A competition has been launched today giving independent business owners the opportunity to operate a rent-free shop for 12 months.
Stoke-on-Trent shopping centre Longton Exchange will help a local entrepreneur turn their business dream into a reality with the return of its Win a Shop campaign.
The previous competition – held in 2023 – received hundreds of nominations and applicants, and this year’s is expected to be equally popular.
Last time’s winner, Sarah Taylor, opened the one stop dog shop So Very Dog and has since added two additional staff members to her team after the business soared in popularity.
Chris Ward, Centre Manager at Longton Exchange, said: “We were overwhelmed by the success of the previous campaign, and watching Sarah’s business thrive has been truly inspiring.
“We are thrilled to bring back the ‘Win a Shop’ opportunity for 2025 and can’t wait to discover which exciting local businesses will join us in this journey. Supporting the growth of independent businesses is at the heart of what we do, and we’re proud to help them flourish within the Longton community.”
Sarah, who is on the panel of judges as part of this year’s selection process, said: “Winning the ‘Win a Shop’ campaign completely transformed our business.
“We’ve exceeded our expectations, thanks to the incredible support from Longton Exchange. We can’t wait to see another local business benefit from this fantastic opportunity.”
The Win A shop campaign opens today, Monday, 17 March, and closes on Monday, 21 April at 9am.
Members of the public can nominate their favourite businesses by tagging them on social media, but only the businesses themselves can complete the official entry form.
Judging will take place once the campaign ends, and the winner will be announced shortly after 2 May 2025.
To enter, businesses must complete the official entry form themselves via the Longton Exchange website here.
