Fed Awards 2026 winners announced at glittering ceremony in Birmingham

This week saw the entire independent retail industry celebrating at a ceremony for The Federation of Independent Retailers (The Fed) awards 2026.

The event was hosted by TV presenter, magician and YouTube sensation, Ben Hanlin, and was held at the Hilton Metropole Hotel in Birmingham on Wednesday (17 June) night.

Honey’s of The High, located in Oxford City Centre, scooped an astonishing three of the top awards. Owners Hiten and Kinnari Patel claimed Home News Delivery (HND) Retailer of the Year, retaining their Newsagent of the Year crown, and also winning Smokeless Alternatives Retailer of the Year.

After narrowly missing out on the HND title last year, Honey’s strengthened an already impressive service, growing its delivery round year-on-year while continuing to provide customers with a dependable and highly personalised service, the judges said.

Frome Valley Local Store, Bristol, saw off competition from across the UK. Its owner, Stilyana Trivona, who won the Convenience Store of the Year – Independent category, said: “This is such an amazing feeling, I’m so excited to be here and be one of the winners. This is a fantastic achievement for us, for me, and for my team. I’m very proud and thankful for this award.”

Similarly Yogesh Patel, won Convenience Store of the Year – Symbol for the Londis Merton Park Parade store in Wimbledon. Following a significant investment, Yogesh transformed a traditional convenience store into a modern retail destination, the judges said, introducing innovative features including Yogi’s Deli, a dedicated food-to-go zone, a beer cave and 24-hour service.

Premier Neil’s, Peterborough, won two top awards on the night. Its owner, Neil Godhania, was named Soft Drinks Retailer of the Year, while his store manager, Avda Kuchhadia, was named Member’s Employee of the Year.

Another double award went to Kaual Patel, who earned the titles of Licensed Retailer and Tobacco Retailer of the Year at the event. He said: “It feels phenomenal to have our first ever double win. I must say a huge thank you to my team, because without them and their dedication and efficiency I wouldn’t be here now. I’ll be buying them all dinner when I get back to London.”

Andrew Board, who owns the Premier Core Convenience Store in Newton Hall, earned the title of Parcels Retailer of the Year. On average, the store processes and handles between 8,000 and 9,000 items of mail a week.

Andrew Howell, who owns Loch Lomond News, earned the title of Collectables Retailer of the Year. The store offers more than 300 lines in this category, with the vast majority trading card and hobby collectables, with stickers close behind.

Bart DallaMura, who owns Tysoe Village Stores, earned the title of Sustainable Retailer of the Year. The store’s main focus is to recycle and re-use and the reduction in plastic. It only sells single pints of milk in glass bottles and is a Sodastream stockist, encouraging people to make their own fizzy drinks without the need for plastic bottles.

Bay Bashir, who owns the Go Local Belle Vue convenience store in Marton Road, Middlesborough, earned the title of Responsible Retailer of the Year. Bay said: “I feel absolutely honoured to win this award but it’s not just down to me. It’s due to my sons and all the staff and their hard work and dedication to retail responsibly.”

Telford retailer Julie Kaur earned the title of Community Champion of the Year on the night. She started fundraising over 20 years ago to support a friend who had cancer, attending her first Race for Life, and hasn’t stopped running or fundraising since.

In 2025 alone, Julie and her staff raised £9,500, benefiting causes such as Severn Hospice, Age UK Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin Little Stars and Hope House Hospice.

The title of Magazine Retailer of the Year was awarded to Mark Dudden, who owns Albany News in the Roath area. With a range of more than 500 magazines - most of which are classed as niche titles, the store is widely regarded as the last specialist magazine retailer in Cardiff and the South Wales area.

Londis Bexley Park, Dartford, run by Nishi Patel, won the Best Use of Technology Award. Nishi Patel impressed judges after transforming multiple areas of the business through technology, introducing innovations that save time, reduce costs, tackle retail crime and improve customer engagement.

Finally, the owner of Premier KP’s Mini Market in Leeds, Karan Patel, was named Retail Rising Star, after winning the Soft Drinks award in 2025.