Hornchurch shoppers have spoken, and it appears everyone likes a bit of Retail Therapy,

Havering’s Top of the Shops competition has seen the women’s clothing store, in High Street, take the top spot.

Shoppers voted for their favourite shop in thw town either online or through a pen and paper ballot.

In a close vote, Retail Therapy - which has been in Hornchurch for 18 years won - with a total of 471 votes, followed by Hamilton’s Gift and Card Shop, with 462 votes.

As well as the prestige of being voted Hornchurch’s favourite shop, Retail Therapy has won free advertising in Havering Council’s Living Magazine which is distributed to all households and business in the borough.

As part of the competition, local shopper Caroline Polley of Hornchurch was selected at random from the entries and has won �100 to spend in the shop.

Jan Haddock, who has worked at Retail Therapy for 14 years said; “We saw this competition and thought, why not be part of it? We enjoyed it, the customers enjoyed it and it was a fun thing to do.

“We have a good relationship with our customers most of them are local people but even when people move out of the area they still come back. We have regulars that come from Brighton, Devon and Cornwall and even a woman who moved to Spain, whenever she flies back she comes in, buys loads of clothes and wears them over there.”

Cabinet member for community empowerment, Cllr Robert Benham said: “Retail Therapy is a business which is perfect for Hornchurch, it is run by local people, it is successful, it is independent and it is now Hornchurch’s favourite shop. Top of the shops was a great competition and I congratulate them on being voted Hornchurch’s top shop.“