Best Shops 2016 is now closed. Thank you to all the readers who voted for the shops you loved.
We received 30,288 nominations in this year’s contest and now the judges have to sift through the comments and the numbers and select just the shops that will go forward to the shortlist.
Just 100 stores will make it onto that list. Vying for a place are butchers, bakers, fabric shops, hardware stores, garden centres, cafes, tea rooms, green grocers, fish shops, chemists, sports emporiums, lingerie shops, bookshop, opticians, barbers, hairdressers, wax and brow bars, boutiques and gentleman’s outfitters.
The judges and our team of secret shoppers have already started visiting stores and will continue to do so over the next couple of weeks to see what’s on offer and experience the service.
The panel; Simon Pratt, MD of Avoca; Eddie Shanahan, retail consultant; John Redmond, creative director at the Brown Thomas Group; Sarah Halliwell, beauty editor at The Gloss; Deirdre McQuillan, fashion editor at The Irish Times, Robert Doherty of AIB Merchant Services and myself will soon be sharpening our pencils and getting ready to fight for the shops we each believe should make that selection.
The competition, backed by AIB and now in its fifth year, continues to evoke strong feelings from readers and it is these heartfelt comments that often help judge in favour one establishment over another.
