a \u00a310,000 prize and free use of the Klarna flexible Pay later service for one year.<\/strong><\/p>\nThe brand's founder Simon Bourne was presented with his prize at a ceremony in London's new VI VI restaurant \u2013 hosted by entrepreneurs and Made in Chelsea starts Hugo Taylor and Millie Mackintosh<\/strong> \u2013 having fought off 5,000 other entrants for the competition, which supports up-and-coming retail businesses.<\/p>\nRunners up, and recipients of \u00a35,000, were luxury children's wear business Britannical and interiors business Charlotte Jade.<\/strong><\/p>\nThe Hand Dyed Shoe Co, which creates handmade footwear from scrap leather in the furniture industry<\/strong>, has always done things a bit differently. Bourne claims his mission is to change the way the world buys shoes, offering a unique experience and service through all the touch points of the business.<\/p>\nHis approach has grown alongside the business, and started with free shoe-shining lessons, fresh coffee<\/strong>, and local gin for G&Ts. With experiences offered in Durham, Dubai and London \u2013 the company has focused on putting customer experience, as well as workplace culture front and centre of its brand.<\/p>\n\u201cI come from quite from humble beginnings \u2013 a council estate in Scunthorpe actually, and I never dreamed I\u2019d be here in front of everyone to accept such a generous award. This opportunity will really drive \u00a0my business into the future<\/strong> - we\u2019ll invest it wisely and I hope you\u2019ll see much more from The Hand Dyed Shoe Co. in the future,\u201d an emotional Bourne said upon accepting the award.<\/p>\nHugo Taylor, added: \u201cFrom the moment I met Simon I knew he was incredibly passionate about his business, and rightly so, the quality of the products, and the unique experience he offers is something to be proud of<\/strong>. Working with him over the last few weeks has been a pleasure, and I know he\u2019ll go on to do great things with the support of Klarna.\u201d<\/p>\nLuke Griffiths, General Manager at Klarna UK<\/a>, commented: \u201cWe are delighted to announce that Simon has won our Smoooth Stores competition. The unique experience which The Hand Dyed Shoe Co. creates is above and beyond what many retailers offer,<\/strong> and yet, it\u2019s an intrinsic part of what makes Simon\u2019s business so great.<\/p>\n\"Every business we\u2019ve had the chance to work with in this project has shown us that the UK\u2019s retail scene is thriving and evolving. The Hand Dyed Shoe Co. will only continue to succeed, and I hope our prize and ongoing support will help accelerate that success<\/strong> for them - I can\u2019t wait to follow his brand\u2019s journey.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":134052,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,10494,12973],"tags":[13865,13866,12417,13209,13868],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
Hand Dyed Shoe Company named Klarna's "Smooothest Store" - TheIndustry.fashion<\/title>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n