3 August 2011
Over 150 of Britain’s most innovative and sustainable public and private sector businesses have been announced as finalists of the National Business Awards in partnership with Orange. Organisations shortlisted this year range from the well-known Debenhams, JD Wetherspoon, moneysupermarket.com, BSkyB, Majestic Wine and Supergroup – through to the rising stars of Ovo Energy, Feather and Black, ShortList Media and HeartSine Technologies.
The combined turnover of all finalists this year was £96bn. If the National Business Awards finalist organisations were a country, they would be in the world's top 50 just behind Romania, ahead of New Zealand and almost three times the size of Luxembourg.
Announcing The WorldPay Online Business of the Year finalists this morning, Gabriel Hopkins, Head of eCommerce Products at WorldPay, said:
“The Online Business of the Year award provides welcome recognition for some of the UK’s leading online retailers, highlighting that organisations of all sizes and across all sectors are continuing to thrive, despite difficult economic times. In the fast and ever evolving worlds of ecommerce and m-commerce, it is essential that businesses continually strive to improve customer experience, while offering simple and secure ways to both pay and interact online.
“The finalists in this category demonstrated true innovation and flexibility, showing an eagerness to adapt and diversify to meet the ever changing needs and demands of their customer base. At WorldPay, we work closely with our customers to ensure they are optimising the various channels and payment options available to them, continually improving their own customers’ experiences, while driving up revenues. We would like to congratulate all of this year’s finalists, who are truly leading the way in online retailing.”
The 2011 WorldPay Online Business of the Year finalists are:
- Chemist Direct, London, W6 8JA
- Cloggs.co.uk, Birmingham, B4 6SX
- Door-Stop, Wotton - Under - Edge, GL12 7AE
- Entertainment Magpie Ltd, Macclesfield, SK10 2AF
- Feather and Black, London, SW6 2DU
- Global Personals Ltd, Windsor, SL4 1EG
- LOVEFiLM, London, EC1R 4RB
- Lovehoney, Bath, BA1 3EN
- Naked Wines, Norwich, NR1 1SL
- Quidco, London, SE1 9DU
“The economic climate continues to present UK businesses with an unprecedented challenge: it is therefore particularly encouraging that the entries in this year’s National Business Awards have shown no drop in quality or performance. Congratulations to all finalists for demonstrating tremendous strength in their ability to adapt and innovate which no doubt reflects the resilience and optimism that are the hallmarks of UK enterprise”, said Baroness Bottomley of Nettlestone, Chair of Judges, the National Business Awards.
Finalists will now prepare to make their presentations in person before an independent, expert judging panel in September and October at the offices of Coutts & Co at 30 St Mary Axe.
The judges are:
- Mr Gabriel Hopkins, Head of eCommerce Products, WorldPay
- Mr Rob Hawthorn, Managing Director Client Service, Barclays Corporate
- Mr Kevin Riches, Principal, Carteme
- Mr Keith Tilley, EVP & MD, SunGard Availability Services (UK)
Organised by UBM plc, winners will be honoured at the National Business Awards gala dinner at the Grosvenor House Hotel, London, Tuesday 8th November, where George Osborne, the Chancellor of the Exchequer will deliver this year’s welcome address. Visit www.nationalbusinessawards.co.uk for a full list of all 2011 finalists.
Notes for editor:
- Visit www.nationalbusinessawards.co.uk for a full list of all 2011 finalists.
- The combined turnover of all National Business Awards finalists this year were £96bn. While there were plenty of examples of aggressive growth among all entrants, through acquisition as well as organic, the finalist organisations that stood out were those taking steps to ensure growth is sustainable – innovating to become leaner and concentrating on core strengths rather than over-diversifying.
- WORLDPAY ONLINE BUSINESS OF THE YEAR
Gabriel Hopkins, Head of eCommerce Products, WorldPay, provides rationale as to why the 10 companies in this year’s competition have qualified as finalists, on behalf of the shortlist panel: - Lovefilm – Lovefilm has continued to innovate to provide movie lovers with options over and above when and how they receive content. Diversification into new channels and social media underpin their continued success.
- Lovehoney – Lovehoney has set itself apart in the adult retailing space by focusing on the needs of its customers and challenging common perceptions of the industry.
- Door Stop – Door Stop is a focussed innovator in providing high quality composite doors to the trade. The high value the firm has placed on customer satisfaction shines through in its growth and feedback scores.
- Chemist Direct – Chemist Direct has illustrated its continuing desire to revolutionise the way shoppers consume health and beauty products in the UK and Europe.
- Entertainment Magpie – Music Magpie’s success in pre-played entertainment is based on a unique technology engine and continued innovation - with ideas such as its new iphone app driving new sales and addressing new channels.
- Naked Wines – Naked Wines is a great example of how the internet and ecommerce can revolutionise existing business models. By connecting wine drinkers and wine makers directly, Naked Wines is enabling small enterprise to take on established brands.
- Quid Co – Quid Co has harnessed its consumers’ needs for value into an industry leading cashback and voucher proposition which is helping to match shoppers with great deals in a number of sectors.
- Cloggs.co.uk – The market for online fashion is evolving rapidly and Cloggs.co.uk is a great example of how to succeed by putting customers first and investing in customer service and marketing.
- Global Personals – Global Personals, through its own and white label services, has led the market in providing high quality online dating services in a quickly expanding sector.
- Feather & Black – Feather & Black is a great example of a cross channel retailer focussing on customer satisfaction and sustainability.
- About the National Business Awards
Open to organisations of all sizes from all sectors across the UK, the National Business Awards in partnership with Orange is the UK’s most prestigious independent business recognition platform with its particular emphasis on excellence, innovation and ethical business. Now in its tenth year, the National Business Awards connects the nations’ professionals through its annual awards ceremony; year-round thought leadership and round table events; and is UBM plc’s flagship awards programme. Visit www.nationalbusinessawards.co.uk for further information.
- National Business Awards Categories 2011 are:
The Transformational Change of the Year; The Huawei Customer Focus Award; The Croner Employer of the Year; The Excellence in Marketing Award; The ICAEW Sustainability Award; The BlackBerry Growth Strategy of the Year; The Orange Innovation Award; The Entrepreneur of the Year Award; The BlackBerry Business Enabler of the Year; The Small Online Business of the Year; The WorldPay Online Business of the Year; The Santander Small to Medium sized Business of the Year; The 3i Private Business of the Year; The Grant Thornton Mid-Cap Business of the Year; Coutts & Co Large Cap Business of the Year; The Daily Telegraph Award for a Decade of Excellence in Business; and The Orange Leader of the Year.
For further information please contact:
Henriette Svensen
Head of PR & Marketing
UBM Awards
Tel: 020 7234 8753 / 07500 917 628
Email: henriette.svensen@ubm.com
