Bed and mattress retailer Land of Beds has been crowned Retail Family Business of the Year at the national Family Business of the Year Awards 2017.
Land of Beds took the top national retail prize at London’s luxurious May Fair Hotel on a night that celebrated the best of British family business.
The winners, whose Cheshire showrooms in Frodsham and Helsby stock 80 different types of mattresses crafted by Britain’s top manufacturers, overcame UK-wide competition in their sector.
Praising the “progressive family firm that impressed at many levels,” the panel of expert judges from the world of business – advised by family business representatives – declared Land of Beds “worthy winners of this national accolade”.
Impressed by their entrepreneurial insight and the way that family members have been instrumental in devising and implementing the strategic plan for the business, the judges added: “Rather than rely on the past and their family heritage, Land of Beds has evolved significantly since the early days and embraced new ways of doing business, as it has now become a multi-channel retailer.”
Major investment and growth in recent years has seen the small, independent business emerge as a major national retailer – selling 1000 mattresses every month UK-wide.
Founded in 1974, Land of Beds has been highly commended three times in the past five years at the National Bed Federation’s Bed Industry Awards and won a prestigious High Sheriff Business Award for Enterprise in 2016 – cementing its status as Britain’s leading independent bed retailer and reputation for all-round retail excellence.
The Retail Family Business of the Year 2017 accolade comes after the company opened a new distribution centre in Runcorn; moved to new headquarters in Frodsham; and launched its brand-new e-commerce site – built entirely in-house - in the past 12 months.
“On behalf of our Family Director Team and all our colleagues at Land of Beds, we would like to thank all the Family Business United judges,” says Mike Murray, MD, who also paid tribute to the hard work and tenacity of all the awards finalists.
“Our business has been passed down through three generations and we are thrilled that our granddad and founder, Harry Murray, can see today just how far we have come on our journey to become Britain’s best family retailer – one that has invested in nationally accredited training to ensure that all of our staff are able to provide advice on sleep and wellbeing, as well as helping customers to make informed choices through their specialist product knowledge.”
The Family Business of the Year Awards are organised by Family Business United – the award-winning magazine and resource centre that champions and celebrates the family business sector.
Paul Andrews, MD and Editor-in-Chief at Family Business United, says: “We were delighted to pull together such a vibrant bunch of family businesses for the 2017 awards – some that have succeeded for numerous generations and continue to thrive, and others that are relatively young, but have great values at the heart of what they do. Open to family firms of all generations, sizes and sectors, these awards recognise some outstanding family firms and really help to put family businesses on the map.”
