Milford Photo Named Independent Retailer of the Year in Connecticut

The Connecticut Retail Merchants Association (CRMA) will be honoring two of Connecticut’s leading retail businesses for their responsiveness to customers, superior business practices and outstanding community involvement. The honorees are Milford Photo, located in Milford, and Boscov’s, with a Connecticut department store in Meriden.

At the organization’s annual awards luncheon on Wednesday, November 16, the association’s retail members from throughout Connecticut will hear directly from leaders of the two award-winning retailers, whose determination and resiliency have created jobs and economic impact in their local communities and the state.

Milford Photo will be receiving the Independent Retailer of the Year award. Connecticut’s largest photo specialty store, Milford Photo is located in the old Milford Trust building in the heart of downtown Milford and features a full line of professional and consumer camera equipment including the industry’s leading brands, as well as photography classes and digital transfers. Owner Jim Wilson, a lifelong Milford resident, began the business in 1995, and grew it through professionalism, customer service, and an insistence on quality – competing successfully in a field dominated by big box and online retailers. www.milfordphoto.com

Boscov’s has been selected to receive the National Retailer of the Year award. Boscov’s has a rich history of serving the needs of loyal customers by offering a broad assortment of high quality and name brand merchandise at terrific prices and offering a level of customer service rarely seen in the retail industry today. Having started more than a century ago with Solomon Boscov’s dream and his peddlers pack on his back, Boscov’s now is America’s largest family-owned Department Store, with 45 locations across seven states, more than $1.2 billion in annual sales, and a growing nationwide eCommerce business, under the legendary leadership of Chairman Albert Boscov, and CEO Jim Boscov, the third generation to lead the business.

The Annual Awards Luncheon, held at the Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts with catering by the Max Restaurant Group, brings together more than 200 people representing retail businesses throughout the state. Lead sponsor for the event is United Bank.

“We are extremely excited and proud to recognize our 2016 Retailers of the Year,” said CRMA Board Chairman Tom Wholley, owner of Connecticut Mattress. “They represent the best in the Connecticut retail industry, and have achieved tremendous success by consistently working at providing their customers with the best shopping experience along with outstanding value and first rate customer service.”

The program for the annual Awards Luncheon day will also include a post-Election Day preview of the upcoming session of the State Legislature and a special presentation on key issues impacting the Connecticut retail industry.

“We are thrilled to recognize outstanding Connecticut retailers who go the extra mile for customers and employees,” said CRMA President Tim Phelan. “Both Milford Photo and Boscov’s reflect the resiliency and determination that is essential to retail success, and set a standard of excellence that is reflected throughout the industry in Connecticut.

In Connecticut, there are an estimated 472,518 jobs supported by retail businesses. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) impact is $34.2 billion – 14 percent of the state’s total GDP. “One out of every five people is supported by a job in retail,” Phelan said.

CRMA is a statewide trade association that represents Connecticut retailers at the State Capitol and in the marketplace. The association’s members include more than 2,000 stores throughout the state, including some of the world's largest retailers as well as the state's main street merchants. To learn more about CRMA, visit www.crmaonline.com or call 860-527-1044.