National Business Awards Finalists Announced 2011
- Grant Thornton Mid-Cap Business of the Year -


Over 150 of Britain’s most innovative and sustainable public and private sector businesses have been announced today, Tuesday 2nd August, 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, Harvey Nash, Majestic Wine and Supergroup – through to the rising stars of Ovo Energy, Door-Stop, ShortList Media and HeartSine Technologies.

Announcing the finalists in the nomination only category of The Grant Thornton Mid-Cap Business of the Year, Scott Barnes, Chief Executive Officer, Grant Thornton said: “We are proud once again to be partnering with the National Business Awards to help recognise great UK businesses. It has doubtless  been no mean feat to whittle down the list of finalists for this award given the quality of Mid-Market businesses, especially in the face of the recent economic adversities. It is heartening to see the spread both geographically and across business type of the finalists, exemplifying the diversity and strength of UK Mid-Market business. We wish them all the best of luck.”

The 2011 Grant Thornton Mid-Cap Business of the Year finalists are:
•    Cineworld Group plc, London, W4 5PY
•    EMIS online, Leeds, LS19 6BA
•    Fidessa Group, London, EC2R 8DN
•    Hargreaves Services PLC, Durham, DH7 9PT
•    Harvey Nash Group plc, London, W1J 6QA
•    Majestic Wine plc, Hertfordshire, WD25 8WW
•    moneysupermarket.com, Chester, CH5 EUZ
•    Renishaw plc, Wooton - Under - Edge, GL12 8JR
•    Rightmove plc, London, W1D 3QU
•    Supergroup plc, Cheltenham, GL51 9NW.
“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.
Finalist will now prepare to make their filmed interviews in person in September, that will later be judged by an independent, expert judging panel at the offices of Coutts & Co at 30 St Mary’s Axe.
The judges are:
•    Martin Gardner, Partner, Grant Thornton
•    Clare Parsons, Chairman, Lansons Communications
•    Jane Tozer, Executive Partners and Co-Founder, ITNEA
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.
- Ends -
Notes for editor:
1.        Visit www.nationalbusinessawards.co.uk for a full list of all 2011 finalists.
2.        The combined turnover of all finalists this year was £96bn, - if the National Business Awards finalist organisations were a country they would be a top 50 country in the world just behind Romania and ahead of New Zealand. Almost three times the size of Luxembourg.
3.        GRANT THORNTON MID-CAP BUSINESS OF THE YEAR FINALISTS

Alex Evans, Editorial Director and Co-chair of Judges the National Business Awards provides rationale as to why the 10 companies in this year’s competition have qualified as finalists, on behalf of the shortlist panel.

•    Rightmove plc – The UK's most popular property portal, Rightmove is used by over 90% of estate agents and has grown by adding value for advertisers and establishing a market leading position through subscriber services. Despite challenging market conditions in 2010, revenue increased by 26%, underlying operating profit increased by 39% and website traffic reached record levels.

•    Moneysupermarket Group plc - The UK's most popular comparison website, claiming to have saved customers £750 million last year, moneysupermarket.com saw revenues increase by 9% in 2010. An investment in brand, product, site design and usability has all boosted commercial performance while increasing customer engagement.

•    Supergroup plc - Owner of the Superdry brand, UK and internet retailer and one of the fastest growing international branded clothing companies, SuperGroup Plc has demonstrated exceptional financial performance. As the brand consolidates in the UK it is expanding rapidly overseas and now has a presence in 22 countries worldwide (including Asia and the Middle East). Future growth is also supported by its multi-lingual internet operation, with sales more than doubling over the year in 2010.

•    Majestic Wine plc - It's been a great year for Majestic Wine, the UK's largest wine warehouse chain, which took full advantage of the celebrations around the Royal Wedding to boost its champagne sales in 2010. Reducing its minimum case to 6 bottles in 2009 was a masterstroke, resulting in a 26% increase in profit and sales up over 10%. Future growth is supported by a 14% increase in active customers to half a million, and plans to double the number of its stores.

•    Harvey Nash plc - Despite challenging conditions in a highly competitive sector, recruitment specialist Harvey Nash achieved significant market share gains with multiple contract wins in 2010. Demand for flexible labour boosted its contractor numbers by 20% while net fee income from permanent recruitment increased by over 23%. Expansion into Norway and Finland has consolidated its position in Europe, with a second multi-year telecomm outsourcing contract secured in Germany.

•    Renishaw Group plc - A global company with core skills in measurement, motion control, spectroscopy and precision machining, Renishaw helps its customers to improve operational performance. Achieving substantial increases in turnover and profit in 2009 and 2010, it is rapidly expanding into China. It is also supporting a competition that encourages British export innovation - offering entrepreneurs and businesses in the South West the chance to win a £50,000 prize fund of money, advice and professional services to help launch a new innovative idea, product or service business internationally.

•    EMIS Group plc - Named ‘Healthcare Technology Group of the Year’ at the Health Investor Awards 2011 for its launch of EMIS Web and the creation of Healthcare Gateway, EMIS has achieved an impressive growth in profit and revenue while improving patient care and NHS efficiency.

•    Fidessa Group plc - A leading supplier of multi-asset trading, portfolio analysis, decision support, compliance, market data and connectivity solutions for firms trading in the world’s financial markets, Fidessa group makes it easier to buy, sell and own financial assets of all types on a global basis. It's been a strong year for the company, not only winning a raft of financial awards but achieving a 10% rise in revenue with no debt and a 28% rise in pre-tax profit. Future growth is supported by over 100 new clients across regions and sectors, and increased market share across a range of metrics.

•    Hargreaves Services plc - The UK's leading energy support services provider, Hargreaves Services has boosted its own organic growth through some major acquisitions in 2010. Underlying profit before tax for the year increased by an impressive 20.1% - despite a drop in revenue due to falling commodity prices.

•    Cineworld Group plc - The number one cinema operator in the UK for 2010 with a box office market share of 26.2% (according to Rentrak/EDI), Cineworld Group’s box office rose by 4.1% and screen advertising revenues grew by almost 21%. Laying the foundations for future growth, it has converted over 50% of its estate to digital projectors and rolled out a new site at the O2.
4.        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.
5.        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
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