Five UK shopping centres chosen to host nationwide visual merchandising competition

The five shopping centres chosen to host a UK-wide Skillsmart Retail visual merchandising competition have been announced.

CastleCourt in Belfast, Dundeeís Overgate, Manchester Arndale, Cardiffís St Davidís Shopping Centre and Bluewater in Kent, will host heats of skillVM throughout April and May, with the best window dressers then going on to the grand final at the prestigious In-Store Show at Londonís Olympia in June.

Organised by Skillsmart Retail, the sector skills council for retail, skillVM will give the best visual merchandisers in Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales and England the chance to show off their skills to crowds of shoppers by building a stunning window display against the clock and with a budget of just 200.

Launched last November in a film featuring Mary ëQueen of Shopsí Portas, the competition has attracted entrants from all four nations, who have submitted proposals and visual mood boards.

Pairs of employees from small independent shops and large stores as well as students will hope to be among the 15 from each category chosen to make their drawings a reality and be judged by some of the most successful names in visual merchandising at the heats which will each run for three days.

The best three from the regional heats will then make the trip to London, where they will create window displays in front of hundreds of retail leaders at the In-Store Show.

There is still time to enter skillVM, and Competition Co-ordinator Sasha de Caires hopes talented visual merchandisers will submit their entries before the closing deadline on Friday 6th March.

She said: ìBy choosing these five shopping centres to host the skillVM heats, we hope to attract the best visual merchandisers from all corners of the UK to take part in what promises to be an exciting competition.

ìEntering skillVM will no doubt get the teams some well-deserved exposure, which could prove priceless for students hoping to embark on a career and for professionals wanting to advance their existing careers.

ìskillVM, has been created to give the ëbest of the bestí in visual merchandising a real chance to shine at a time when highly-skilled and specialist careers are at a premium in the competitive retail sector.î

Mary Portas, said: ìWeíre looking for the visual merchandisers of today who will shape the look, feel and style of the high street tomorrow.î
The regional heats will take place as follows:

April 7-9: CastleCourt, Belfast
April 14-16: Overgate, Dundee
April 21-23: Arndale, Manchester
April 28-30: St Davidís, Cardiff
May 5-7: Bluewater, Kent