Housewares Business-to-business magazine for housewares retailers and their suppliers
Gary Gordon of cookshop Kitchen Kapers has been awarded honorary life membership by the British Independent Retailers Association (bira).
The award was made at the association’s annual general meeting today (Wednesday May 11) on the day of its High Street Conference, which is being held at the Chateau Impney in Droitwich.
Proposing the honour – bestowed on only a handful of members – Richard Rowlatt, himself a recipient of the award, said: “There can be no more natural candidate for this honour than Gary Gordon.”
Gary is the joint managing director and buying director of specialist retailer Kitchen Kapers, headquartered in Surrey. He is also a columnist for Housewares Magazine.
He was at the forefront of the formation of The Cookshop & Housewares Association 21 years ago and later chaired the division. He also served as national president of the British Hardware Federation, one of the precursors of bira, in 2004.
Richard elaborated: “The true measure of Gary is not in titles but in actions. Kitchen Kapers is a highly successful cookshop chain and cookware importer. He has also made many media contributions, as well as writing his own columns in the trade press.”
Richard went on to enumerate the many other roles which Gary has fulfilled for the organisation. He has been chairman of bira publishing for many years, a member of the legal & parliamentary affairs committee, and has represented independent retailers as a specialist on property matters at the British Retail Consortium and to government.
He has been a regular attender at the bira Five Counties branch, which he has also chaired. He has chaired the bira training committee for many years and is, said Richard: “A true proponent of the value of learning and personal development.”
Gary commented: “This is a great honour; unexpected but deeply welcome.”
