Business awards recognise local quality

In the third in a series profilling the 2007 Lancashire Telegraph Business Awards, to be held at Ewood Park on November 16, business reporter ANDREW HEWITT looks the Deal of the Year and Retailer of the Year categories.

COMBINING good products with value for money is the key to being a good retailer, according to the boss of brewing giant Daniel Thwaites.

Managing Director Brian Hickman said retailers also had to respond to external factors which could hit a company's trade.

The Blackburn-based company, which employs 340 staff and has 425 pubs, bucked the national trend last year to record a rise in beer sales.

As part of its 200 year celebration, Thwaites launched several new products including Double Century.

Mr Hickman highlighted the increased publicity surrounding under-age and binge drinking as an example how the licence trade has had to adapt to external forces which could impact on sales.

He said Thwaites had tried to make its pubs more welcoming and had improved its menus so people don't think they are being irresponsible by drinking.

Mr Hickman said: "It is essential to be a good retailer for your business to succeed "In any business the products on sale have to be good quality and priced according to the offering.

"The consumer wants to have quality but they also want the value for money experience.

"Within the area we are pretty good at selling but what I think where we can all improve is by making people outside our area more aware of our offering.

"We should be proud of what we do and shout about it."

The category makes a return to this year's Lancashire Telegraph Business Awards.

In 2005 farmer turned entrepreneur Eddie Cowpe of Samlesbury-based farm shop Huntley's walked away with the award after reinventing his business after the foot and mouth outbreak of 2001.

Mr Cowpe who also lost an estimated £180,000 because of BSE opened his farm shop selling milk, home-made ice-cream and meat The first week of trading brought just £146 profit but by 2005 Huntley's also had a blacksmiths, antiques shop, art gallery, furniture shop, fresh fishmongers and restaurant as well as a turnover of £1.5million.

BUSINESS deals are what drive the area's economy forward.

That is the opinion of Rob Turner, senior partner at Yorkshire Bank's financial solutions centre, in Blackburn.

An example is the £486million deal which saw Leyland-based Enterprise acquired by Kirk Newco and private equity firm 3i tops the Centre for Management Buyout Research's list of business deals completed for the first half of 2007.

And Mr Turner said there was a chance the value of deals struck this year would be more than in 2006.

He said: "We feel it is important to shine the spotlight on some of the most important deals completed by businesses operating in the area.

"This year has been another busy year on the deal front in East Lancashire and there is every potential to surpass last year's deal activity.

"As a bank we have worked with many excellent businesses right across East Lancashire which have transformed themselves by identifying opportunities to secure their niche market or expand through acquisitions, relocations, management buy-ins and buy-outs.

"There are some fantastic deals of all shapes and sizes being struck right here on our doorstop.

"All these deals are vitally important in helping to drive forward the region's economy and that's why these deals should be celebrated in these business awards."

Padiham-based Equestrian Surfaces won the last Deal of the Year award after it beat off international competition to win a $5million contract to install a new race track.

The firm's innovative synthetic cushion track was laid at the Hollywood Park Race Track, California.

After winning the contract Equestrian Surfaces had just a few months to complete the work and ship the surface to the USA.

On the back of the deal the firm was approached by Magna Entertainment Corporation, which owned 12 race courses in the USA to lay more surfaces.