Beech Holdings shortlisted for Business of the Year

Companies involved in sectors from retailing, property and technology to manufacturing and innovation will battle it out in the 2016 M.E.N. Business of the Year awards.

More than 100 companies entered and judges spent months visiting each entrant before gathering to agree shortlists for each category.

Companies involved in sectors from retailing, property and technology to manufacturing and innovation will battle it out in the 2016 M.E.N. Business of the Year awards.

The event will take place on November 10 at Manchester’s Midland Hotel.

Executive sponsors for this year’s awards are law firm Hill Dickinson, business advisers PwC, The Manchester College and recruitment giant Robert Walters. Brand sponsors are Barclays, and Manchester Airport and Hainan Airlines. Category sponsor is Bolton School and Salford Business School.

More than 100 companies entered and judges spent months visiting each entrant before gathering to agree shortlists for each category. And now they have reached their conclusion.

For the first time this year we have a new category for turnover over £100m for businesses with a substantial operation in the region but not headquartered within the Manchester Evening News circulation area.

The finalists in this category are Sodexo , the management and catering company which supports sites across the north west including HMP Forest Bank and Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

They go up against intu Trafford Centre , one of the largest shopping centres in the UK, and MediaCom North , the media buying and planning agency which is based in a state-of-the-art Spinningfields office.

In the turnover over £100m for businesses headquartered in the region, there are three finalists.

Entering the awards for the first time is JD Sports Fashion . The Bury-headquartered retailer has been expanding both in the UK and Europe, with acquisitions in the Netherlands as well as the launch of a flagship shop on London’s Oxford Road.

The company is joined by Styles&Wood , the integrated property and project delivery specialist, which has recently appointed as one of four strategic partners by ‘one of the world’s largest’ banking and financial services organisations.

Also in this category is specialist lender Together , which recently announced that annual lending for the year topped the £1bn mark for the first time.

In the £50m-£100m category, the family-owned jam, peanut butter and condiments makerF. Duerr & Sons makes the shortlist alongside Brand Addition , the Manchester-based promotional products company, and by Alderley Edge-based Chess Telecom , which makes this shortlist once again.

In the £25m-50m category, previous Business of the Year winner UKFast has climbed up a category. The Manchester technology firm goes up against Designer Habitat , the kitchen and home decor firm from Manchester and another previous winner Easi-Drive , which also moves up a category.

Another three businesses make the shortlist in the £10m-25m category, starting with property company Beech Holdings , which has entered for the first time.

It is joined by Manchester high-end furniture retailer Housing Units and Crawford Healthcare , the listed advanced wound and skin care company based in Knutsford.

In the £5m-10m category, beauty products manufacturer Linco Care makes the shortlist, while creative company Rhino Design makes this shortlist again. The third company is Manchester-based production firm Magnafi Group .

The turnover under £5m category has three finalists, who are Financial Options Group , a firm of financial planners, Hello Soda , the big data software firm, and High Access , which provides high level cleaning and maintenance services to the commercial property sector.

The Young Business of the Year category has a trio of finalists.

They are Manchester’s online fashion retailer Want That Trend , Hotel Football , which is owned by Gary Neville and Ryan Giggs, and IntraQuest , a specialist training and counselling provider.

There will once again also be a Judge’s Choice prize, which will be announced on the night.

M.E.N. chief business reporter Shelina Begum said: “This year’s competition has seen an immensely high standard of entries and all 24 companies can be proud of being short-listed.

“We look forward to another fantastic celebration of the companies that are excelling across Greater Manchester and are grateful for all entries.”

Tickets to the awards are now on sale for businesses wishing to celebrate business success in our region.