Pure London: Best of British Independent Retailer Awards winners and some controversy

By

Cajsa Lykke Carlson

Published
Feb 16, 2015

UK tradeshow Pure London introduced a new element this season, the Best of British Independent Retailer Awards, which were given out in partnership with the Fashion Association of Britain (FAB.)

The ten winners from different regions of the UK were announced early last week, and are:

East Anglia: Javelin 

Home Counties: The Dressing Room 

London: Lux Fix 

Northern Ireland & the Republic: Chocolate Clothing 
 
Scotland: A Hume 

South West: Grace & Ted 

Wales: Ushi’s 

Midlands: Young Ideas 

The North: Hurley 

Footwear: Tower London 

Rebecca Glenapp of Lux Fix commented; “We couldn’t be more thrilled! We’d be nothing without our brands and so many of them we find at Pure London.”

There has also been some controversy after this edition of Pure ended, as brands are angry at public buyers at the show, reported Drapers. Members of the public allegedly attended the trade-only event and were seen buying product off stands, paying wholesale prices in cash. The breach in security procedures has been blamed on tweets sent by Pure.

In reply to the allegations, Pure stated: "We make it very clear throughout all our communications, registration and entry signage at the show, that Pure London is a trade only event.  We do everything we can to screen visitors, and have security around the show and on the entrance; any member of the public found or brought to our attention are removed immediately. Brands are strictly informed that this is a B2B event and no products should be retailed. We will investigate any reports of activity in breach of this.
 
As a result of the recent communications on Twitter, we will be reviewing and tightening our social media policy. Our followers are primarily the fashion business community, going forward we will insure that our messages cannot be misinterpreted by the general public."

The company also revealed that 65% of its brands have already reapplied for the August show, which is a record number for Pure London at this early stage.