As the November 13 awards ceremony draws ever closer, judges have finished the gruelling task of shortlisting retailers for Gold in the 2012 DIY Week Awards. Standards were particularly high this year, and judges faced a tough task with two new categories - Store Manager and Retail Communicator - thrown into the mix.
We can now reveal the following retailers have been named Silver winners and are in the running for Gold:
· Hardware Retailer of the Year: Mad Hatters Hardware, Mainlys Mica Hardware, Right Price DIY, Halls Mica Hardware, and R. E. Thorns.

· Retail Communicator of the Year: Tool Shop, B&Q, Fermoys Garden Centre, R. E. Thorns, and Frensham Garden Centre.

· Tool Retailer of the Year: Axminster Tools, PR Industrial, and Leekes.

· Garden Retailer of the Year: Frensham Garden Centre, Gordale Garden Centre, Perrywood Garden Centre, and Timmermans Garden Centre.

· Décor Retailer of the Year: Leekes and Milton Wallpapers.

· Store Manager of the Year: Steve Searle from Monkton Elm Garden and Pet Centre, Ravi Kara from Tool Shop, and Rachel Coult and Steven Maxwell from B&Q.

Gold winners will be announced on the night. It's not too late to book a place to be part of the industry's number one awards night - contact Denny Jassi on 01342 332118 or email denny.jassi@fav-house.com. Keep checking the awards website here for updates.