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Vol.06  Issue 05/04, 24.05.2006

Winners of The Drapers Footwear Awards 2006

Announced at The Hilton Park Lane, Wednesday 17 May

Drapers announced the winners of the Drapers Footwear Awards 2006. The awards ceremony, organised by the leading fashion business weekly Drapers, is a glittering industry event celebrating the best of footwear retailing across the UK and Irish Republic.

Comic Marcus Brigstock, host of BBC 4's The Late Edition and Radio 4 regular, presented the awards at The Hilton Park Lane, Wednesday 17 May. The categories range from rewarding the largest multiples to fledgling independents and student designers of the year.

Best New Store went to Offspring in Covent Garden, the prodigal son of Office, praised for its innovative store design and mixture of exclusive from bestselling brands that sit alongside big-name designer sports tie-ups. American brand Merrell was named Footwear Brand of the Year, combining great product with the service and marketing support to match. Retailer winners included: online footwear nirvana VivaLaDiva.com for women's footwear; small but impressive Nottingham store Solution who won both Men's Footwear and Young Fashion Footwear retailer awards; Leicester-based Jellyrolls for their superb contemporary kids' footwear business; value chain Peacocks; Footwise won Comfort Footwear Retailer of the Year for their sophisticated technical approach, while The Golden Boot in Kent, England's oldest family-owned shoe shop, won Family Footwear Retailer of the Year. Footwear Multiple of the Year went to Dune, who offers 'premium affordable' footwear for women, and Footwear Retailer of the Year was awarded to McKillens of Ballymena, who have excelled with their site, stock, staff and service, and are forward-looking despite their heritage of being established since 1926.

The Footwear Industry Lifetime Achievement Award was well deserved by Ken Bartle, a popular win with him receiving a standing ovation on the night. With five decades in the industry, Ken's management experience includes Freeman Hardy Willis, Clarks and Stead and Simpson, with many of his profit-winning ideas being copied by the value players today. In more recent years as chief executive of Jones Bootmaker, he has rationalised the business and revitalised the women's department.

Josephine Collins, editor of Drapers commented, "Once again we have had a high standard of entrants to this year's Awards, proving how much footwear retailers can be both innovative and passionate yet still immensely commercial. The Drapers Footwear Awards are recognised as the industry's highest accolade, with a ceremony being the biggest event to date."

The Judges:
* Neil Clifford, CEO, Kurt Geiger
* Charles Clinkard, Managing Director, The Clinkard Group
* John Egan, Managing Director, Rubicon (Shoe Studio Group)
* Stephen Etheridge, Group Chief Executive, Church Group
* William Fletcher, Footwear Sales Associate, GORE-TEX Footwear
* Derrick Hoyle, Product Manager, Sole Trader
* Matthew McKillen, Chairman, McKillens of Ballymena
* Andy Rubin, Chief Executive, Pentland
* Daniel Rubin, Managing Director, Dune

To the Fashion Fair Calendar 2006
Links to Fair Organizers

The Winners

BEST NEW STORE
Sponsored by Pentland Brands
Offspring, Covent Garden, London
Finalists:
Crave Shoe Boutique, Naas, Ireland This Little Piggy, Dundee

SALES ASSISTANT OF THE YEAR
Sponsored by Footwear Today / IFRA
Robyn Creasey, Charles Clinkard, Milton Keynes
Finalists:
Rob Clive, Daniel Footwear, Birmingham Laura Ford, Gabor, Guildford; Tom Green, Office, Bluewater; Daphne Pape, Hoad's Children's Shop, Sevenoaks; Sarah Ross, Charles Clinkard, York

STUDENT ACCESSORIES DESIGNER OF THE YEAR
Sponsored by River Island
Natasha Landa, Cordwainers at London College of Fashion
Finalists:
Naadu Ashin, Cordwainers at London College of Fashion; Holly Cowan, Cordwainers at London College of Fashion; Annie Zorzo, Cordwainers at London College of Fashion

COMFORT FOOTWEAR RETAILER OF THE YEAR
Sponsored by Rockport
Footwise, Guildford
Finalists:
The Footbed Clinic, Swansea; McKillens of Ballymena; Natural Shoe Store, Covent Garden, London; Philip Jones, Stratford-Upon-Avon

VALUE FOOTWEAR RETAILER OF THE YEAR
Sponsored by Drapers
Peacocks
Finalists:
Charles Clinkard Factory Footwear Outlet; New Look; Peacocks; Priceless

MEN'S FOOTWEAR RETAILER OF THE YEAR
Sponsored by Cheaney
Solution Footwear
Finalists:
Charles Clinkard; The Golden Boot, Maidstone; McKillens of Ballymena; Oliver Sweeney of Leeds; Poste

WOMEN'S FOOTWEAR RETAILER OF THE YEAR
Sponsored by Gabor
Viva La Diva. com
Finalists:
The Golden Boot, Maidstone; Kate Kuba; McKillens of Ballymena; Siena Additions, London SW17

CUSTOMER SERVICE AWARD
Sponsored by Scholl
McKillens of Ballymena
Finalists:
Hoad's Childrens Shop, Sevenoaks; This Little Piggy, Perth

STUDENT FOOTWEAR DESIGNER OF THE YEAR
Sponsored by Bertie
Liam Fahy, De Montfort University
Finalists:
Rachele Davies, Cordwainers at London College of Fashion; Daniel Evans, De Montfort University; Wendy Flynn, De Montford University; Anouska Parr, De Montfort University

KID'S FOOTWEAR RETAILER OF THE YEAR
Sponsored by Start-rite
Jellyrolls Footwear, Leicester
Finalists:
Kids at Clinks; McKillens of Ballymena; One Small Step One Giant Leap; Russell & Bromley; This Little Piggy

YOUNG FASHION FOOTWEAR RETAILER OF THE YEAR
Sponsored by Onitsuka Tiger
Solution Footwear
Finalists:
Frontier; Offspring; tReds

FOOTWEAR BRAND OF THE YEAR
Sponsored by Drapers
Merrell
Finalists:
Bronx; Converse; Fly London; Gabor; Geox (kids); Rieker; Timberland

FAMILY FOOTWEAR RETAILER OF THE YEAR
Sponsored by Clarks
The Golden Boot, Maidstone
Finalists:
Charles Clinkard, Northallerton; McKillens of Ballymena

FOOTWEAR MULTIPLE OF THE YEAR
Sponsored by IKON Footwear
Dune
Finalists:
Barratts; Jones Bootmaker; New Look; Office; River Island; Topshop

FOOTWEAR RETAILER OF THE YEAR
Sponsored by Ecco
McKillens of Ballymena

FOOTWEAR INDUSTRY LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Sponsored by Hush Puppies
Ken Bartle