West London Business Awards Winners Brochure

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WELCOME The West London Business Awards are now in their

I would like to thank my fellow judges for generously giving of their time

fourth year and are firmly established as a key

and expertise; the sponsors, without whom these Awards could not happen;

milestone in West London’s business calendar.

and all the applicants, whether they were successful or not on this

The Awards has grown further this year with more

occasion. Thanks also to Clarence Bretz, Ryan Smith and Christa Vlaanderen

sponsors, more entries and more gala dinner guests

at WLB, as well as Ross Sturley and George Crozier for their support.

than ever before. Most exciting of all, this year the Awards arrive at Wembley Stadium and we have Konnie Huq as our host.

Whilst the political context in which we do business presents some uncertainty for the UK, the West London fundamentals of the Government backing expansion at Heathrow, HS2 arriving at Old Oak Common

With a robust new online system through which to submit entries, the

in 2026 and developments progressing at Earls Court, The Old Vinyl

quality of the applications has further improved this year. These 2017

Factory, the Southall Gasworks, Wembley, Brent Cross and White City

Awards once again demonstrate what great businesses - of all sizes

all mean West London remains very much open for business!

and across all sectors - we have in West London - the UK’s second largest economic powerhouse. This 2017 Winners e-brochure guides you

Congratulations to everyone involved in the 2017 West London Business Awards.

through who were announced as winners, or were Highly Commended, in each category at the gala dinner on Thursday 2 February 2017.

The brochure is structured, like the Awards programme around three

ANDREW DAKERS CEO, West London Business

themes of: Sector Leaders (p8); Sustainable & Responsible Business (p23); and Economic Growth (p30). Turn to page 36 to find out more about The Polish Bakery, West London Company of the Year 2017.

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THE SHORTLIST SECTOR LEADERS Aviation Business of the Year • En Route International Ltd • Parker Cars Business Services Company of the Year • Alexanders Removals and Storage Ltd. • Beond • Locata • Maternitybuyer.com • OryxAlign Creative and Media Business of the Year • AdCreative • Boxed Out PR • Insightful Images • Kimpton Creative • Maternitybuyer.com • Rough House Media • Stephen Johnson Photography Finance Business of the Year • Handelsbanken • Smart Pension - AutoEnrolment.co.uk Food and Drink Business of the Year • Chika’s Foods • Kolak Snack Foods • The Polish Bakery Franchise of the Year • Appt corp t/a McDonalds • Recognition Express Hospitality Business of the Year • Clayton Hotel Chiswick • Holiday Inn Brentford • Westfield London Logistics Business of the Year • Alexanders Removals and Storage Ltd. • Palletline • Parcelly

Manufacturing and Engineering Business of the Year • Alter London • Chargebox • Everglade Windows • Peter Brett Associates Property and Construction Business of the Year • Peter Brett Associates • Vail Williams • Wilkinson Construction Consultants Retail Business of the Year • Dreams Limited • Parcelly • Westfield Technology Business of the Year • Chargebox • OryxAlign • Parcelly • Timeline Television • Wazoku

SUSTAINABLE AND RESPONSIBLE BUSINESS Responsible Workplace Award • Copthorne Chelsea • Hammersmith & Fulham Council • JGA Group • Magenta Security Services • Westfield Apprentice of the Year • Alexandria Achilleos - Employer: Aqua Restaurant Group Training provider: West London’s College • Jubril Enyoisi - Employer: JGA Group as Workplace mentor Training provider: The JGA Group • Sinead Fletcher-White - Employer: Colham Manor Primary School Training provider: Uxbridge College • Alex Hubbard - Employer: One Care IT Training provider: Uxbridge College • Louie Maggioni - Employer: James J. Hutchinson Building Solutions Training provider: West London’s College • Sukvinder Mahey - Employer: Accendo Pharma Training provider: The JGA Group

Community Investment Award • A Slice of Nice Cake Co • Appt corp t/a McDonalds • Octink • SEGRO • Shepherds Bush Housing Group • Westfield Green Business of the Year • BRITA Vivreau • Kolak Snack Foods • Westfield Responsible Supply Chain Award • BRITA Vivreau • Lofbergs • Parcelly

