Pet food company recognised for enterprise with top award
A WARWICKSHIRE-based home delivery pet food company has been recognised for its enterprise with a top regional award.
PetShopBowl, which sells 15,000 products, including all major food brands with a next day nationwide delivery, has been named Best Enterprise in the Lloyds TSB Enterprise Awards.
The Best Enterprise award, which carries a £5,000 prize, goes to the business considered to show the best potential for growth over the next five years. PetShopBowl was recognised due to its strong growth since starting out in a small studio apartment in London.
PetShopBowl now trades from a 7,000 ft² warehouse in Warwick, employing 10 staff and boasting 20,000 customers.
Adam Taylor, co-founder of PetShopBowl, said: “Winning the Lloyds TSB award for Best Enterprise was amazing. It’s been a great journey so far, and it’s great having someone acknowledge our great effort and success to date. We’re really looking forward to the business mentorship and specifically, how to take our business to the next level.
“We have three channels in which we’re going to invest the money. Firstly, we’re going to drive more traffic to the website; secondly, we are going to further enhance our technology offer to improve our customer service. And lastly, we will use the money to help improve our employee skills – we’re a big believer in the apprenticeship scheme and plan to open up some vacancies through that.”
The awards also recognised Leicestershire-based Asap Water Crafts as Best Start Up. It has secured a cash prize of £1,000.
Both firms will also receive a two-year mentoring package from Lloyds Banking Group, and will go on to compete with the 14 other winners from the regional heats at the grand final on April 23 at Edgbaston for the chance of greater glory and further cash prizes.
Andy Youngman, Area Director for Lloyds TSB Commercial Banking in Birmingham, said: “Seeing the calibre of businesses pitching at the regional heats yesterday has really demonstrated the wealth of entrepreneurial talent we have across the Midlands. Both Asap Water Crafts and PetShopBowl really impressed us with their business ideas as well as their commercial skills, and we awarded them the two prizes in recognition of their achievements to date.”
