Olives Et Al’s Deli of the Year will be launched and open for nominations and votes on 24th March 2012 – following two successful years of running the competition, Olives Et Al is once again highlighting great delis, and actively supporting the best places to buy deli food in the UK.
With a simple purpose – firstly, to find the place and people with the best ‘deli attitude’ – not necessarily the biggest or smartest shop, but the place that exudes warmth, a love of great food and dedication to the deli world. Secondly, to champion and support shops that are, more often than not, at the heart of every high street.
In the last two years 20,000 people across the UK have voted for their favourite deli and almost 700 nominated delis have benefitted from the opportunity to shout about themselves, generating valuable press coverage, raising their profile and bringing people through the door.
“In the month we won Deli of the Year we recorded a 45% increase in sales and at least half of this was directly attributable to the Award. In the months that followed, this increase remained high with sales up over a third throughout the rest of the year and this continued throughout January this year. Winning the award was key to this increase, through the extra publicity we gained which brought new people through the door – the good thing is that we have managed to keep them as customers” said David Greenman of Arch House Deli, Clifton Village, Bristol – winner of Deli of the Year 2011.
For 2012, Olives Et Al’s Deli of the Year will seek out another worthy winner of the title. Backed by the Guild of Fine Food, the leading speciality food organisation in the UK, plus a host of top food journalists and retail experts who will judge the competition, Deli of the Year 2012 will shine a spotlight on a very special sector of the food world.
“It’s a simple idea and over the last two years Olives Et Al’s Deli of the Year has really captured the imagination of thousands of people. We know that there are great delis out there with amazing people selling wonderful food and once again we are celebrating these people and encouraging customers into their shops. Deli of the Year has grown each year with more and more people voting and more nominations, and we are committed to making this year an even bigger success for all deli food retailers across the UK,” said Giles Henschel, founder of Olives Et Al and the driving force behind Deli of the Year.
Nominations for Deli of the Year 2012 can be made at www.olivesetal.co.uk and the winning deli will be announced at the Great Taste Awards in London in September 2012. The winning deli, plus runners up will win a trip to Spain where they will be immersed in the food culture of Extremadura – a region famous for its food – from olives to Iberico Ham.
All regional winners will also be featured in a special edition of Fine Food Digest, the speciality food trade monthly, later in the year.