BEDS AND BEDROOM
Returning in style
Above left: Furniture Village won Large Bed Retailer of the Year (10-plus stores) in 2020 Above: Online Bed Retailer of the Year was Mattress Online
The Bed Industry Awards are back – in person The Bed Industry Awards – honouring the brightest and best companies in the bed market – will return later this year, with new categories. Renowned as a pinnacle of excellence in the trade, the Bed Industry Awards showcase the very best in inspiration, design and innovation from bed retailers, manufacturers and suppliers. ‘Our Bed Industry Awards are an integral part of the Bed Show and the Gala Dinner and, after such a difficult year for everyone, we are as confident as we can be that we’ll be able to celebrate with the winners in person rather than virtually as we did last year,’ says Jessica Alexander, NBF executive director. ‘The awards are well respected because we keep our judging panel
independent. We actively seek judges who are credible, bring industry knowledge and category-specific skill sets and have confidence in their decisions when assessing the entries. Competition is tough at the moment with budgets squeezed, but entering – and possibly winning – an award can help businesses to stand out in a crowded marketplace, especially for consumers who look at award wins as a trust mark.’ For retailers, there are three categories to enter. The NBF Retail Champion award is open to independent bed retailers with fewer than 15 stores who have signed up to the NBF Retail Champions scheme. National Bed Retailer of the Year is open to those with 15 or more stores,
The winner of Small Bed Retailer of the Year (1-9 stores) in 2020 was Prestige Beds
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Interiors Monthly June 2021
and at least 50% of their product offer must be from NBF members. Online Bed Retailer of the Year is open to companies where at least 80% of sales are online and at least 50% of product offer must be from NBF members. An independent panel will judge the entrants before publishing a shortlist prior to the Gala Dinner. This year there are two awards for NBF members exhibiting at the Bed Show: Bed Product of the Year and Component Product of the Year. A shortlist of finalists will be published, and judging by an independent panel will take place on the afternoon of 20 September before the show opens for business. ‘The NBF Sustainability Award is open to all NBF members and will be judged prior to the Bed Show,’ says Alexander. ‘We’re not just looking for entries from our larger members who have the resources to implement a full sustainable development programme, we also want to hear from members who may have done just one or two key things to make a difference to the environment in their everyday business. For example, this could be within product development, packaging, logistics or waste control.’ The awards are due to be presented at the Bed Show on the evening of Tuesday 21 September at the Telford International Centre. Visit: www.bedshow.co.uk/awards
