High Street Heroes NI 2025 Launched – A Celebration of Local Excellence

Retail NI’s annual High Street Heroes campaign returns for 2025, offering a unique opportunity to honour Northern Ireland’s outstanding independent retailers and vibrant high streets.

Retail NI Chief Executive Glyn Roberts said:

“The High Street Heroes NI campaign continues to grow from strength to strength, with a record-breaking 15,000 votes cast last year. Our high streets are more than shopping destinations. They are vital centres of employment, entrepreneurship and community life.

“Independent retail is the lifeblood of communities right across Northern Ireland, and this campaign is the biggest celebration of our thriving local retail sector. This year, we are preparing to host our biggest ever showcase and a major celebration of the individual businesses that form the beating heart of our towns and cities.

“Retail NI is delighted to collaborate with Translink to amplify the campaign’s visibility and to recognise the vital role public transport plays in connecting people to their local high streets.”

In partnership with National Lottery operator, Allwyn, SSE Airtricity and Gig Grafter, Retail NI has officially launched the High Street Heroes NI 2025 campaign. The initiative is a celebration of the businesses that are at the heart of communities across Northern Ireland.

Unlike traditional awards programmes, High Street Heroes is entirely driven by the public. There are no judging panels. Local people are invited to vote for their favourite businesses across 13 categories, ranging from food and drink to fashion and essential services.

Voting opens on Friday 4th July. This symbolic date marks the independence and resilience of local trade. Among the top honours are High Street of the Year and Independent Retailer of the Year. These awards recognise excellence in customer service, sustainability, innovation and community impact.

Welcoming the campaign, Angeline Murphy, Branding and Advertising Manager at SSE Airtricity, highlighted the alignment with their sustainability values:

“Sustainability and community are at the core of what we do at SSE Airtricity. Supporting local businesses that reflect these values makes perfect sense, and we’re proud to be part of this inspiring initiative.”

Allwyn's Chief Executive Officer, Andria Vidler, said:

“We’re proud to champion High Street Heroes NI again this year. It’s an honour to celebrate Northern Ireland’s High Street Heroes once more and commend the local retailers who make their communities truly special places to live. We work with 1,500 retail partners across Northern Ireland – most of them independent stores. These businesses help raise over £30 million a week for Good Causes and earn vital sales commission that supports their own operations. Since 1994, over £1.5 billion of National Lottery funding has supported thousands of projects in Northern Ireland. It's clear that we understand more than most their importance to high streets and communities, and we're looking forward to celebrating both the winners and nominees in this year's awards."

Reinforcing their commitment to local enterprise, Ciaran Lynch, Director at Gig Grafter, said:

“We’re passionate about helping small businesses thrive. High Street Heroes highlights the best of Northern Ireland’s entrepreneurial spirit, and we’re thrilled to support it again this year.”

A new element introduced this year is the Winners Hall of Fame. This feature will honour businesses that have consistently won their categories since the campaign began in 2020. These former winners will now be permanently recognised and will step aside from this year’s competition, making room for new local heroes to shine.

The economic value of shopping local is clear. For every £1 spent at an independent retailer, 70p stays in the local economy. That money supports farmers, producers, jobs and neighbourhood vibrancy.

Shortlisted finalists will be announced in early August. The campaign will conclude with a celebration event on Thursday 21st August 2025.

To cast your vote or find out more, visit www.RetailNI.com/High-Street-Heroes