Nominations for The Above and Beyond Awards 2026 will be closing soon – so don’t miss out on the chance to celebrate and reward your hardworking team.
By Gaelle Walker
Like a whirlwind, the festive furore has now blown over and in the relative calm that tends to follow in January, now is the perfect time to take a breath, and to take stock, not just of your business operations but crucially too, of the people who power your store: the pistons on your payroll who go above and beyond their call of duty – and set your store apart.
If you’re lucky enough to have a customer service queen, a community focused king, or a tech wizard working for you, then now’s the time to show your appreciation – and we’ve got the perfect way to help you do so.
Celebratory lunch: 18 March 2026, The Corinthian Club, Glasgow
Entering your employees into The Above & Beyond Awards 2026 is one of the most powerful ways that you can show your thanks.
Just ask Amy Bennett, of Baba’s Kitchen in Bellshill, who was nominated for several categories in 2025 and won the title of Up and Coming Star.
“Being nominated meant the world,” Amy says. “Working in retail can be difficult at times and you don’t always get a whole lot of thanks – so this was a really nice experience. It’s so nice to feel appreciated and for people to see all the hard work you do. The awards themselves were also so much fun!”
The entry process couldn’t be simpler. We just need a few key details about you and your nominee and then we’ll do the rest.
Every nominee will also get a call from one of our friendly judges – just to learn a little bit more about them. No tricky questions, we promise! It’s all very informal and relaxed.
“The whole process was fine!” Amy enthuses. “Everyone I spoke to was so friendly, easy to talk to and down to earth, I felt totally at ease, I actually really enjoyed it,” she says.
“The day itself was wonderful. We had such a great time. I’ll always remember it!”
And if you can’t pick one, or don’t want to single out individual employees – you don’t have to, because we also have a Team category!
So come on, why not kick off 2026 by giving your colleagues a gift they will never forget: the gift of recognition. They’ll thank you for it!
It couldn’t be quicker or easier:
- Head over to the simple online nomination form.
- All we need from you is some very basic information like:
- the nominee’s name, job title and contact telephone number.
- one or two bullet points on why you believe your nominee should be considered for an award.
- Complete and return to events@55north.com.
Contact Cara with any questions.
Our judging panel will then personally call every nominee to find out a little more from them. It’s a very informal and relaxed call and allows us to gather the information we need to share your nominee’s story with the world.
Awards Categories
Independent Store Colleague
Open to all colleagues working in independently owned local retailing stores in Scotland that are unaffiliated or members of any symbol group, fascia or franchise.
Company-Owned Store Colleague
Open to all colleagues working in CJ Lang company-owned stores in Scotland.
Business Booster
Open to all colleagues who have materially improved their store’s performance by suggesting or introducing a new concept, product, service, communication method or a change in operational process.
Team Of The Year
Open to all in-store teams which have pulled together to make a positive difference to their store’s performance and/or to their community.
Up & Coming Star
Open to all colleagues aged 25 or under working in any of the store formats detailed above who have shown themselves to be outstanding colleagues with a bright future in the sector ahead of them.
Long Service Award
Open to all colleagues working in any of the store formats detailed above who have worked in the sector, or a single store or chain, for an extended period of time.
Astonishing Act
Open to all colleagues working in any of the store formats detailed above who truly went Above & Beyond to perform an astonishing act that had a massive positive impact on a customer, colleague or the community.
