual retailers rather than big chains, which treat toys as a profit commodity rather than an experience and a smile on little ones’ faces.

“Our store is not like an ordinary retail store you walk into, as we find it boring and repetitive. Our store is more retro with fixtures and fittings made of recycled wooden pallets and it’s stocked in such a manner that children can reach the products easily. However, all of this brings its own challenges, and we will be changing our layout to improve the customer experience in-store.

“We have quite a few events planned for 2023 and we have plans to run with local bid and the shopping centre management. We will be running Pokémon trading events, plus competition for Warhammer enthusiasts and some mascots visiting our stores. We will be involving some local community groups to run in-store sessions for kids to minimise the time kids spend in front of screens and learn at the same time. Keep an eye on our social media channels and website to keep up to date with such events.

“Toys4you is part of Humify which provides equal opportunities to the most deprived in society in the UK and internationally. We have plans this year to extend this support and involve in projects where we will contribute to the betterment of the society.

“It was a great honour to receive the Progressive Preschool award and we were extremely delighted to be acknowledged for the all the hard work that our team and staff does. We are very sure that every other nominee for this award was as capable if not more, of winning this award. “To be called an award-winning shop provides an endorsement to the exceptional customer service we provide and also the quality of products we sell in our store. Also the category of award we won is a reflection of personalised service we offer in store to people who come to our store looking for gifts for the little ones.”

Left: Usman Ali Ahmed and his wife Mehak Rauf (pictured) run Toys4You with Arihant Parekh and his wife Nakita Parekh.

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