Henderson Retail, one of Northern Ireland’s largest private sector companies, lifted the top award at the inaugural NIE Networks Business Eye Family Business Awards in association with Harbinson Mulholland.
Aimed at Northern Ireland’s vital family-owned business sector, the event took place at the Culloden Estate & Spa in front of an audience of more than 400 guests.
Henderson was named Family Business Of The Year at the new awards, where the list of winners reflects the strength and depth of a sector which accounts for some 330,000 jobs in Northern Ireland.
The company also won the large business section of the Retail Business of the Year Award with Menarys taking the small/medium-sized award.
Belfast-based IT services firm Nimbus lifted the Service Sector Excellence Award while the CSR Award went to prolific charity supporters and local house builders Hagan Homes.
The award for Emerging Family Business of the Year went to Portadown-based craft beer producers McCracken’s Brewery, whilst the Hospitality & Tourism category was won by fast-expanding coffee and food chain Bob & Berts.
In the key Employer of the Year category, the two winners were design agency Whitenoise and the McKeever Hotel Group, owners of properties including the Dunadry Hotel & Gardens and Corrs Corner Hotel.
The Manufacturing Excellence Award, meanwhile, went to Kilkeel’s Copes Technologies in the SME division and to Edge Innovate, based in Dungannon, among the larger companies.
“We’ve felt for some time that there was space, and demand, for dedicated awards aimed at the family business sector here in Northern Ireland and we’re delighted to have been able to launch this new set of awards,” said Brenda Buckley of Business Eye, the company behind the annual AIB Business Eye Awards which take place in November.
“But we were particularly pleased to see a really big, high quality entry for the first year of the awards and to be able to welcome more than 400 guests to the Culloden for a memorable evening celebrating the very best of family business here.”
