The owners of a Newport card and gift shop are flying the flag for the town’s independent retailers after scooping a top industry award.

Lisa Leadbeater and Nick Savchenko, owners of the Little Card and Gift Company on High Street, have been named the region’s Best Independent Greeting Card Retailer.

The business duo, who have been trading in the town for five years, fought off competition from independent retailers across the Midlands and Wales area to scoop the prestigious accolade at the 2018 Reta Awards.

Lisa was handed the award earlier this month at a ceremony held at London’s Dorchester Hotel, Which was attended by more than 400 delegates from across the UK.

She said: “We are absolutely thrilled to receive this recognition for all our continued hard work and commitment. We never expected to win –  it came as a complete and utter shock to us both. We feel extremely humbled and would like to thank all our customers for their loyalty and support over the years.”

The Little Card and Gift Company is one of a number of independent retailers to feature on Newport’s thriving High Street and Nick believes the award goes a long way to highlighting the important role of small independents to the local economy.

He said: “Newport is a thriving high street but unfortunately the same can’t be said for all towns. You see on the news everyday reports of businesses struggling to remain viable.

“We are very lucky here in Newport to have a fantastic mix of small independents selling a range of high quality goods. We have no empty shops and we believe people living in and around the town have very much adopted a ‘shop local’ attitude which is tremendous news for small business owners like ourselves.

“We are now looking for a suitable spot in the shop to display the award for all our customers to see.”

The Reta Awards were launched in 2005 by Progressive Greetings Worldwide magazine. As well as recognising small independent greeting card retailers, the awards also acknowledge excellence  demonstrated by national card retailers, garden centres, department stores and supermarkets