Scotland's A Hume wins Retailer of the Year at Drapers Independents Awards

The awards, held at The Brewery in London today (September 17), saw the retailer - described as “a simply brilliant company” by judges - also win Best Independent Multichannel Operator (sponsored by Visual Soft Ecommerce). Fellow Scottish retailer Sisters Boutique in Falkirk was awarded the prize of Best Young Fashion Independent of the Year (sponsored by Manchester Fashion Week).

There was a good regional spread of winners across the UK and Ireland. Dublin-based Louis Copeland & Sons collected Menswear Independent of the Year (sponsored by Skopes) and Best Store Design for its Dundrum branch. McElhinneys of Ballybofey in County Donegal won Independent Department Store of the Year.

Derbyshire-based Young Ideas, last year’s winner of Independent Retailer of the Year and Womenswear Independent of the Year, was named Premium Fashion Independent of the Year for 2014, while Bridge in Solihull won Womenswear Independent of the Year (sponsored by Frank Lymann Design).

The Chapar in London picked up the accolade for Best New Business and Collectif, also based in the capital, won Niche Retailer of the Year (sponsored by Wacoal Eveden).

For the second year running Ann’s Cottage surf shops in Cornwall won Lifestyle Retailer of the Year. Fashion Agency or Distributor of the Year was claimed by London-based Just Consultancies.

Joseph Ribkoff won Womenswear Brand of the Year and Barbour picked up the award for Menswear Brand.

The Lifetime Achievement prize (sponsored by Lexington Company) was awarded to Rita Britton, owner of Pollyanna in Barnsley, in celebration of her 50 years of trading in the industry.