The Bed Industry Awards – honouring the brightest and best enterprises in the bed market – are back for 2021, and the National Bed Federation (NBF) is seeking entrants from its members and supporting retailers.
Following a year like no other and an NBF first with an alternative online ceremony in November 2020, the Bed Industry Awards are back to showcase the best in inspiration, design and innovation from bed manufacturers, suppliers and retailers. The awards are free to enter, and all entries are submitted online.
“Our Bed Industry Awards are an integral part of the Bed Show and this year we’ve shaken the categories up to give them a new dimension,” says Jessica Alexander, executive director of the NBF. “We’re keen to champion the retailers who proudly stock NBF member brands, by recognising their efforts with our new Retail Champion award, and with the promotion of greener manufacturing high on our agenda, we recognise those businesses who are really contributing to this by bringing back our member Sustainability Award.
“Competition is tough at the moment following a challenging year, 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.”
The organiser is hopeful the awards will be presented at the NBF Bed Show Gala Dinner on Tuesday 21st September at Telford International Centre. Further information will be released in due course.
This year, the awards for NBF manufacturers and suppliers exhibiting at the show are Bed Product of the Year (now including mattresses, headboards, frames and sofabeds), and the Component Product of the Year, awarded to the most innovative component product or machine used in manufacturing a finished product.
Returning for its second year, the Sustainability Award shines a spotlight on NBF members which have done anything from implementing a sustainable development programme to making a real difference to the environment in their everyday business. Manufacturers and suppliers do not need to be exhibitors to enter this award. From the entrants, a shortlist of finalists will be published, and judging by an independent panel for the two product awards will take place on the afternoon of Monday 20th September before the show opens for business.
The independent judging panel for the Bed Product and Component Product Awards are: Steve Adams, MD, Mattress Online; Jerry Cheshire, owner, Surrey Beds; Paul Farley, editor-in-chief, Furniture News; and Sue Davies, owner of Sue Davies Design Solutions.
The retailer awards have seen a shake-up, with special recognition for independents with fewer than 15 stores in the NBF Retail Champions Award. The new award is built upon the NBF’s Retail Champions Scheme, which supports businesses whose product offer is at least 50% NBF-approved brands (Retail Champions) and 100% NBF-approved brands (Premier Retail Champions). The final categories are the National Retailer of the Year for businesses with 15 stores or more, and the Online Retailer of the Year, where at least 80% of the sales are via the internet. Entrants will be judged by an independent panel and a shortlist will be published before the gala dinner.
The judges for the retailer awards are: Richard de Melim, The Furnishing Report; Andrew Kidd, Interiors Monthly; and Bernard Eaton, Greenwood Retail.
More details on the 2021 awards, including how to enter and the judges for this year, are available on the Bed Show website.
