EDITOR’S COMMENT Jack Cheeseman


profiles on all the winners from the big day! And what a day it was... Firstly, it was so great to just be back in a


W 10


room together again! But more than that, after the couple of years that we’ve had, it was so important to bring people together to celebrate the best that this innovative industry has to offer! The afternoon started with some laughs from


Paul Thorne, who settled us in and did a great job hosting the Awards. Then the presentations got underway with a mix of categories for both retailers and manufacturers/suppliers, which offers a real chance for everyone to get involved and recognise their shared success. One of the best things about the ERT Awards


is witnessing the excitement and euphoria around the room as each of the winners’ names are called out. You can see how much it means to even be a finalist, and how truly thrilled the winners are to walk up and collect their trophy – and how happy everyone else is for them, whether they’re colleagues, associates or even competitors! An event like this is a brilliant chance to let


your hair down – which I think we all needed! Obviously there have been a lot of trials and tribulations in the retail sector over the past two years, yet during this time we heard many inspiring stories of retailers reinventing their businesses in some way to keep up with the pace of change.


elcome to the first ERT edition of 2022! And Happy New Year to you all! This is our special ERT Awards issue with


January 2022 ertonline.co.uk


‘You can see how truly thrilled the winners are’


And it’s these stories that we like to celebrate.


This year’s ERT Awards winners all stand out from the crowd for various reasons. For example, Bristol-based NE Appliances – which picked up the coveted Turning Point Award – has been completely redesigned and relaunched to become a more modern, more streamlined business. And the judges were seriously impressed! On that note… I’d like to thank the judges for all their help. A massive thank you also to our


sponsors and supporters, and to everyone involved in making the ERT Awards 2021 such a success! Most importantly, thank you to everyone that attended the event and made it another one to remember. And huge congratulations to all the winners and highly commended! Let’s not forget the Turning Point Live!


Conference which also took place that morning. And there will be full coverage from the Conference in next month’s issue of ERT.


Just before Christmas I was lucky enough to attend the opening of the new Miele Experience Centre in Edinburgh. It is the third store of this kind in the UK, but it’s 100th worldwide – which I was very impressed to hear. The Centre is a fantastic example of the brand’s premium character, located in


the new St James Quarter of the city alongside high-end fashion names like Louis Vuitton, Swarovski and Burberry. The launch event was hosted by John Pickering, Managing Director of Miele


GB, and joint Executive Directors and Co-Proprietors of Miele, Dr Markus Miele and Dr Reinhard Zinkann. During my visit I got to speak with Dr Zinkann (pictured with me, left) about


the importance of these Experience Centres and how they complement the company’s existing retail partner network. I also asked him how Miele’s historic core values contribute towards his vision for the future.


You can read this exclusive interview over the page. Email the editor at jackcheeseman@ertonline.co.uk What do you think ?


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