ECONOMIC GROWTH Productivity and Innovation in Business Award • Knowall IT • Locata Coworking Space of the Year • Co Work Hub • Dephna • The Food Foundry Export/International Business of the Year • Chargebox • Durbin SME of the Year • Alexanders Removals and Storage Ltd • Chargebox • Everglade Windows • Parcelly • vdoc Park Royal Business of the Year • Co Work Hub • Dephna • Kolak Snack Foods • The Polish Bakery • Wazoku

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segro.com

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@SEGROplc

3 to 8 years old toucanBox enables parents and children, aged between 3 and 8, to spend quality time together doing creative things – all delivered in a personalised box.

Founded four years ago, the business has trebled in size every year and so making the right call on choosing a property partner was critical. They wanted to find a partner who could continue to help them grow by having a big enough portfolio to do so. toucanBox found us and we found them a 20,130 sq ft warehouse on our Heathrow Estate. Room enough for them to fulfil, prepare and assemble their delightful boxes. For now!

When brilliant businesses find outstanding spaces, extraordinary things happen.

THE JUDGES

ANDREW DAKERS West London Business CEO

ANDREW WARD Brunel University London Director of Corporate Relations

ASH VERMA Gateaway Asia Chairman

DAN GASCOYNE West London Alliance Director

CHRIS MAW PwC Senior Partner

IAN MCDONALD Strategic Planning Advice Ltd Managing Director

JANE MILTON Jane Milton Ltd Food Industry Expert

JONATHAN SEYMOUR Kingston Smith LLP Partner

JOYCE MACFARLANE JCC Selfsense Limited Director

LALJI VEKARIA Saloria Architects Director

LANCE HAYWARD The Hayward Partnership Managing Director

LORI HOINKES Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation Park Royal Business Manager

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THE JUDGES

LORRAINE COLLINS Uxbridge College Executive Director, Enterprise & Development

ROBERT MOORE Bright Grahame Murray Partner

MARK COOKSON Westfield London Assistant General Manager

MIKE LANGAN Hillingdon Chamber of Commerce Chairman

SEBASTIAN STEINHAUSER

Parcelly Ltd CEO

NEIL IMPIAZZI Segro Partnership Development Manager

STEPHEN FRY Hounslow Chamber of Commerce CEO

NGHIA TRAN Department for International Trade International Business Adviser

STEVEN BOOTH IBB Solicitors Senior Partner

RIKIN LAKHANI Kolak Snack Foods Ltd UK Managing Director

YVONNE OGOREK West London’s College Principal

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SECTOR LEADERS

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Sector leaders

AVIATION BUSINESS OF THE YEAR

WINNER

EN ROUTE INTERNATIONAL En Route started 15 years ago in a garden shed in Datchet, when Alison Lessmann began importing German breads into the UK to sell to airlines. It is now one of the fastest growing companies in the airline catering sector, with a workforce of 80 based on four continents.

JUDGES’ COMMENT: Judges were impressed by the company’s “laser focus on the airline industry” and especially liked the smart app they’ve created for air crews to order food.

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Sector leaders

BUSINESS SERVICES COMPANY OF THE YEAR

WINNER

ALEXANDERS REMOVALS AND STORAGE Based in Acton, Alexanders help both commercial and residential customers to move and store their possessions, becoming an industry leader in school removals and helping high profile clients such as Robbie Williams and the Labour Party.

JUDGES’ COMMENT: Judges were impressed by the company’s clear strategy, real innovation in problem solving and turnover growing at 22 per cent a year.

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Sector leaders

CREATIVE AND MEDIA BUSINESS OF THE YEAR

WINNER

MATERNITY BUYER After her boutique in Ealing selling maternity and baby products was destroyed in the 2011 riots Liz Pilgrim set herself to developing the essential online resource for the maternity industry.

JUDGES’ COMMENT: The judges were excited by Liz’s creativity, the platform’s impressive early growth and the huge potential for expansion.

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Sector leaders

FINANCE BUSINESS OF THE YEAR

WINNER

HANDELSBANKEN Founded in 1871 in Sweden, Handelsbanken opened its first West London branch in Chiswick in 2010 and six more have followed since.

