Traders at the RE:Imagine pop up shop in Foyleside are celebrating a nomination in the North West Business Awards.
The initiative is in contention for the Retailer of the Year title after opening their doors to the public for the first time earlier this year.
RE:Imagine is a pilot programme consisting of eleven traders who won a competition to take up residence and showcase their products in prime retail space in Foyleside and Strabane’s Pagoda.
The Pop Up shops are an element of a new Start Up Accelerator Programme being delivered by Derry City and Strabane District Council, Enterprise North West and Strabane Enterprise Agency with support from BID in Strabane.
The Inner City Trust’s Fashion and Textile Design Centre (FTDC) have supported the brands through every step of the stores’ setup and manage the administrative functions including accounting and event management.
The North West Business Awards are hosted by the Derry Chamber of Commerce and aim to recognise and celebrate the achievements of businesses in the North West region.
The Retailer of the Year title seeks to reward businesses who have gone the extra mile to build their organisation around the needs of their target audience and are focused on delivering excellence in their retail environment.
Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council, Councillor Sandra Duffy, congratulated the collective on their early success.
“The Re:Imagine project has already proven a successful launch pad for up and coming start-ups and the public have shown their support for the initiative by visiting and buying in large numbers since it opened in March,” she said.
“They are clearly fulfilling their aim of offering something new to customers whilst ‘re-imaging’ the high street with local, sustainable and organic products and clothes.
“Sincere congratulations to them on being shortlisted in this category and good luck to all the nominees – they are certainly in prestigious company.”
Four additional providers have since joined the project which aims to allow local providers to showcase their products in a busy trading space and offer a stepping stone towards opening their stores.
The Retailer of the Year category recognises and rewards great customer service based on evidence of customer satisfaction, future plans for the business, originality of offering through products on sale, service, added value for customers and customer engagement.
The other nominees in the category are Ferry Clever and Vogue Car Sales, a full list of categories and nominees are available on the Chamber website at: https://londonderrychamber.co.uk/
To find out more about the Start Up Acceleration Programme visit www.derrystrabane.com/Start-Up-Accelerator
Visit the Re:Imagine Pop Up shop on the third floor of Foyleside Shopping Centre to shop all the brands in one place, and Scottie Paws Pets located at the Pagoda, Strabane.
You can also follow the brands on Re:Imagine Social Media.
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