10 Businesses Announced as Finalists for the Customer Focus Award

LONDON, July 23, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --

-Finalists announced for 2015 National Business Awards-  

-Visit http://www.nationalbusinessawards.co.uk for shortlist-

Over 140 of Britain's leading businesses, business leaders and social enterprises have today been revealed as finalists for the 2015 National Business Awards, including 10 companies shortlisted for the Customer Focus Award.

The finalists for this award are:

Clothes2order
Conversis
Dorchester Collection
Fleet Alliance Ltd
Go Ape
Lovehoney
Osborne
Pink Boutique
The Bread Factory
Watchfinder

Celebrating organisations demonstrating the link between customer service and profit, the Customer Focus Award recognises those constantly striving to exceed customer expectations, industry leading standards of service, and innovation around customer service.

Paul Lymer, head of marketing at Go Ape, one of the finalists for this award, has said: "The Go Ape Tribe are really excited to be shortlisted for this prestigious award. Our success has grown from providing our customers with unique experiences that encourage them to live life adventurously. It would be amazing that all our Tribe get recognised for their hard work."

Finalists were chosen from the hundreds of businesses that entered or were nominated across 18 award categories. They will now prepare for live presentations to expert juries who will decide the overall winners that will be revealed at the awards ceremony on 10 November.

This year's finalists represent award categories such as The Grichan Partnerships Sustainable Business Award, The Lloyds Bank New Business of the Year Award and the Inflexion International Growth Business of the Year Award.

Michael Conway, MD at Clothes2order, another of the finalists for this award, has said: "It is incredibly pleasing to have our efforts recognised and has further driven our aspiration to continually enhance our offering through creating customers who are not only happy with our service, but who become advocates of our brand."  

An all encompassing range of industries are represented in the shortlists for this year's awards, with companies from recruitment and children's clothing, to pet food and online marketing being selected for the chance to win a coveted National Business Award.  The scale of the finalists is just as varied, with companies turning over less than a million pounds to over £25 million, employing 20 people or over 70,000 people.

Tom Broughton, Programme Director of the National Business Awards said: "Customer service strategy, when applied correctly, can have a huge effect on the profit and success of a business. It is not an easy area to execute well however, which makes these finalists fully worthy of recognition."

Visit http://www.nationalbusinessawards.co.uk for a full list of all finalists and to book a table at the event on 10 November 2015.

About the National Business Awards

Organised by UBM who operates in over 23 countries and organises many of the world's largest, most important exhibitions, conferences, awards, directories, websites and publications across a wide variety of industries. The Lloyds Bank National Business Awards is the flagship awards programme that recognises and rewards excellence across all sectors. Visit http://www.nationalbusinessawards.co.uk for further information or follow us on Twitter @businessawards.

Categories include -  

The Corporate Citizenship Award
The Customer Focus Award
The Lloyds Bank Digital Business of the Year Award
The Employer of the Year Award
The Smith & Williamson Entrepreneur of the Year Award
The UKTI Growth Business of the Year Award
The Market Gravity Innovation Award
The Lloyds Bank New Business of the Year Award
The Inflexion International Growth Business of the Year Award
The Duke of York New Entrepreneur of the Year Award
The Lloyds Bank Small to Medium-Sized Business of the Year Award
The Social Enterprise of the Year Award
The Vonage Business Enabler of the Year
The Grichan Partnerships Sustainable Business Award
The Duke of York Award for University Entrepreneurship
The QBE FTSE 100 Business of the Year Award
The Ashridge Business School Leader of the Year Award
The Lloyds Bank Excellence in Business Award

About UBM EMEA 

The National Business Awards is organised by UBM EMEA. UBM EMEA connects people and creates opportunities for companies across five continents to develop new business, meet customers, launch new products, promote their brands and expand their markets.   Through premier brands such as MD&M, CPhI, IFSEC, TFM&A, Cruise Shipping Miami, the Concrete Show and many others, UBM EMEA exhibitions, conferences, awards programs, publications, websites and training and certification programs are an integral part of the marketing plans of companies across more than 20 industry sectors.

Official Partners

Lloyds Bank, The Grichan Partnership, Inflexion Private Equity, Market Gravity, QBE, Smith & Williamson, UKTI, Vonage.