JUDGES’ COMMENT: The judges said: “Everything about Handelsbanken talks strategic and sustainable. The business modelling is forecast driven, branch opening is customer driven, products and services are all customer needs focused.”

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Sector leaders

FOOD AND DRINK BUSINESS OF THE YEAR

WINNER HIGHLY COMMENDED THE POLISH BAKERY Founded in 2003 the Polish Bakery began by supplying Eastern Europeans in London through independent stores, before going nationwide, and now supplying Asda, Waitrose, Tesco and Sainsbury.

JUDGES’ COMMENT: The judges concluded “This is a strong growing company who continue to impress.”

CHIKA’S FOODS

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Sector leaders

FRANCHISE OF THE YEAR

WINNER HIGHLY COMMENDED APPT CORPORATION TRADING AS MCDONALD’S Based in Hanwell, Appt Corporation has grown from running a single restaurant in 2003 to being the biggest McDonald’s franchisee in the UK, with 29 outlets concentrated in north-west London and five of them new in 2016.

JUDGES’ COMMENT: The judges praised their strong focus on staff education and training and extensive community engagement, which includes litter patrols, support

RECOGNITION EXPRESS

for local football teams and funding accommodation so sick children in hospital can have their parents nearby.

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Sector leaders

HOSPITALITY BUSINESS OF THE YEAR

WINNER

WESTFIELD LONDON DESTINATION FOOD January and February are traditionally quiet months for the catering trade. Not at Westfield - where an immersive food experience event celebrated the joy of eating and boosted footfall across the centre.

JUDGES’ COMMENT: The judges praised the campaign for its ‘out of the box’ thinking and effective measurement of the results, which showed a mouth-watering increase in food sales of all kinds.

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Sector leaders

LOGISTICS BUSINESS OF THE YEAR

WINNER HIGHLY COMMENDED ALEXANDERS REMOVALS AND STORAGE Based in Acton, Alexanders help both commercial and residential customers to move and store their possessions, becoming an industry leader in school removals and helping high profile clients such as Robbie Williams and the Labour Party.

JUDGES’ COMMENT: The judges were impressed by their steady growth and profit margins of three times the industry

PARCELLY

average, as well as by some glowing customer testimonials.

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Sector leaders

MANUFACTURING & ENGINEERING BUSINESS OF THE YEAR

WINNER HIGHLY COMMENDED CHARGEBOX Founded in 2005 to solve the emerging problem of securely charging mobile phones and other personal devices in public spaces, ChargeBox has grown to become world leader in its sector. They delivered the first free-to-use charging service at Westfields London and Stratford centres during the 2012 Olympics, and all of the top 10 shopping centres in the UK are now customers.

EVERGLADE WINDOWS

JUDGES’ COMMENT: Their ‘Wall of Love’ on social media stole the judges’ hearts!

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Sector leaders

PROPERTY & CONSTRUCTION BUSINESS OF THE YEAR

WINNER

WILKINSON CONSTRUCTION CONSULTANTS Want to convert a seven floor church tower designed by Sir Christopher Wren? Or build a house shaped like a grand piano? These are just two of the innovative projects Wilkinson have been called in to advise on.

JUDGES’ COMMENT: The judges concluded this was “An excellent entry with detailed evidence of high performance in all four of the judging criteria, clear objectives, creativity, customer delight and rapid growth.”

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Sector leaders

RETAIL BUSINESS OF THE YEAR

WINNER

DREAMS Everyone loves a comeback kid. Dreams came out of the nightmare of administration with a new top team in 2012 and haven’t looked back since. Like for like sales rose 24% in 2016 alone.

JUDGES’ COMMENT: The judges loved their innovative app for sleeping patterns as well as new brands and canny marketing - like the ‘Replace Every 8’ campaign - which have helped the bed and mattress retailer consistently beat targets.

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Sector leaders

TECHNOLOGY BUSINESS OF THE YEAR

WINNER

CHARGEBOX ChargeBox is the first service of its kind to charge over 6 million devices per annum. They don’t just operate in shopping centres - you’ll find ChargeBoxes in hospitals, universities, corporate HQs as well as airports on three continents.

