Over 170 million shoppers visit Hammerson schemes – including Highcross – in the UK each year and all the nominees underwent a gruelling mystery shop process to test the customer service within each store. The score from the mystery shop combined with the stores’sales performance revealed the winners.

Highcross’ Build-A-Bear Workshop was awarded the top spot in the ‘Toys & Games’ category, beating off stiff competition from Games Workshop at London’s Brent Cross shopping centre and Disney Store in Birmingham’s Bullring.

Hot on the heels of its local ‘Retailer of the Year’ and ‘Best Restaurant’ awards at Highcross’ annual Retailer Awards in September 2011, Wagamama restaurants – located at six Hammerson shopping centres across the UK – were awarded the prestigious Customer Service Champion of the Year Award.

Jo Tallack, general manager at Highcross, said: “Since it opened in September 2011, Build-A-Bear Workshop has gone from strength to strength and has really enhanced the family offer available at Highcross.

“We’re really pleased to see their exceptional service awarded at the Hammerson We Love Retail Awards, and look forward to seeing them enjoy continued success in 2012.”

The award ceremony took place at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, London where the BAFTAs were held earlier this month. The event was hosted by broadcaster and presenter Jenni Falconer and over 250 people attended including managers from nominated stores and shopping centres managers.

The evening saw 18 winners recognised for exceptional customer service withMarks & Spencer winning the Department Store of the Year award and Wagamama the prestigious Customer Service Champion of the Year award. 

David Atkins, Hammerson Chief Executive commented: “We work with the best retail, catering and leisure brands in the UK and there was tough competition for each award. The winners continually deliver first class customer service and are willing to make the in-store experience special for our shoppers. This plays a large part in the success of our centres and we are delighted to recognise the dedication of these teams.” 

Hammerson owns the following shopping centres in the UK: Union Square, Aberdeen; Silverburn, Glasgow;Bullring, Birmingham; Highcross, Leicester; Queensgate, Peterborough; Brent Cross, north London; WestQuay, Southampton; The Oracle, Reading; Centrale, Croydon and Cabot Circus in Bristol.

Offering first time buyers a chance to speak freely with independent financial advisors (IFA) and experienced sales advisors, the open weekend is aimed at giving first time buyers an insight into the current property market.

As an added incentive, Crest Nicholson will also be holding a raffle with £1,500 worth of Ikea vouchers to give away on the day – not to mention that visitors will be able to reserve a new home over the weekend for just £250!

Ruth Williams, sales manager at Park Central said: “There is so much conflicting information at the moment about whether first time buyers should be investing in a new home or not. So we at Crest Nicholson thought an open weekend aimed specifically at the younger house purchasers would be just what was needed to restore some confidence amongst househunters.

“Buying a new home, especially your first home, is a huge investment and understandably people have many questions that they would like answering before they sign on the dotted line. By speaking to our IFAs and sales advisers, we hope first time buyers will have a chance to gain all the information they need to help them make their decisions. We will be happy to answer any questions regarding deposits, mortgages, and legal fees, alongside what features you should be looking out for in a property and anything else people may need answering. This is the ideal opportunity for first time buyers to find out about the property market and we hope people come along to take advantage of it.”

Visitor levels more than doubled in January at Park Central, with approximately 60 per cent of the visitors being first time buyers.

Park Central offers a variety of one and two bedroom luxury apartments, all of which offer spacious living areas, designer Symphony kitchens and modern bathrooms boasting Hansgrohe mixer taps and stylish Porcelanosa tiling. Additionally, all the apartments benefit from outdoor balcony space overlooking eight acres of landscaped parkland.

Ruth continues: “We are really proud of the high quality of our homes at Park Central, with many people saying that they really stand out in the local market place. They are the perfect properties for first time buyers, benefitting from a contemporary and sleek design and a close proximity to the city centre.

