Currys chief executive Alex Baldock and husband and wife Gary and Catherine Grant were the big winners at the Retail Week Awards 2026, sponsored by Salesforce.

Retail Week awards 2026 logo and Salesforce logo

Held at Grosvenor House in London, the retail sector came together to celebrate its best and brightest at a black-tie event hosted by presenter and musician Myleene Klass.

Currys boss Alex Baldock was named Salesforce Retail Leader of the Year and was commended for his work on turning around the business to become profitable in a tough market, along with his approach to flexible working, colleague engagement and commitment to the customer.

Co-founders of toy retailer The Entertainer Gary and Catherine Grant received the Outstanding Contribution to Retail Award for their tireless efforts building their business up from a single shop in 1981 to 160 stores now, including partnerships with some of the industry’s biggest names, such as Tesco.

The AlixPartners Best Retailer Over £250m Award went to health and beauty giant Superdrug, while the Best Retailer Under £250m Award was won by homewares retailer The Cotswold Company.

The Pride of Retail Award went to Amar Aslam of Boots Opticians, Braehead.

Discount giant Lidl won Grocer of the Year for its relentless growth, while Nobody’s Child picked up Fashion Retailer of the Year.

The American Express Best New Store Award - Large was won by Whole Foods Market on the King’s Road, while the Best New Store Award - Small/Medium went to the Holland & Barrett store in Cardiff.

The Green Initiative of the Year Award was won by Specsavers, while the EV Cargo Digital Excellence Award was won by Wickes.

The Salesforce Customer Experience Gamechanger Award went to Toolstation for its Fast Track Delivery service. Decathlon won Responsible Retailer of the Year.

Speciality Retailer of the Year was Clarendon Fine Art, while discounter Aldi took The Happiest Place to Work Award in association with the Retail Trust.

Along with retail businesses large and small, the awards also celebrated individuals and teams in the sector.

The Co-op’s cyber security and IT resilience team picked up two awards: Head Office Heroes and Distribution/Delivery Heroes for their efforts combating the c-store specialist’s cyber attack last year.

The Accessible Primark team won the Inclusion & Diversity Heroes Award, while Spar’s Malone Road team in Belfast won the team Community Heroes Award.

Individual awards went to Lyndsey Mutch, a No7 Beauty adviser at Boots, Dumfries, and Cathina MacCorquodale, store manager at Co-op Sollas, Outer Hebrides.

Retail Week Awards 2026: the winners

  • The Best New Store Award - Small/Medium: Holland & Barrett, Cardiff
  • The American Express Best New Store Award - Large: Whole Foods Market, King’s Road, London
  • The Distribution/Delivery Heroes Award: Cyber incident response team, Co-op
  • The Community Heroes Award - Team: Malone Road team, Spar, Belfast
  • The Community Heroes Award - Individual: Lyndsey Mutch, No7 Beauty adviser, Boots, Dumfries
  • The Inclusion & Diversity Heroes Award: Accessible Primark team, Primark
  • The Head Office Heroes Award: Cyber security and IT resilience team, Co-op
  • The Store Heroes Award: Cathina MacCorquodale, store manager, Co-op Sollas, Outer Hebrides
  • The Happiest Place To Work in association with the Retail Trust: Aldi; highly commended - Wickes
  • The Fashion Retailer of the Year: Nobody’s Child
  • The Grocer of the Year: Lidl
  • The Speciality Retailer of the Year: Clarendon Fine Art; highly commended - HMV
  • The Responsible Retailer Award: Decathlon
  • The Salesforce Customer Experience Gamechanger Award: Toolstation – Fast Track Delivery
  • The EV Cargo Digital Excellence Award: Wickes
  • The Green Initiative of the Year: Specsavers – Planet, People and Communities initiative
  • The Best Retailer Under £250m Award: The Cotswold Company
  • The AlixPartners Best Retailer Over £250m Award: Superdrug; highly commended - B&Q
  • The Pride of Retail: Amar Aslam, Boots Opticians, Braehead
  • The Salesforce Retail Leader of the Year: Alex Baldock, Currys
  • The Outstanding Contribution to Retail Award: Gary and Catherine Grant, The Entertainer

Retail Week editor-in-chief Charlotte Hardie said: “The Retail Week Awards 2026 have shown the true spirit of British retail. Against a backdrop of stubborn inflation, fragile consumer confidence and the unrelenting pressure of rising labour costs, our 2026 winners proved just how far this industry can go with resilience and imagination.

“From navigating supply chain volatility to embracing the transformative power of AI, they’ve turned another disruptive year into one of progress. What stood out most were the people behind these achievements; creative, determined teams who continue to deliver for customers in a marketplace that grows more complex by the day. Celebrating them this year has been an absolute privilege.”

Navkinder Sanghera, SVP industrial, consumer and energy at Salesforce, added: “This incredible industry continues to set the global standard for creativity and resilience, even in the face of significant headwinds. By embracing a digital-first mindset and leveraging the power of AI-driven innovation, we aren’t just reacting to change — we are proactively shaping a brighter future for retail.

“The calibre of this year’s entries reached new heights, showcasing deeply inspiring stories of dedication and ingenuity. On behalf of Salesforce, a huge congratulations to all the winners on their extraordinary achievements.”

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