JUDGES’ COMMENT: Judges were particularly impressed by their broad support from investors: ChargeBox has just crowdfunded £500,000 of growth capital to propel them to the next level of success.

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Proud to have won

Airport of the Year at the National Transport Awards for Terminal 2 : The Queen’s Terminal

Best airport in western Europe World’s best airport for shopping World’s best airport terminal for Terminal 5

SUSTAINABLE AND RESPONSIBLE BUSINESS

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Sustainable and responsible business

RESPONSIBLE WORKPLACE BUSINESS OF THE YEAR

WINNER

THE JGA GROUP JGA train, set up apprenticeships and provide career management support from their base in Eastcote.

When it comes to being an ethical employer JGA go the extra mile, sponsoring staff at all levels for training and development. The firm works hard to hire a diverse workforce, including recruiting people from the Welfare to Work programmes it delivers.

JUDGES’ COMMENT: The judges praised their “Impressive growth rates” and “Outstanding approach to driving a diverse and inclusive workplace.”

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Sustainable and responsible business

APPRENTICE OF THE YEAR

WINNER HIGHLY COMMENDED ALEX HUBBARD ONE CARE IT & UXBRIDGE COLLEGE Alex spotted the apprenticeship opportunity with One Care IT while working at a burger bar.

He learned fast in the role and was soon visiting customer sites independently as well as finding new customers for the firm.

JUDGES’ COMMENT: The judges were struck by how his employer praised Alex’s ability to grasp complex issues, his commitment to developing his personal skills and his ability to take feedback on board and act upon it. That’s why they’ve now put him on a permanent contract.

JUBRIL ENYOISI The JGA Group LOUIE MAGGIONI Ealing, Hammersmith & West London’s College SINEAD FLETCHER-WHITE Colham Manor Primary School & Uxbridge College SUKVINDER MAHEY The JGA Group ALEXANDRIA ACHILLEOS Ealing, Hammersmith & West London’s College 25

Sustainable and responsible business

COMMUNITY INVESTMENT BUSINESS OF THE YEAR

WINNER HIGHLY COMMENDED SHEPHERDS BUSH HOUSING GROUP You’d expect a housing provider to support their local community but Shepherds Bush Housing Group set the bar much higher. Their ‘Best Chance’ team works with local employers to help people into jobs - more than 1,600 since 2010.

JUDGES’ COMMENT: The judges were impressed by their assessment that each pound invested in Best Chance returns more than four times that amount of economic benefit.

Then there’s the space they give to art groups, food banks, a respite care charity, an affordable nursery…

The list goes on and on!

OCTINK

A SLICE OF NICE CAKE CO

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Sustainable and responsible business

GREEN BUSINESS OF THE YEAR

WINNER HIGHLY COMMENDED BRITA VIVREAU Based in Uxbridge, BRITA Vivreau develop technologically advanced drinking water systems.

From humble beginnings in a small Indian restaurant here in Wembley, these systems are now used in pubs, hotels, offices, restaurants of all kinds and wait for it - the White House!

JUDGES’ COMMENT: The judges were particularly struck by how their

KOLAK SNACK FOODS

Table Water Bottling System lets you serve still or sparkling, freshly filtered chilled water in reusable glass bottles, doing away with any need for disposable ones.

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Sustainable and responsible business

RESPONSIBLE SUPPLY CHAIN BUSINESS OF THE YEAR

WINNER HIGHLY COMMENDED BRITA VIVREAU Uxbridge-based Brita Vivreau’s second award recognises the company’s commitment to reducing the carbon footprint of its whole supply chain.

JUDGES’ COMMENT: The judges were impressed by solutions such as the ‘LinkLine’ system to supply water throughout large buildings without waste, and the ‘Foot Soldiers’ initiative which encourages the firm’s engineers to

LOFBERGS

travel by public transport. They were also struck by Brita Vivreau’s glowing testimonials from their customers.

