For a second year, Decanter donated all proceeds from the Decanter Retailer Awards to UK drinks industry charities, The Drinks Trust and The Ben.
A record year for entries, plus an additional donation made by Decanter, helped raise £36,000 for these charities with £30k going to The Drinks Trust and £6k to The Ben, the Scottish drinks industry charity.
Ross Carter, CEO of The Drinks Trust, commented, ‘Our sincere thanks to Decanter for once again donating money raised from the Decanter Retailer Awards to The Drinks Trust. These funds will ensure that colleagues facing hardship will receive access to financial support, our 24/7 well-being helpline, our wellness services or our newly launched educational programme, Develop. Your support has been vital in allowing us to navigate these challenging times for our industry.’
Chris Gardener, Chief Executive of The Ben, added, ‘Thanks so much for supporting us again this year, as you will know the furlough stopped and with the U.C. amount dropping £20 per week soon, we are still having to help very needy people within our trade and this fantastic amount will go towards this very worthwhile cause. I can’t tell you how much this will make a difference.’
Results to celebrate
‘It’s clear that Covid-19 has changed wine retailing forever’ said Decanter Retailer Awards Chairman Peter Richards MW, and after more than a year of challenges and adaptations, plus importing issues due to Brexit, entrants of the Decanter Retailer Awards have much to celebrate.
Not only did the 2021 competition see more entries than ever before, but more entries from retailers across the UK, including Wales, Northern Ireland, Scotland and 23 counties in England – all showing they had ‘risen to what was a game-changing challenge and overcome it in style,’ Richards added.
With a fantastic set of results from both the shortlist and final results, Decanter and the Decanter Retailer Awards judges were not only blown away by the hard work, perseverance and passion put in by entrants to ensure the UK remains one of the best and most diverse places in the world to buy and enjoy wine, but also their support in entering the competition during still difficult times.
Decanter is not only proud to endorse this year’s fantastic shortlisted and award-winning retailers, but urges readers to check out the results and seek out the retailers that appeal most.
Recommended retailers in the UK
The 2021 Shortlist
Decanter Retailer Awards 2021 Winners
As returning judge Andy Howard MW rightly concludes, ‘I continue to be amazed at the quality and diversity that we have in the UK retail trade. Wine is now more accessible than ever before and we have much better range than any other country. Now is definitely the time to explore new places, new grape varieties and styles.’
A heartfelt thank you to all the retailers who entered the Decanter Retailer Awards 2021, helping raise this incredible donation for UK drinks industry charities, The Drinks Trust and The Ben.
About the Decanter Retailer Awards
The Decanter Retailer Awards champions the very best of wine retail in the UK, rewarding retailers for their innovation, drive and creativity while offering wine drinkers an indispensable guide to the best wine shops, online retail, wine support services and wine lists on the high street.
Judging for the awards is conducted in three rounds by five independent wine experts that have been chosen based on their extensive knowledge in the retail environment.
