Popular Naas bookstore, Barker & Jones nominated in Independent Retail Awards
The full list of finalists in the inaugural Irish Independent Retail Awards 2018 has been revealed and Barker & Jones in Naas is included.
Nominations came pouring in from all corners of Ireland in an attempt to highlight the contributions and value of independent retailers to the local communities they operate within.
The awards ceremony will gather many successful individuals and businesses from across the country to the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Dublin on Wednesday August 15th.
The awards aim to reward the attributions of the Irish independent businesses to the overall economy as well as the range of diversity that exists in this sector. They will also recognise the business acumen and entrepreneurial spirit of individuals that own small chains whose work often goes un-noticed.
The black-tie event promises to be most memorable night of the industry’s calendar this year, with a diverse range of accolades up for grabs, including Fresh Produce Retailer of the Year, Bakery of the Year, Service Provider of the Year and many more.
Irfan Younis, CEO of Creative Oceanic said: “We very delighted by the response we have had from the Irish public who was so keen to go behind our nomination process and vote for their favourite independent retailers.
“All finalists should feel very proud of themselves because it is their clients who have put them forward to get the recognition they deserve. These awards provide a platform to thank those who work hard to deliver exceptional services and products to their costumers and show them our appreciation for enhancing the local community and market.
“We wish all our finalists the best of luck and we are looking forward to welcoming all our guests and delivering another enjoyable event.”
In addition, The Irish Independent Retail Awards 2018 will support Make A Wish Ireland, an organisation that grant magical wishes to children and young people fighting life-threatening conditions
A statement by Barker & Jones said:
Barker & Jones and all our team are thrilled to be nominated by the Irish Independent for Independent Bookshop of the year.
We are an Irish owned family run bookshop that pride ourselves in offering the people of Kildare, the best customer service possible.
We are a sister company to The Book Centre who are in business in Ireland since 1798, and we are in Naas since 2005.
Our bookshops are located in Naas, Co. Kildare, Waterford Wexford and Kilkenny. We also have a website presence at www.barkerandjones.ie
We believe that we should win this award for the best bookshop due to our bookshop being unique of its kind. We have a special atmosphere unrivalled by any other bookshop or retail outlet. This is created by a number of aspects, notably our fantastic team of staff, our product mix, and our presentation to name but a few.
All our team is highly trained in both product knowledge and in how to meet and even exceed each and every customer’s expectations. We hire local people who are passionate about what they do, and their love of the written word comes across in their dedication to our customers and, both in how they serve them, and how they display our books for their perusal.
We strive not only to provide every book title that is in the book charts, or in the media, but to also sell the books that are less known, but have been picked by our expert booksellers. This is what makes us a cut above the other bookshops; we are ‘a real bookstore’ where you will ‘experience the difference’.
To add to our array of new books, and our monthly and weekly recommendations and specials, we have a relatively new book area. This is entitled ‘Out of Print Books’. This area is based in our café, where you can explore these ‘never to be printed again’ books while enjoying a cup of coffee and lunch or a treat. Some of our books here are over 100 years old, and some have hand written inscriptions on their inside cover, making them beautiful keepsakes or presents.
Aoife who is an expert on all books for Children and Young Adults looks after our Children’s book area on the top floor. She is great at recommending books to every age group, and will even read to the kids during reading time on a Sunday.
The seating area, colours, large teddies, games and stationery make this area a place where children of all ages love to spend time browsing. We understand at Barker & Jones how important it is to ignite the love of reading at an early age and nourish this so it last with them their whole lives. We believe we do that here.
Our fantastic team, led by Manager Kate work tremendously hard each and every day to make sure our bookshop is the best in its field. We believe we have achieved that: we do however continuously strive to be better and to keep improving in everything we do.
Winning this award would be the recognition we need to continue this journey of being the best bookshop in Ireland.