Britain’s family-owned independent retailers have been proving their value for decades thanks to their expertise in local markets, fiercely loyal and expert staff and intimate knowledge of their customers.
Just making the list of finalists was a huge achievement for Berry’s Jewellers, David M Robinson, Boodles, Laings, Pragnell and Prestons.
But there can be only one winner for a category voted on by 143 executives from watch brands operating in the UK, and that winner for 2019 is Berry’s Jewellers.
It has been a huge year for the Leeds-based luxury watch and jewellery company, with a major refurbishment of its Albion Street headquarters store completed and a new store in York under construction.
Anchored by Patek Philippe, but offering a wide range of brands from Tissot and Rado up to Vacheron Constantin and Breguet, the business now operates from nine stores in England.
The Award for Independent Luxury Watch Retailer of the Year was presented by Ian Martindale, UK director of WOLF to managing director Simon Walton and a team of 10 that attended on the night.
Executives at watch brands were asked in an invitation-only poll to give their views on the quality of retailers in a short list of finalists. A weighted score (shown in brackets alongside the retailers’ names) is given to each choice of ‘Very Good’, ‘Excellent’ and ‘Exceptional’ to decide the winner.
