2006
(12/07/2006) Coveted AXA North West 'Business Oscar' awarded for second year in a row to Farmhouse Fare Ltd
AXA today announced that Farmhouse Fare Ltd, Clitheroe ( www.farmhousefare.co.uk ) has won the title of North West AXA Small to Medium Business of the Year in this year's prestigious National Business Awards - dubbed by Gordon Brown as the 'Business Oscars'. The company is a specialist manufacturer of premium chilled desserts supplying to major UK supermarkets and biscuits and traybakes to Waitrose coffee shops and it retains the title for the second year in a row.
As a regional winner, Farmhouse Fare Ltd will not only receive a day's support from an AXA Business Consultant but will also go forward to the National Business Awards grand final at the Grosvenor Hotel in London on 7 November.
The AXA Small to Medium Sized Business of the Year Award will recognise businesses for their entrepreneurship and innovation and will seek to highlight the importance of management excellence in maintaining a successful business today and continuing to grow it in the future.
In addition to winning a day with an AXA Business Consultant, if Farmhouse Fare is successful in the national grand final they will win a place on the AXA Small to Medium Sized Business Masterclass that takes place at a chateau in France . Over the three-day course the delegates will have their management and business skills finely tuned by some of AXA's leading business experts.
Mike Butler, the AXA North West Regional Judge, said:
"I am delighted that Farmhouse Fare has managed to beat off stiff competition to be crowned regional winner again this year. A large number of businesses in the region entered and we were very impressed with the quality of entries. The finalists are all outstanding examples of the North West 's most dynamic companies and we wish them all the best of luck in their development. We chose Farmhouse Fare as the winner again this year because they met most comprehensively the Awards criteria of growth, profitability, and innovation. In particular, they demonstrated a relentless focus on introducing new high quality products to their chosen distributors, continuously reinvesting in new product development rather than relying on their existing portfolio."
The other shortlisted businesses battling to win the title of the North West AXA Small to Medium Business of the Year were:
- Baa Bar Ltd, Liverpool ( www.baabar.co.uk ) - One of Liverpool's first style bars and helped regenerate a derelict area, the firm has now expanded to Manchester and Wigan.
- Version One Ltd, Poynton ( www.versionone.co.uk ) - Specialists in paperless office technology, offering document management and imaging software solutions to UK businesses.
- Valueworks Ltd, Wigan ( www.valueworks.co.uk ) - Providers of sourcing, procurement and strategic cost management services to a wide range of private and public sector organisations.
Highly Commended businesses in the region's AXA Small to Medium Businesses of the Year Awards were:
- Elitetele.com, St Helens
- Avalon Solicitors, Warrington
- Hall Fire Protection Ltd, Manchester
- Warren Partners Ltd, Northwich
- Ends -
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AXA is a world leader in financial protection. AXA's operations are diverse with major operations in Western Europe, North America and the Asia/Pacific area. AXA employs 120,000 staff and tied agents and, as of 31 December 2005, had € 1,064 billion in assets under management. AXA reported total IFRS revenues of € 72 billion and IFRS underlying earnings of € 3,258 million for the full year 2005. Our previous company performance is not a guide to how we may perform in the future.
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