The glitzy Awards were presented by Vibe107.6FM presenter Laura Alexander at Kings Langley’s beautiful Shendish Manor. A whopping 6,000 shoppers and intu Watford staff voted in the awards for their favourite retailers who they felt had gone the ‘extra smile’ this year.

Hundreds of store staff from intu Watford came to join in the fun, from retailers including John Lewis, M&S, Office, Cath Kidston, Next – and many more.

Highlights of the night, following public votes, include:

• Schuh won two awards including Footwear Retailer of the Year and the most prestigious award of the night, Retailer of the Year
• John Lewis was highly commended in four categories and crowned winner of a fifth: Men’s Retailer of the Year
• Primark was named Women’s Retailer of the Year
• Beaverbrooks received the award for World-Class Customer Service.

 Staff voted in two categories:

• Jason Miller from Lakeland was crowned Manager of the Year, as voted by staff from all retailers at intu Watford
• M&S won Operational Retailer of the Year, as voted by intu Watford’s wider centre team

 There were 11 categories in total. The other winners were: Specialist Retailer of the Year – Flying Tiger; Food and Drink Retailer of the Year – Starbucks; Jewellery and Accessories Retailer of the Year – Pandora; Health and Beauty Retailer of the Year –Boots; Technology Retailer of the Year – Apple; and Kids Entertainment Retailer of the Year – Disney.

Vicki Costello, general manager at intu Watford said: “A big congratulations to all the winners and highly commended stores who go above and beyond every day. You all do intu Watford proud and are a credit to us. We are over the moon with the level of engagement this year’s awards had from the public, from people willing to take the time to let us know which stores put a smile on their faces. Well done everyone – it was a wonderful night and we can’t wait to do it all again next year.”

Next year’s Retailer Awards could see a new addition in the shape of Debenhams, which has its grand unveiling at intu Watford next week on Thursday 27 September 2018. Part of the £180 million redevelopment, this three-storey department store will be home to stylish designer fashion and leading beauty brands, and the spectacular opening event will involve entertainment, music, dancing, giveaways and much more.

Everyone who voted in the Retailer Awards 2018 was entered into a prize draw to win a £50 intu Gift Card, and the winner has now been contacted to collect their prize.