National Lottery operator Allwyn has re-launched its competition for the most “community-minded” shopkeepers in the UK.
The Local Retail Champions 2025 challenge returns with full swing after its inaugural edition in 2024 that saw Raj and Manish Suchak, owners of Clodean Convenience in Brighton, and Natalie and Martin Lightfoot, owners of the Londis Solo Convenience Store in Glasgow, bagged the two national crowns.
Regional crowns were also granted to 16 other contestants, with the 18 winners going head-to-toe against around 1,000 other National Lottery retailers from across the UK – all nominated by their customers for their community contributions.
This year’s run is once again being sponsored by Allwyn’s dedicated Social Value Fund, which sets aside £1m annually to invest back into local communities in the UK and Isle of Man.
Contestants will be happy to know that each of the two first-place prizes carry a £15,000 cash check with them, while the 16 other regional winners will bring back £5,000 in prizes each.
A new category has also been added for the first time, with two Innovation Awards granting £2,500 in cash each. These will be awarded to retailers for pitching the best ideas as to how to celebrate this year’s National Lottery Good Causes in their store.
To further promote the Local Retail Champions campaign, Allwyn is partnering with UK news publisher Reach plc to spread the word across paper and digital publications.
Alison Acquaye-Acford, Allwyn’s Director of Commercial Partnerships and Retail Sales, commented: “As we saw from last year’s almost-1,000 store nominations, retailers right around the UK are doing incredible things to support their communities every single day. We want to find even more great stories again this year and reward retailers for their dedication and goodwill.
“As an organisation that is committed to positively contributing to society in how we go about our business, and with retailers helping to raise £30m every week for National Lottery Good Causes by selling tickets to players, it’s really important to us that we recognise and celebrate the incredible impact local retailers have on the places we live, work and visit.”
Nominations are now open, and will run until midnight on 19 October. Customers need to be over 18 to place a nomination, and write up to 150 words describing how their National Lottery retailer nominees have made a difference in their communities.
Allwyn recently rolled out the “biggest tech update since the 1990s”, according to the firm, fitting a number of retailers with its brand new Wave terminals that aim to streamline functionality for both players and businesses.
The new terminals have already replaced the legacy ones across 8,000 retail locations, with the next round of Wave installations planned to commence over the coming months.