Great Northern Ball raises £50,000 for Retail Trust

Leading lights in northern retail convened in Manchester on Thursday for the Retail Trust Great Northern Ball, raising a massive £50,000 for the retail charity.

The Point at Lancashire County Cricket Club hosted high-profile guests from the N Brown Group, Matalan, the Shop Direct Group, Harvey Nichols, Ultimate Products and Timpson, where attendees dined on a three-course meal before being treated to Vegas-style cabaret entertainment and a silent auction raised over £10,000.

Nigel J L Rothband, chief executive officer of Retail Trust, commented: “The Great Northern Ball is the first Retail Trust event to take place since the recent rioting, which highlighted the real need for our charity. Money raised tonight will help people in retail get access to counselling, emergency hardship grants and critical incident support. Funds raised will, of course, also benefit our retirement estates in Liverpool and Salford.”

Iain Mackenzie, general manager of Harvey Nichols and chairman of the Northern Events Committee, added: “I was struck by the variety of attendees at the event. In these current financially uncertain times, it is important that all industries support one another economically and show support for good causes like Retail Trust. “