Finalists announced for this year's Inverness City Centre Business Awards

Businesses are competing across a range of categories for the awards organised by Inverness BID.

With the public having their chance to show their appreciation for those service providers who go out of their way for their customers by voting to determine the awards shortlist, those still in the running are:

• Independent Retailer of the Year: Keepsakes; Ness Music; One of a Kind; Saffron Oriental Food Shop.

• National Retailer of the Year: Lush; Morrisons; Waterstones; Hotel Chocolat.

• Independent Fashion Retailer of the Year: Rouge Boutiques; Maggie Blyth; Cafferys Designerwear; Ginger Fashion Accessories.

• National Fashion Retailer of the Year: Marks & Spencer; H&M; Primark; Slater Menswear.

• Charity Retailer of the Year: British Heart Foundation; Highland Hospice; Cancer Research UK; Mikeysline.

• Independent Restaurant of the Year: Café 1; Mangrove; Rajah; Mustard Seed.

• National Restaurant of the Year: Zizzi; Pizza Express; Auctioneer’s; Bella Italia.

• Independent Café of the Year: XOKO; Café Artysans: Girvans; Comfort Foods.

• National Café of the Year: Caffé Nero; Starbucks (Eastgate); M&S Café; Costa (Eastgate).

• Independent Takeaway of the Year: Perk Coffee & Doughnuts; Lettuce Eat; Harry Gow (Union Street); Miele’s Gelateria Inverness.

• National Takeaway of the Year: Subway; Domino’s; McDonald’s; Burger King.

• Hair & Beauty Salon of the Year: JFH Design; Tony Christopher Hair Salon; The Head Gardener; The Therapy Suite.

• Office of the Year: Munro and Noble; MacLeod and MacCallum; Inverness, Badenoch and Strathspey Citizens Advice Bureau; Impact Hub.

Inverness City Centre BID director Lorraine Bremner McBride said “Many congratulations to all the city centre businesses and charities who were shortlisted or who are now a finalist in the Inverness City Centre BID Business Awards, sponsored by the Inverness Courier, for 2022.

"This in and of itself is a big achievement and worthy of celebration not least as it is the public who decides who they want to receive this special recognition.

“A big thank you also to all those who took the time to cast their votes. We have been overwhelmed and incredibly have received a total of 33,921 votes across the 13 categories which is the highest and best response ever.

"The public getting behind the city centre and our businesses and charities especially in the current difficult economic climate is very much appreciated.

“It’s important to just highlight also that the voting process further identified a much wider celebration and appreciation of the city centre business community as we recorded more nominations and much wider accolades for many other businesses than we’ve ever had before meaning the shortlist and finalist list is only part of the story and these businesses deserve recognition too.”

Finalists have been invited to attend the award ceremony at the city’s Kingsmills Hotel on November 1.

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