Independent Retailer of the Year

Lewis & Cooper

“As I was reading through this entry, I kept on thinking I’d really really love to go and shop there,” enthused one of our judges, discussing Lewis & Cooper’s wine department.

There is, frankly, no finer compliment you could pay an independent retailer. The store has a distinctly traditional feel, “like stepping back in time” to a former era when shopping was a far more personable experience, while the passion and enthusiasm of the team is abundantly evident. “There’s obviously a real love of the business, and that comes through in everything they do.”

While the romanticised, olde worlde feel of the store is central to its success, Lewis & Cooper is by no means stuck in its ways – in fact the store also stood out for the impressive level of fresh thinking and innovation that runs through the business.

The retailer ensures standards remain high by using regular mystery shoppers, while the staff training and events programme impressed the judges. “This may be a very established business, but there are still plenty of contemporary twists…“ Lewis & Cooper epitomises the point of being an independent retailer.