Two online jewellery firms and two food brands have been shortlisted for the Retail Hero award at this year‘s Real Business Growing Business Awards, held in association with Lloyds Bank and supported by the CBI.
Hotcha, a Bristol based Chinese takeaway chain with stores in Bristol, Swindon, Stroud and Yate, has been shortlisted alongside graze, the online retailer of healthy snacks, which designs, manufactures and sells all of the 250 products in its range.
Watchfinder, the UK‘s leading retailer of pre-owned timepieces, and Boticca, the international, highly curated marketplace for independent jewellery designers, complete the Retail Hero shortlist, designed to recognise outstanding, growing businesses in the retail sector.
Now in its 16th year, the Growing Business Awards has seen a record number of entries in 2014. This year‘s winners will be announced on November 25th at the awards ceremony in London.
Tim Hinton, Managing Director, SME & Mid Markets at Lloyds Bank, commented: “The number and quality of entrants this year is truly extraordinary. Not only have we seen a record number of nominations but perhaps the strongest all-round set of nominations yet.
“These businesses represent the best of British. Every one of these companies and entrepreneurs has shown that they have the tenacity and drive to innovate, grow and contribute to the country‘s ongoing economic recovery.
“As we have seen, previous winners of these awards typically go on to achieve great things. I look forward to watching the development of this year‘s nominees closely and hope they inspire other businesses to fulfil their potential.”
Katja Hall, CBI Deputy Director-General, said: “The UK‘s economic recovery is on solid ground and the UK‘s growing businesses are playing a critical role in spurring on growth. These entrepreneurial firms are our future champion companies, and the CBI is proud to celebrate their successes and to support these awards.”
Amy Carroll, Group Editor at Caspian Media, added: “We have seen an unprecedented number of entries this year, all of exceptionally high quality. The range of businesses, from retail to manufacturing, to lifestyle and beyond, represents the wealth of excellence and innovation we have across the country. I look forward to seeing how this year‘s entrants perform as they continue to contribute to the UK‘s economic growth in the months and years ahead.”
