Rural Retail & Destination Business of the Year
For rural retailers creating destinations that combine quality, experience and commercial success.
This award recognises rural retailers creating outstanding destinations, combining quality, experience and commercial success to attract and inspire customers.
The winning business uses its rural location as an asset, not a constraint, and turns shopping into something worth driving for.
What judges are looking for
- Destination-quality experience – store, site, hospitality, programme.
- Commercial performance – footfall, basket, dwell time, year-on-year growth.
- Quality of curation – product, suppliers, local representation.
- Sustainability of the model – seasonal balance, online complement, resilience.
- Community contribution – employment, supplier relationships, local presence.
Who should enter
Farm shops, garden centres, rural department-style stores, lifestyle retail concepts, country pubs-with-shops, on-site producer retailers, and the destination-format retailers redefining what rural shopping looks like.
Entry Tips
- Use specific figures — revenue, %, headcount, acreage, customers served.
- Back claims with evidence: coverage, quotes, accreditations, photos.
- Focus on the last 24 months of performance.
- Read the criteria carefully and answer them directly.
