This Trinket-Filled Store Has Been Named Britain's Best Small Shop

A family-run home and gift store has been named Britain’s best small shop of 2020.

Cornucopia, based in Worcester, stocks British brands as well as products with a Danish influence that originated with the business founders.

During lockdown it opened its Trouva boutique online, with mother-and-daughter owners Clare and Hannah Bishop taking products home from the shop and turning their garage into a distribution centre.

This enabled them to distribute products to customers all over the world and open their own online shop.

Clare Bishop said: “We feel that customers really want a physical shop to come into. We like to display in a way that gives the customer an idea of what they could recreate at home.

“We have a tremendous team to help support us within the shop, otherwise it just wouldn’t look the way it does.”

The Best Small Shops competition is managed by the Independent Retailers Confederation (IRC), whose member trade associations represent around 100,000 independent retailers throughout the UK.

In their comments about Cornucopia, the judges said they “loved their resilient approach combined with their community spirit”.

Judges added: “They are very active on social media and support other local and independent businesses and the wider community. They are active in initiatives that help drive footfall. They understand that every place is the sum of its physical and digital parts.”

They praised the owners for their efforts to maintain trading and open up new revenue streams during lockdown.

“Cornucopia is an innovation business that clearly worked hard during Covid-19 to ensure the business both survived and thrived post-lockdown, activity engaging with the local business community and local people to benefit of the business,” they said.

Two runners-up were named as AG Hendy, a homeware shop in Hastings, and Nourish of Topsham, an ethical, packaging-free, zero waste provisions shop near Exeter.