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We’re working on the most exciting development in London Old Oak and Park Royal, west London • where High Speed 2 (HS2) will meet Crossrail in 2026 • this area will become a thriving new district where people will aspire to live, work and play in • a destination where people will return to visit, time and time again

Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation (OPDC) Established by the Mayor of London in April 2015 to oversee the delivery of 25,500 new homes and 65,000 new jobs for London by: • capitalising on the investment and potential of HS2 and Crossrail • transforming and developing Old Oak • strengthening and regenerating Park Royal • protecting and sensitively improving Wormwood Scrubs

Stay in touch and find out more Sign up to our newsletter london.gov.uk/opdc-signup @OldOakParkRoyal

facebook.com/OldOakParkRoyal

london.gov.uk/opdc

ECONOMIC GROWTH

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Economic growth

PRODUCTIVITY & INNOVATION IN BUSINESS AWARD

WINNER

LOCATA Owned by five West London local authorities and three large social landlords Locata uses technology to match those in housing need with appropriate social homes. Following feedback they completely re-engineered their product set in 2016, bundling 45 systems into four coherent product sets.

JUDGES’ COMMENT: The judges said Locata stood out for the way customers and suppliers integrated at the heart of their work. They also said it was great to see the work the firm has done on mobile apps.

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Economic growth

COWORKING SPACE OF THE YEAR

WINNER HIGHLY COMMENDED DEPHNA With a client base of more than 400 caterers, the pie charts tell us that Dephna have cooked up some tasty growth in the last 10 years, expanding to 11 buildings in West London and becoming the largest provider of serviced kitchens and coldrooms in the UK. JUDGES’ COMMENT: Dephna are now planning to spice things up by putting

CO WORK HUB

a retail element into their North Acton premises so customers can buy food direct from artisan caterers.

Judges praised their “convincing can-do approach” that is enabling a new generation of businesses to grow in a sector vital to West London’s future.

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Economic growth

EXPORT/INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS OF THE YEAR

WINNER

DURBIN Durbin is one of the world’s leading medical suppliers, distributing pharmaceuticals and equipment to healthcare workers in more than 180 countries.

Durbin recently started supplying emergency lighting products too. Their profit is up five-fold in three years. Currently based in South Harrow, they’re planning a new, larger HQ near to Heathrow.

JUDGES’ COMMENT: The judges praised the “clear, demonstrable, concise information” they provided - “Superb evidence, amazing turnover and profitability.”

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Economic growth

SME OF THE YEAR

WINNER

VDOC Thanks to vDoc, businesses can let their employees consult a GP without leaving the office, using a high tech video conferencing system. Since the launch in January last year the company has met all its KPIs and has a 100 per cent record of converting sales leads to customers. They’re already providing healthcare services to more than 10,000 employees.

JUDGES’ COMMENT: The judges said: “This is a highly innovative approach to a traditional industry.” It’s “a great idea that appeals to employers and employees alike and will help make West London’s economy more productive.”

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Economic growth

PARK ROYAL BUSINESS COMPANY OF THE YEAR

WINNER HIGHLY COMMENDED THE POLISH BAKERY The Polish Bakery are no strangers to prize-winning, taking top prize in the 2016 World Bread Awards for their Spirulina and Pumpkin Seed Bread. They’ve moved three times already in their short history as they’ve increased production capacity, but each time staying within Park Royal.

JUDGES’ COMMENT:

CO WORK HUB

The judges praised their clarity of strategy, innovation and strong business performance. Latest turnover and profit are both up more than 30% year on year.

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WEST LONDON

COMPANY OF THE YEAR 2017

OVERALL WINNER THE POLISH BAKERY Since being established 14 years ago the Polish Bakery has gone from strength to strength, now supplying four major supermarket chains and they’ve just opened a new gluten free bakery.

JUDGES’ COMMENT: The Polish Bakery’s multiple awards this year are a reflection of how and why they have expanded well beyond the London Polish community to go UK wide and to get rave reviews from the many non-Poles who have discovered them too. Combining traditional methods with modern production and marketing has proved a recipe for success.

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www.westlondon.com/awards/ Š West London Business. Designed by Shelley Dobson @ www.lofteast.co.uk