Express & Star

Express & Star Business Awards: Furniture repairer celebrates double success

Brierley Hill's Homeserve Furniture Repairs took home two of the top awards as the Express & Star Business Awards came back in style.

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The company, which is in the process of moving to new bigger premises on Waterfront Business Park, took home the Business of the Year trophy, sponsored by the Express & Star itself, with editor Martin Wright making the presentation at Wolverhampton Racecourse at Dunstall Park, following a three-course dinner attended by more than 300 guests on Thursday night

Founder James Lane was also named as Business Person of the Year in the category sponsored by Oldbury-based Richardson.

John Bowater and James Lane from Homeserve which won Business of the Year
Guests at the Express & Star's Business Awards 2022 at Wolverhampton Racecourse
Homeserve win Business of the Year

The black-tie event – one of the main social events for the business community in the Black Country, Staffordshire and north Worcestershire – was held for the first time since 2019, when Homeserve Furniture Repairs also did an awards double of small or medium-sized business of the year and best use of technology.

Burntwood packaging firm Lesters also took home two 2022 awards, winning the Manufacturing Champion and Small-to-Medium Sized Business of the Year categories.

GMS Security Services, based at Tividale, landed the new Best Marketing Campaign award and GMS employee Megan Winup was the winner of Apprentice of the Year.

Apprentice of the Year Megan Winup from GMS Security was handed her award by Neil Thomas from Black Country and the Marches
Host Aaron James
Some of the winners celebrate at the end of the night

The Young Business of the Year accolade went to USP Steels in Kingswinford, with the Growth and Innovation Award taken home by the Little Dessert Shop chain, which has its head office in Wolverhampton.

Family Business of the Year was tube manipulation specialists Formbend, based in Great Bridge and formed in 1966.

There was a huge number of entries for the 2022 awards – almost double that of 2019. Judging took place during May after the finalists in the nine categories were announced.

James and Sarah Lane from Homeserve celebrate
James Hateley from Formbend celebrates his win
Lesters celebrate

Mr Wright said the awards, which recognise innovation and success, were a welcome chance to celebrate after what had been "an unprecedented and incredibly challenging period for the business community in the region.

He said that the standard of entries in 2022 had been particularly high, which gave the judges from the sponsors and the Midland News Association a tough task in determining the winners.

"All of our finalists should be proud to have made it this far and I know that our winners are all very worthy," he said.

USP Steels win Young Business of the Year
Little Dessert Shop win the Growth and Innovation award
GMS Security win Best Marketing Campaign

Mr Wright also thanked all the sponsors that also included Carvers Building Supplies, Collins Aerospace, Homeserve Furniture Repairs, Crowe, MNA Digital, Higgs and the Black Country & Marches Institute of Technology.

Comedian Aaron James welcomed guests as the host for the awards, which were also raising funds for 21-year-old charity Promise Dreams, which helps seriously and terminally ill children and their families turn a dream into reality.

The Wolverhampton-based charity is hoping more businesses from the region will get involved in raising funds to support its work.

Wolverhampton Grand Theatre sponsored the champagne reception that opened the evening which was produced by events business Yarrington.

A special presentation of a new Express & Star award was made ahead of the awards night.

Veteran Black Country business figure Roy Richardson, aged 92, was presented with the Express & Star's first Lifetime Achievement Award during a lunch reception for the business awards sponsors.

Mr Richardson started Richardson with his late twin brother Don. The business has been involved in many major building projects including developing the giant Merry Hill shopping centre in Brierley Hill.