Welcome
Andrew Davies Managing Editor, Taylist Media
Welcome to this celebration of the kbbreview Retail & Design Awards 2026, held on March 2 in the very familiar surroundings of the Hilton Birmingham Metropole.
We’ve been hosting the awards here for many years, alongside the kbb Birmingham show, so it’s great to be back in what feels like a spiritual home. Although, if you were lucky enough to join us in the Blackpool ballroom last year, you’ll know our form away from home is pretty impressive too.
But wherever we hold them, the awards are always something pretty special and unique.
There’s a frisson, an energy in the room, generated by the power of people. Bringing together so many of the industry’s best retailers, designers, suppliers and infl uencers creates a kind of static electricity that sparks conversation, partnership and comradeship.
As technology continues to march on, remoteness often feels like the path of least resistance: easier, quicker, more effi cient. Its immediacy can make it tempting to believe it might replace everything in the end. But of course it can’t. Fundamentally, we are social animals. We don’t just crave company; we build trust and confi dence through the unspoken gestures, looks and moments that can only happen face-to-face. That’s why the event itself, attended by 800 retailers, designers,
suppliers and infl uencers, is so much more than a big party. statement that we all understand the importance that real relationships with real people play in the success of your business.
there or not. It’s a
And that's something that we should all celebrate whether you were It was also a bit of a milestone for me personally, as it was my 20th
time organising these awards so please indulge me while I say thank you to every sponsor, every winner, every fi nalist, every guest and everyone who's ever taken the time to enter.
I always consider it a privelege to be the incumbent steward of this amazing celebration so thank you all and congratualtions again to all the winners...
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