The My Shop is Your Shop campaign is looking for local shops with a track record in community engagement to put themselves forward for the MSYS Community Retailing Award.

Following last year’s successful campaign, which saw 50 retailers – including Top 50 Indie Harry Tuffins – presented with the award by their local MP, this year’s ambition is to find one winning store from every parliamentary constituency in the UK.

The award recognises the special relationship independent retailers have with their customers and the extra efforts they make to contribute to their neighbourhood, whether through support for local groups, charity work, or simply great service, a pleasant shopping environment and a tailored product range.

By asking MPs to present the awards, My Shop is Your Shop not only gives the stores valuable local publicity for their efforts, but also gives the parliamentarians an insight into the immense value of engaged local retailers.

David Visick, director of communications at the Federation of Wholesale Distributors, which runs My Shop is Your Shop, said: “A good relationship with your MP is a massive bonus for an independent store, and in many of the presentations we made last year, the MP was able to give support and advice which was of immediate help to the retailer. By demonstrating what a great job local stores do in their constituencies, we have been able to enlist MPs in our efforts in Westminster to establish a fair and level playing field for the independent sector.”

Retailers who believe they have strong ties with their customers that cannot be matched by the national supermarket chains should contact david@fwd-uk.com to put themselves forward for the award. FWD member will also be nominating stores from their fascia groups and cash & carry customers.