Independent Chapel-en-le-Frith retailer praised for '˜cooperative spirit'

Hall’s Mica Hardware in Chapel-en-le-Frith was recognised by the Mica group of independent hardware and DIY stores at its 2018 national conference in Ballymena, County Antrim.

A special ‘Cooperative Spirit’ award - handed out to one independent retailer each year who has demonstrated co-operative spirit over an extended period of time - was presented to Joyce Hall.

Together with her husband Harry, they have run their DIY, home and garden store on Market Street for 30 years.

Joyce said: “While this award is partly a personal one, I could not have achieved it without the hard work of all my staff who’ve helped Harry and I to make our store such a welcoming and useful shop to our customers.

“This has enabled me to spend some of my time working with other like-minded retailers at Mica’s offices and in meetings, working to keep the independent sector strong and our voice heard.

“I’d like to also thank all our customers for their continued support, in this our 30th year, for their ongoing custom. It really means a lot to us.”

Hall’s is a founder member of the Mica National Co-operative group, which works with independent hardware and DIY stores to provide them with consumer marketing, competitive group buying terms, instore retail development and digital solutions.

Mica chief executive Michael Ball, who presented the award, added: “Hall’s Mica is a fantastic asset to our co-operative group, as not every town is lucky enough to have such a knowledgeable, Aladdin’s cave-esk type of store offering this level of customer service on their doorstop.”