Shopping centre Idlewells is celebrating a double award-win and commendation following a successful night at one of the retail industry’s most-coveted events.

The SCEPTRE Awards recognise best practice and the best people in the shopping centre industry, with a particular focus on management teams, retailers and suppliers who demonstrate excellence in how they operate and engage with customers.

Sutton’s Idlewells was named Sustainability Initiative of the Year winner, while Ian Pratt claimed the Operations Manager of the Year title.

Ian was recognised for his ability to continually innovate and input into a wide range of areas from energy consumption and sustainability, to marketing and commercialisation.

The sustainability accolade was secured thanks to Idlewells’ sustainability policy, which focused on people, planet and profit. The policy has resulted in a reduction in electricity consumption of 30% in 12 months across the centre — with the SCEPTRE award coming shortly after it won a Green Apple award in recognition of its focus on general waste reduction, recycling and energy reduction.

Alongside the two wins, centre’ manager Chloe O’Donnell was highly commended in the Young Achiever of the Year category following her work to make Idlewells Covid-secure in response to the pandemic.

“We’re very much a community-focused shopping centre, which prides itself on being an integral part of the fabric of Sutton,” said Chloe.

“We’re passionate about doing things right and being the best at what we do. These awards recognise the hard work and dedication of our team.

“A big congratulations to Ian for his win. He represents our ethos of innovation and hard work and he thoroughly deserves to have his name in lights.

“I’d also like to say a big thank you to the wider team at Idlewells, without whom we wouldn’t be taking home the Sustainability Initiative of the Year award or receiving a commendation for Young Achiever of the Year. Everything we achieve is a team effort and I’m over the moon with the result against some of the industry’s toughest competition.”

This year’s SCEPTRE Awards were held at the Royal Lancaster London Hotel, with the judging panel made up of a number of high-profile businesspeople from the world of retail, including Simon Lewis, group managing director of Lewis Business Media, and Caroline Main, a senior commercial property manager with almost 20 years’ experience in the management of shopping centres.

Businesses from across the UK competed in 15 categories including Community Initiative of the Year, Customer Services Team of the Year and Christmas Campaign of the Year.