Yorkshire toy shop is one of Britain’s best

Ilkley based indie toy shop Games Crusade has been honoured in a national UK’s Favourite Local Business competition. The retailer is part of the Ilkley Gift Card scheme

An independent toy retailer has been recognised as one of the UK’s Favourite Local Businesses in a national competition organised by Miconex.

Over 4000 votes were cast for over 1000 different businesses in the competition from across the UK, covering all sectors including retail and hospitality, with Games Crusade in Ilkley taking fifth place.

Owner Lisa Dyson first started her toy business 19 years ago and now owns two Games Crusade stores in Yorkshire, Ilkley and Harrogate, with her husband. Lisa said: “It was great to be nominated and even better to rank so highly, especially as the higher ranking businesses were in Scotland and the Isle of Wight. We really appreciate our customers taking the time out of their busy schedules to nominate us and it was a great opportunity to put Ilkley and Harrogate on the map.

“I think our customers voted for us because they know that we have a lot of product knowledge and many have come back and told us how well our recommendations were received by the recipients. We are always on the hunt for new and exciting products and customers often comment that they have never seen many of our puzzles and games elsewhere.

“In 2025 we’ll be heading to London and Nuremberg for the annual toy fairs and we are also having an even bigger stand than before at Airecon. Airecon is the second largest board game convention in the UK and is held in Harrogate in March. We have a stand for the duration of the show and will sell and demonstrate our fantastic range of board games to the hobby market.”

Games Crusade in Ilkley is part of the Ilkley Gift Card, while Games Crusade in Harrogate is part of the Harrogate Gift Card.

Sarah Brookfield-Almond is Ilkley BID manager and said: “Ilkey is a thriving town with many wonderful, unique businesses, many of which are part of our Ilkley Gift Card. We’re proud to see one of our very own independent businesses taking a top spot in this national competition, showcasing Ilkley as a great place to shop, visit and enjoy. And you can experience it all with the Ilkley Gift Card.”

Fintech Miconex provides the technology for the Ilkley Gift Card, the Harrogate Gift Card and many other Town & City Gift Card programmes across the UK. Colin Munro is the managing director of Miconex and said:

“It is fantastic to see an Ilkley independent retailer being celebrated as one of the UK’s Favourite Local Businesses, demonstrating how valued our local businesses are in our towns. In our 2024 research, 98% of people said support for local was important to them, and 82% said supporting local businesses has become more important to them over the past 12 months. Local gift cards like the Ilkley Gift Card not only offer unbeatable local choice, they offer tangible support for local businesses of all types and sizes.”