SCEPTRE winner...
Published: 14 December, 2007
The SCEPTRE Award for Short Term Merchant of the Year, sponsored by Retail Profile Europe, this year went to The Red Image.
The Red Image is a professional, well-managed company that produces large-format canvas prints from customers' own photographs. These can be traditional prints or even images captured on a mobile phone.
The growth rate for the company and demand for their services has been phenomenal and - very significantly for shopping centres - the RMUs generate extremely profitable business during the typical seasonal low trade periods as well as at the year's high points, such as the Christmas period.
The Red Image currently divides the UK into two regions, with the northern franchise held by Ben Swift and the southern franchise by David Power. Each region has an area co-ordinator to ensure that standards out in the centres are maintained. The units are kept tidy and presentable and The Red Image display is eye-catching, bold and inviting, just as it should be for an interesting and innovative product with multiple consumer applications.
With a product that is relatively new to the RMU sector, and high retail standards, The Red Image has a promising future.