“With prices starting from just £99,950 for a one bedroom apartment and tailor-made deals available for first time buyers, including the government’s FirstBuy scheme and our own EasyBuy initiative, the new homes really are worth a look around. “

The show homes will be open from 10am to 5pm during the open weekend and viewings can be arranged by calling the sales team on 0121 666 4666. Alternatively visit the marketing suite, which is open daily from 10am to 5pm and is located at Park Central, 2 Mason Way, Birmingham B15 2EY. parkcentral.co.uk

We’ve teamed up with the NEC, Birmingham to offer you the chance to win tickets to Crufts 2012, the biggest and best dog event in the world taking place from 8-11th March.

First held in 1891, Crufts predates the modern Olympics by five years. Instead of ‘faster, higher, stronger’, judges will be looking for ‘fitter, healthier, happier’, with just one dog to be crowned with the ultimate title of Crufts Best in Show champion. The 2011 show witnessed a triumph for experience, with a 9½ year old Flatcoated Retriever called Jet getting his paws on the prestigious trophy and becoming the oldest ever winner of Crufts.

One of the most popular areas of Crufts throughout the duration of the show is the Discover Dogs area, where visitors can come and meet around 190 different breeds of dog and find out which breed would suit them and their lifestyle. There is also a dedicated section for breed rescue volunteers, who work to ensure that unwanted and abandoned dogs find a good home. Visitors can also learn about the Kennel Club Assured Breeder Scheme, which has over 7,500 members who put the health and happiness of their puppies, and ensure all necessary health checks are carried out on dogs used for breeding.

As well as a whole host of other canine competition, including agility, obedience, flyball and heelwork to music, the event highlights the diverse role that dogs play in society through a variety of displays and events. Crufts also offers an unparalleled opportunity for some serious retail therapy, with hundreds of trade stands offering a huge range of products for dogs and dog lovers alike.

Head over to our sister site to enter!

Just three months after he performed an intimate gig at the opening of Midlands-based fashion designer Gillian Wesley’s fabulous Knowle style-destination, the hugely talented soulful superstar of British soul has picked the Midlands’ fashion hub as the first stop on a promotional tour for his hotly-anticipated new book and album Remember When….

When he performed in Gillian Wesley’s magnificent Belle Époque interior on the evening of 8th December 2011, Andy was so smitten with the designer’s stylish shop and café, that not only did he kick-start his Christmas shopping there, he also vowed to return to the shop when he launches his new book and album on the 15th March.

“It seemed like the ideal place to launch my new album. Gillian’s fashion oozes time-honoured class and style but brings them right up to the minute with funky fabrics and design-twists. That’s exactly what I wanted to achieve with these songs: they’re cover versions, but with a contemporary urban edge and lots of British heart and soul.

-Andy Abraham

Fashion-designer Gillian Wesley is thrilled at the prospect of the soul star’s return visit:

“I remember first seeing Andy on The X Factor. Since then, I have seen Andy perform live on a number of occasions, most recently in the very intimate setting of my new Boutique and Catwalk Cafe in Knowle. His performance that evening was simply breathtaking. Everyone here at Gillian Wesley Design and The Catwalk Cafe feel very privileged that Andy has chosen our venue to launch his new album. I think March 15th will be a very busy day, and a very special one!”

Pop music has always been about stories. Songs have a powerful ability to trigger memories and transport us back to times in our past. With Andy’s amazing experiences on X-Factor, Eurovision and his three sell-out U.K. tours, his music has more stories to tell than most! That’s what makes the combination of book and album so special. Taking an innovative approach at a time when the C.D. industry is at threat from digital downloads. Andy Abraham’s record company is pioneering a unique format that puts the magic back into buying records.

Andy Abraham Remember When… is a unique and innovative deluxe 96-page padded hardback book featuring the brand-new 12 track album from the X-Factor and Eurovision-star. The lavishly illustrated book tells Andy’s fascinating life story through the musical influences that shaped his legendary voice and the record tells the stories of his life through the songs that have been etched in his memories forever.

