Success at Excellence in Housewares Awards 2016

We did it again! We’ve only gone and won the Excellence in Housewares Awards 2016 award for Excellence in Direct Retailing. Stars from the housewares industry gathered in style at the London Lancaster on Wednesday 5th October to eagerly await who would be crowned winners in what has now become known as the ‘Oscars’ of the housewares industry – the Excellence in Housewares Awards. Well over 400 suppliers and retailers attended the event which turned out to be an all singing and dancing affair too, thanks to its exuberant Bollywood theme. [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="791"]Harts of Stur MD Philip Hart (left) and his son Graham pictured with the Excellence in Direct Retailing Award[/caption]

Bolly Good Show

Guests, many in full Bollywood regalia, were greeted by Dhol drummers as they made their way towards a champagne reception. Sitar players provided musical entertainment during the reception. A sumptuous meal followed, and then it was time for the main event - the Excellence in Housewares Awards 2016! BBC Asia presenter Tommy Sandhu hosted the awards. World-famous Bollywood superstar Karan Pangali of KSpark who put on an incredible performance also led a memorable dance workshop after the awards ceremony. To help guests party into the early hours there was live music from The Lionels and plenty of cocktails on hand from Vitamix. Editor of Progressive Housewares, Jo Howard commented on the fitting theme for the awards: “Bollywood provided a sensational backdrop for our celebration of the housewares industry’s achievements.” Jo added: “After all, so much of today’s housewares retailing is about putting on a showstopper in-store to capture the attention of ever more demanding consumers.” [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="743"]The Harts of Stur team receiving the award from Dr Samir Attia, Chairman of Smart Worldwide (holding award) and awards host Tommy Sandhu (right)[/caption]

Housewares Awards - Direct Retailing

We were up against some stiff competition in the Excellence in Direct Retailing category. Fellow finalists included Amara Living, Amazon, Lakeland, Prezola and Shop Direct. We are not strangers to the category though. We were winners in 2012 and 2013 and have been finalists for the last two years. We’ve made significant improvements to our website over the last 12 months. The website is now fully responsive making it easy to view on any device. We’ve tweaked the design so that it is clear and easy to view with an improved search facility and options to browse by brand or department. FeeFo, the independent customer review site has been integrated onto the website. This gives customers a way of rating our customer service and adding reviews to products they have just ordered. Our blog, packed with buying guides, recipes and interesting stories is proving very popular. We’ve also added additional delivery service options, so you can receive your delivery where and when you want it. This is in addition to adding hundreds of exciting new products throughout the year.

A good year

This latest award win comes hot on the heels of a double success at the recent Blackmore Vale Business Awards. We walked away with the Best Customer Service Awards and Online Business of the Year. Click here to read the full story. We've also entered the Dorset Business Awards, so we are hoping this won’t be the last success of the year. MD Philip Hart commented: “Despite tough competition from Lakeland, Amazon and all the other finalists, it was a very proud moment to receive this award”.