Police brand makes for arresting window displays

In total, 168 practices took part in the promotion, which ran from February to May, with entries judged by Manuela Robson from Billington Jackson Public Relations and Rory Brogan, managing editor of optician. Barnaby's Opticians of Bournemouth was a winner with a window of cascading Police showcards on a bright yellow background. Optical World of Southall in Middlesex was chosen for its vibrant Mexican holiday theme, while Colin Lee Opticians of Lichfield, Staffordshire was chosen for its professional looking window with classical adornments. Ansell & Taylor of Sheffield produced a bright, eye-catching Police window, with emphasis on Bruce Willis. AJ & BE Pitman of Witney, Oxon produced a concise Police window, incorporating supporting merchandise and a black leather jacket. Breaking from the winning Police theme, G Tunnell Opticians of Worcester was recognised for a refined and tasteful Fendi window that incorporated other Fendi merchandise. A number of other practices were commended, including The Optic Shop in Carmarthen, Dyfed, and D's Opticians in Eltham, London. Sylvia Nanni, managing director of De Rigo UK, commented that because of the success of the competition, the company was keen to carry on with initiatives of this nature, whether it was product incentives or merchandise links. 'What I liked about the entries was the different concepts used - for example, themes from holidays to cinema. Independent opticians used our promotional material with their own themes in the windows, which were judged not on size but on the results,' she said. The De Rigo window displays, along with an advertising campaign on the London underground, resulted in record May sales across all the company's brands.