“This is music that has made me conscious of the world and touched me in a way that makes me want to own each and every one of the songs that I sing. The first ten songs on this album, the cover versions, are songs of my soul.”

—Andy Abraham

Falling just days before Mother’s Day, the event is set to bring even more shoppers than normal to the bustling village of Knowle, the Midlands’ leading destination for independent boutique shopping.

From 2pm on 15th March, Andy Abraham will be signing copies of his new book and album Remember When… at Gillian Wesley and the Catwalk Café in Knowle.

An Alice in Wonderland themed Tea Party and Fascinator making workshop with fine tea served in vintage china, baked delights and scrumptious cupcakes and a Burlesque performer is being hosted in the beautiful Mountsorrell Hall on February 26th. During the  afternoon you’ll be able to create your very own, unique Fascinator. All equipment and beads, trinkets, feathers and netting will be supplied as will plenty of tea and cakes!!

After you have created your fascinator you can indulge in finger sandwiches and cupcakes whilst wearing your fabulous Fascinator and have your tea leaves read!

The event is hosted by Louisa Darling from the Blooming Great British Tea Party and professional milliner Louise Brooks from Hats from the Hall www.hatsfromthehall.com

Tickets £25 each – includes sandwiches, tea, cupcakes, entertainment and your own unique Fascinator to take home, head here for details!

-          Champagne and a rose on arrival.

-          A 3 course meal at The Mirage Fusion Restaurant, including a bottle of house wine.

-          A trip to the casino with your very own advisor to show you exactly how to play the tables (and hopefully win some money!)

Check out the Valentines menu for The Mirage Restaurant, and head to the bottom of the page to enter!

Head to our sister page 69 Degrees to be in with a chance.

As this year’s 17-day festival was launched at DMU on 3 February, Vice-Chancellor Professor Dominic Shellard announced the honour for Geoff who founded the festival 19 years ago as part of his Arts Management degree at the university.

Since then the festival (www.comedy-festival.co.uk) has gone from strength to strength and is now the longest-running comedy festival in Europe.

Research undertaken by DMU last year showed that the 60,000 people who come to the festival bring £2 million a year into Leicestershire’s economy.

Comedy writer and broadcaster Simon Fanshawe launched the 2012 festival at a breakfast for local businesses at DMU as the first of 410 comedy acts get underway today.

Speaking at the launch, Professor Shellard said: “This honorary degree is being given in recognition of Geoff’s tremendous achievements. Tens of thousands of ticket sales speak volumes and prove that laughter really is the best medicine for the city in these tough economic times.”

The Honorary Doctorate of Arts will be bestowed at DMU’s summer graduation ceremonies which will take place at Curve theatre in July.

Geoff said: “It is great to be recognised for the work I have done in the last 19 years and it is particularly good to be recognised by my own university which has supported the festival since it first began. I’m absolutely delighted.”

This year more than 400 comedy performances will be staged in the city, many with the help of students who are helping to run some of the festival venues.

Students of DMU’s Arts and Festival Management degree in the Faculty of Art, Design and Humanities will help to run and promote shows at The Criterion, The Exchange Bar and The Belmont Hotel.

And students from DMU’s Faculty of Technology, who help run Demon FM radio station, will be producing comedy festival podcasts, available online throughout the event at:  http://www.demonfm.co.uk/

Each year some DMU students have the chance of a lifetime when they get the chance to undertake internships with the comedy festival.

Last year several students worked for the festival in its Leicester offices and two more lucky students got to help run the festival’s eco-friendly show, Comedy in the Dark, at the internationally-renowned Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the world’s largest arts festival.

DMU has organised Playing for Laughs 2012, a day-long event examining how different countries are represented in comedy.

The free workshops will be hosted by a John Lewis stationery expert and international best-selling authors Katie Fforde and Sue Moorcroft from the Romantic Novelists’ Association.

