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CAMRA Real Ale in a Bottle Retailer
Awards 2008
CAMRA has
commended retailers great and small in their unfailing
support for stocking real ale in a bottle, and is to
awarded three bottled beer retailers on Saturday
October 11th at its annual awards lunch at
Lord’s Cricket Ground, London.
As part
of its RAIB
(Real Ale in a Bottle) Scheme, CAMRA
welcomed entrants from all sectors of the retail
industry in the hope of locating the forerunning
stockists of bottle-conditioned real ale, as well as
inviting those who have gone to considerable lengths to
increase its profile within the industry. Entrants were
judged on their range of products, their unique sales
methods, value for money to the consumer, and the
attitude of their staff in striving to promote
bottle-conditioned real ale.
After a
May deadline for Awards entrants, a team of dedicated
CAMRA judges have been busy surveying the applications,
the team was impressed by the high standards and
attention to detail of many retailers.
The
winners of the three categories were-
-
Large Retailer (more than 5 outlets)-
Booths
Supermarkets
-
Small Retailer (less than 5 outlets)-
The Offie,
Leicester
-
Mail Order/Online Retailer-
The Real Ale Shop
Brett
Laniosh, CAMRA’s Promotions and Marketing Director,
said- ‘It was great to view the lengths many outlets
are going to in order to promote Britain ’s national
drink. Whether it was through friendly customer service
or an imaginative marketing scheme, every entrant
showed a laudable amount of creativity and attention to
detail.
Large Retailer: Booths, a small supermarket chain of
twenty-six stores across four counties,
was described by the judging committee as
"the epitome of what a
multi site retailer should be doing to promote real
ale. A good range of real ales even in the smaller
outlets. They even use local radio to promote beer
tastings."
Small
Retailer: The Offie, a Leicester based, multi-award
winning outlet
and advisor to the national media, was singled out for
its unparalleled commitment to stocking rare brews.
Judges reported how "The Offie may be small, but in
terms of real ales offered, it is second to none. A
wonderful grotto of bottled real ales featuring beers
from all over the UK and beyond. The staff are
welcoming and keen to offer advice and discuss the
bottled real ale."
Finally, The Real Ale Shop, an extension of the
Priory Farm in Wrentham,
Suffolk
, was hailed for its devotion to local produce, and its
excellent mail order service. Judges praised the Shop
for having a “great website that gets straight to the
beer. It (the Shop) does a great job in promoting
localism through its trailblazer beers featuring
bottled real ales from Norfolk and Suffolk ."
Brett Laniosh continues-
‘Stocking bottle-conditioned real ale is something that
truly appeals to the consumer. Research has shown how
many people desire locally-sourced produce brewed using
traditional methods, therefore we at CAMRA are
delighted to recognize retailers who stock this sort of
quality in their outlets.’
Muree from The Offie was
absolutely delighted to be recognized for his efforts
to supply choice and quality to his customers. He can
also be seen at his stall at Leicester Beer Festival |
