Posted on 15 Feb 2011
Time is running out for budding retail businesses in the North West to take their plans to the next level with a £10,000 prize package.
The Mall Blackburn is offering two month’s rent-free space, a laptop and tailored business mentoring sessions from the National Skills Academy to the winner of its annual business competition, The Retail Factor.
Entrants can submit ideas until Sunday 20th February and management at The Mall will select a shortlist of entries to trial their businesses on an RMU (Retail Merchandising Unit) in The Mall for a period of two weeks.
The judges have been unveiled as Debenhams store manager, Matt Cooper, Primark store manager Dawn Smyth as well as The Mall Blackburn’s general manager Loraine Jones and marketing manager Samantha Butcher.
Together they will look at how innovative each business had been as well as taking into account trading results to select an overall winner, who will be presented with the £10,000 package.
The successful entrepreneur will also be in with a chance of winning the national prize of a place on the exclusive retail business course BHF-BSSA Oxford Summer School.Entries to The Retail Factor can be made online at www.themall.co.uk/business/retailfactor or by completing a form available at The Mall Blackburn’s Ask Me Point.
