BRITAIN’S army of shopkeepers were hailed for their contribution to the Nation’s economy at a premier awards ceremony last week.
At the Asian Trader magazine awards on Wednesday (November 24), home secretary and chief guest Theresa May said the importance of retailing to the country should not be underestimated.
May said: ‘The retail sector today generates eight per cent of the UK GDP, over a third of all consumer spending goes through retailers and the sector employs ten per cent of the entire UK work force – so the retail sector is indeed a force to be reckoned with.’
She made the comments as Asian Trader, a sister publication of Garavi Gujarat and GG2, marked its 25th year of publication almost to the day. It first came out on November 26, 1985 and started with a few thousand readers; today it reaches almost 50,000 businesses.
Home secretary May said her government was sensitive to shopkeepers’ concerns about crime and anti-social behaviour and would look at ways of dealing with problems.
More than 1,000 people attended the glittering night at the Park Plaza in Westminster which saw the nation’s best independent shops scoop awards for excellence in different aspects of their business.
Kalpesh Solanki, managing editor of the Asian Media & Marketing Group (AMG) which publishes Asian Trader and GG2, marked the trade magazine’s 25th anniversary by saying how much had changed since it first rolled off the presses.
It’s with hard work and immense sacrifice that the Asian community has changed the way the British consumer shops. They opened on Sunday and late into the nights working without holidays.
‘From those early days the independent retailer has lived with the burden of competition from the major multiples and constant media headlines of extinction.’
He said shops had survived and prospered and offered employment prospects to the young and returning mothers and the best were at the very heart of their communities.
But he also warned that more needed to be done to tackle crime. ‘We don’t want more lights being turned off for good in stores around the country. The result will be jobs lost and shops left empty, providing passers-by with a daily reminder that the country is in recession,’ he lamented.
More than £30,000 in cash was given to the winners with £10,000 for the top award winners.
The evening’s top honour, the Asian Trader of the Year award, went to Dharmendra Vaidya who owns Budgens store, in Bow, East London. The award is regarded as the pinnacle of achievement for any shopkeeper.
In all, 10 awards were presented during the evening in front of a high-powered audience of industry leaders, celebrities and politicians.
Many of the UK’s biggest grocery companies such as Nestlé, Cadbury, PepsiCo, Mars and Warburtons sponsored the awards.
