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We have our winners!
The finals have taken place and gold, silver and bronze awards handed out. To see who won what, click HERE. |
The past, present and future of skillVM
skillVM was created in 2008 by Skillsmart Retail, the Sector Skills Council for Retail, as a competition to find the best retail artists in the UK.
2008
In its first year, the competition was run as a demonstration event held at the prestigious In-Store Show, part of Marketing Week Live at London’s Olympia, where teams of two had to create stunning window displays against the clock and to a tight budget. The concept of the competition proved successful and skillVM 09 was unveiled by Mary ‘Queen of Shops’ Portas in October 2008 in a special skillVM launch DVD.
2009
skillVM 09 was split into student and retailer categories and attracted dozens of entries from across all four nations, who completed applications and submitted mood boards on the theme of ‘Window into your World’. The best applicants were invited to compete in one of five live heats in shopping centres across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The three top scoring teams in each category then battled it out in the grand final, once again at the In-Store Show, to be crowned skillVM 09 champions.
Footage from skillVM 09 final
2010
skillVM 10 is now in full swing and dozens of entries have been received from students and professionals on the theme 'Future of Retail: 2060'. The deadline for entry has now passed and the competition is set to hot up before the finals on 29th and 30th June at London's Olympia. Sixteen shortlisted student entries will be invited to live heats in Cardiff where they will be whittled down to just five, which will then build their windows at the final. The top five professional entries will also be invited to construct their windows live in London.
2011
By 2011, Skillsmart Retail hopes to take the skillVM concept onto the world stage by showcasing visual merchandising in
WorldSkills 2011, to be held in London. This biennial competition, which took place in Calgary, Canada this year, showcases the very best in a host of skills from hairdressing to car maintenance. We hope visual merchandising will be accepted into WorldSkills for the first time in London with the aim of entering a UK team capable of beating the best VMs from around the globe.