Top 10 Independent Businesses in Exeter revealed

Exeter BID today announces the shortlist of its Summer of Independents campaign which asked visitors and residents to vote for their favourite independent business. 

The businesses on the shortlist will now go through to the second round of the competition after which an overall winner will be crowned. The votes have been counted and the shortlist is revealed as:

• Hyde & Seek
• Choccie Bar
• V&M Hair
• No guts no glory (NGNG)
• Chococo
• Ferns
• The Real Food Store
• Bunyip Craft
• John Gandys
• Healthy Pulses

The six-week campaign saw voting cards distributed across the city plus an extensive online campaign encouraging people to vote.  

Wayne Pearce, Chairman of the Exeter BID Board, said: “This summer we wanted to celebrate independent businesses and all that they have to offer, we are immensely proud of the diversity of business in our city and, judging by the votes, it’s clear residents are as well...

"The shortlist is an eclectic mix of very impressive businesses and we are excited to see who will be crowned the overall winner.

"During the voting period, we received over 1600 votes which is fantastic.”

The shortlist will now be visited by a mystery shopper who will rate each business using a set criteria. A judging panel will then choose the winning business based on the mystery shopper findings and original nominations from the public vote.

The overall winner is expected to be announced in the coming weeks.