“Love letters are a fantastic way to show your Valentine what they mean to you, but in recent years have become a dying art. Even popular fiction characters such as Big from Sex And The City emailed his love letters to Carrie, rather than hand wrote them.

Love Letter Masterclasses on the 7th February at John Lewis Solihull from 11am- 12pm.

To book a place on the course please call 0207 931 4969 or email Lucy_Horton@johnlewis.co.uk

“Amuseum Studies” runs from 3-19th February at Pedestrian Arts, LCB Depot, Rutland Street, Leicester LE1 1RE. Entry is free and the exhibition is open from 9am – 5pm Monday – Saturday. Further information is available by visiting www.comedy-festival.co.uk

Paul Wood’s cartoons give Leicester buildings a quirky twist, giving them a flavour from famous past masters including Monet, Salvador Dali, Damien Hirst and Antony Gormley. Paul left school with no qualifications but after a few years of doing very little he began studies at Walsall Foundation College before working as a fine art painter. This work didn’t provide sufficient income for Paul to survive so he decided to start drawing cartoons and hasn’t looked back since. His work appears regularly in UK magazines and newspapers and he is one of the few UK cartoonists to get work in the New Yorker magazine.

Paul Wood said “as a cartoonist who makes his living drawing for magazines, I’m used to everything being reduced to almost the size of a postage stamp. Dave’s Leicester Comedy Festival has enabled me to go large, at last I feel I can shout, “I am big, and I am clever!” My only regret is that none of Damien Hirst’s assistants were available to help with the colouring in.”

Dave’s Leicester Comedy Festival Director, Geoff Rowe, said “I’m delighted that we’re able to work with Paul to produce this exhibition of brilliant Leicester landmark buildings. The exhibition presents the city in a new and hilarious way and I hope lots of people will visit it during the 17 day festival.”

Dave’s Leicester Comedy Festival 2012 runs from 3-19th February. Full programme information will be available from www.comedy-festival.co.uk

The world-class East Midlands track will host Round Two of the BTCC on Saturday 14th and Sunday 15th April. The Ninth Round of the BSB comes to Donington Park’s famous 12-turn track for three days of exceptional motorbike racing from Friday 7th to Sunday 9th September.

Tickets are also on sale for the Donington Historic Festival (Saturday 5th and Sunday 6th May), and the SBK Superbike FIM World Championship (SBK), which takes place at Donington for the second year running with the circuit hosting the sixth round of the international series on Friday 11th, Saturday 12th and Sunday 13th May.

Plus, visitors to Donington have an exciting opportunity to witness the fastest off-road motorcycle sport in the world as ‘Grasstrack – Donington Demon’ returns to Donington Park after nearly 20 years, taking place on the Saturday over the SBK weekend (Saturday 12th May).

Advanced adult ticket prices for each of these thrilling events start from as little as £10.00, and individual hospitality packages for exclusive viewing are priced from £79.00.

Donington’s new season ticket launch marks the start of a busy 2012 racing calendar at the Park, which will see the world class circuit host more than 30 events including the FIA British Truck Grand Prix, British F3 and GT Championships and the European Le Mans Series.

Donington Park Managing Director, Christopher Tate comments: “The British Touring Car Championship, World Superbike Championship and the British Superbike Championship are three of the most prestigious and exciting events in the UK racing calendar and the tickets are always in strong demand. Donington has an exceptional racing pedigree – the circuit’s famous corners and inclines make it a real favourite with competitors and spectators alike, and have produced some of the most memorable racing moments ever seen on both two and four wheels, so these events are not to be missed. Donington’s race calendar for 2012 is our best yet, with World, European and British racing events right through the season, and we look forward to a great year of exciting racing from the very best drivers and riders in the world.”

All tickets are available to buy online at www.donington-park.co.uk or by calling the ticket hotline on 0844 873 7343.