High street heroes thank customers for their support in 2026 St Albans Retailer of the Year Awards

The proud winners of the 2026 St Albans Retailer of the Year Awards have been reflecting on their achievements and what it means to be publicly commended by their customers.

Dozens of local businesses were represented at Monday’s gala ceremony at The Maltings Arts Theatre, enjoying food provided by local diner Chicken George ahead of the presentation of the awards by hosts David Jenkins of Brilliant Theatre, and centre manager Richard Marrett.

Matt Mager from Beats and Beigels, the winner of the Best Market Stall accolade, said: “Shopping local and supporting one’s high street is so incredibly important in today’s social and economic climate. Which makes winning the Market Stall award all the more special.

“Knowing full well how busy people are and that everyone has had to tighten their belt in someway, I am honoured that after over four years on St Albans market, my regulars are still getting involved! For that I am eternally grateful! So thank you, to all those loyal punters, who have come and grabbed a beigel, in the scorching sun, wind rain and snow!

“I will continue to bring the colour, the vibe, the tunes and the beigels!”

Paul Lesnik, owner of 305 Barber Co, which picked up the Hair and Beauty trophy, said: “Being nominated two years in a row and then actually winning this award is incredibly special to me. Having been born and raised in St Albans, and dreaming of owning my own business since I first entered the hair industry as a teenager, this really is a proud moment.

“To receive recognition like this means a huge amount, especially considering all the challenges and unpredictable times local businesses have faced over recent years. A lot of hard work, passion and perseverance has gone into building the shop and keeping it moving forward.

“I’ve never been someone who finds it easy to shout about the business or hard sell what we do, so what makes this even more meaningful is knowing that our clients have done the shouting for us.

“Their loyalty, support and kind words are the reason we’re here, and this award feels like a real reflection of that support from our amazing client base.

“I also want to give a huge thank you to my team, past and present, who have all played an important part in the journey. A special mention has to go to Matt, who celebrates 10 years working alongside me this year.

“He’s stood by me through all the difficult, challenging and sometimes strange moments that come with running a business, and I’m incredibly grateful for his support and friendship.

“Finally, thank you to Richard Marrett and Matt Adams for all the hard work they put into organising these awards. It’s such an important thing for the local business community and means a lot to independent businesses like ours.”

Double award-winner Theresa Kennedy of Up We Pop, who picked up the gongs for Best Independent and Customer Service, said: “It was an honour and privilege to be nominated for three awards in St Albans Retailer of the Year 2026. I have put this down to my unbelievable loyal customers for supporting me over the last 10 years.

“The community in St Albans is second to none and working in the city centre is my pride and joy. I would like to thank everyone who attended the evening for making it so special.”

Kat and Alan Harrington from Food and Drink winner Kat’s Cuisine said winning the award meant the world to them: “As a very small family-run takeaway, we never imagined we would be standing alongside such incredible businesses, let alone winning. The standard this year was unbelievably high, so we are genuinely shocked, grateful, and incredibly proud.

“Over the past few weeks, the support from our customers, friends, family, and the local community has been overwhelming. So many people took the time to vote, share our posts, recommend us to others, and cheer us on throughout the competition. We truly could not have done this without them.

“This award is not just for us. It belongs to everyone who has supported Kat’s Cuisine over the years, whether that’s by ordering from us, recommending us to friends, or simply believing in what we do.

“We would also like to congratulate all of the other finalists. St Albans has some amazing independent food businesses, and we feel honoured to have been part of such a strong category.

“Lastly, a huge thank you to the organisers and sponsors for putting together such a fantastic event and for supporting local independent businesses.”

Ross and Nic Avvinti owners of best Restaurant DavVero said: “DavVero is so proud to receive this recognition from its many wonderful customers and would like to thank them for the support they show week in week out. We would like to thank our DavVero hardworking team that always smiles and goes that extra distance looking after all our customers.

“We would like to thank all participants who work so hard in their businesses to give that little special experience in these testing and difficult trading conditions. And finally to the organisers of these awards who are just amazing in putting it all together.”

Bethany Nicholson and Jo LittleJohn from The Odyssey Cinema, which won the Entertainment and Lifestyle category, said: “We’d love to say thank you to everyone who voted for us. We never take for granted that we are here because of the tremendous support from the people of St Albans. It’s such a difficult time for all in hospitality at the moment but by supporting local independent businesses we can make sure that St Albans continues to be the thriving, vibrant destination for locals and visitors alike.

“Special thanks to our family of staff who always go above and beyond to make sure everybody has a wonderful unique experience when they visit us at The Odyssey and who are no doubt responsible for so many people voting for us to win this award of which we are very proud.”

Emma Parkhouse, bar manager at The Great Northern, your Best Pub or Bar award-winner, said: “It’s an honour to have won the inaugural Best Pub and Bar trophy at the 2026 St Albans Retailer Of The Year Awards.

“None of this would have been possible without our loyal regulars who continue to support us day in, day out, throughout the whole year. Their support doesn’t go unnoticed, and they are what makes the pub so welcoming and a joy to be in!

“A special shout out goes to our brilliant team who keep everything ticking both behind the bar and in the kitchen. It’s a real team effort, and that makes it even more special to win this award!

“If we’ve not yet had the pleasure of welcoming you at The Great Northern, we can’t wait to meet you soon!

Michelle Arnold, manager of the Hospice of St Francis – Marshalswick charity shop, which won the Fashion and Accessories award, said: “Winning St Albans Retailer of the Year is an incredible honour for our team.

“We’re so proud to be recognised not just as a shop, but as part of the local community. The support we’ve received over the last few weeks has been overwhelming, and hearing customers share why they love shopping with us has been genuinely heartwarming.

“This award reflects the generosity of our customers and volunteers who continue to champion sustainable shopping while helping us support the hospice. We’d like to thank everyone in the community who has played a part in this achievement, it truly means the world to us.”

Directors and instructors for CIRC-HIIT – the Newcomer of the year winner – Giuseppe Caggiano and Zak Rossides, said: “We’re extremely proud to receive this award. We only opened the doors to CIRC-HIIT a year ago, so to be recognised alongside so many respected St Albans retailers was a real honour.

“There’s a genuine passion among independent businesses in St Albans to support one another and create something unique for their customers, and we’re proud to be part of that. A huge thank you to our members for their encouragement, loyalty and belief in what we’re building at CIRC-HIIT. This award belongs to every single person who has supported us on the journey so far.”

Finally, Champion of Champions Sean Hughes, who was recognised for his tireless support of the local hospitality industry through his campaigning on behalf of Save St Albans Pubs, said: “Well what a night! I’m a big fan of the local awards as it brings our superb retail and hospitality community together and what a fantastic independent business community we do have – we really are lucky.

“Needless to say I was completely shocked to receive this award and feel very humbled. It was completely out of the blue so I’m not entirely sure what I said in my speech (apart from rambling on about business rate reform and lower VAT rate for hospitality) but what I tried to say is that we are really so lucky to live in St Albans. ‘A city with the heart of a village’ – we support each other and it’s a great place to do business. Thank you again for putting on a great evening.”

Photos below by John Andrews