June 2009
Natural healthcare manufacturer scoops prestigious award
Last night, Wimbledon-based natural healthcare manufacturer, Nelsons was named Best UK Family Business in the £25m+ turnover category of the Coutts Prize for Family Business 2008/9. The family beat off stiff competition in a category with entries from a variety of industries including: agriculture, care homes, building contractors, food wholesalers, mechanical contracting, pharmaceuticals and recruitment.
The Coutts Prize for Family Business recognises the best run family businesses in England and Wales, and is the only regional and national awards programme in England and Wales celebrating the overall best performing small, medium-sized and large family businesses.
Chairman of Nelsons, Robert Wilson, said: “Winning this prestigious award is incredibly important to us as we pride ourselves on being a family-run company, with a long heritage, that combines traditional values with a modern global outlook.
One of the keys to our success in these difficult economic times is that, as a family business, we manage our affairs with a much longer-term view. After all, we are custodians of this business for the next generation. Whilst growth is important, long-term survival of the business is paramount to us. This attitude flows through all aspects of our business.
In our factory, we have families who have been with us for three generations and the staff here work hard to develop natural healthcare products that we are all proud of. It is our firm foundations, enterprising approach and the dedication of our staff that ensure this company goes from strength to strength. ”
Jonathan Hagger, former Chief Financial Officer, Grosvenor Estate, acting Chairman of the independent evaluation committee for the £25 million+ category commented: “As a successful second generation family business, which has displayed an impressive level of growth and produced a business which will flourish regardless of the economic cycle, the things that impressed the evaluation committee about Nelsons included:
-
the incorporation of family values into the brand reputation;
-
the close link between corporate and family governance with some non-executive directors also acting as family trustees;
-
the use of a phantom share scheme to incentivise key non-family managers;
-
the pace of growth over two generations to become a market leader;
-
the emphasis placed on communication including quarterly staff meetings hosted by the Chairman; and
-
the importance of corporate and family philanthropy including the establishment of a family charitable trust, donations of homeopathic medicines and gifts of over £1,000,000 per annum.”
-Ends-
For further information, please contact Jo Ritchie on 020 8780 4200.
Editors’ notes
Founded in 1860, Nelsons is a family-owned business with a long-standing commitment to supplying high quality, natural healthcare products. Nelsons is the UK's largest manufacturer of natural healthcare products and its brands are sold all over the world – including Rescue Remedy®, Bach™ Original Flower Remedies, Nelsons Arnicare™, Nelsons Teetha™, Nelsons™ Homeopathy, Spatone™ and Nice 'n Clear™
For further information about the Coutts prize for family business, visit:
www.coutts.com/familybusiness/prize.asp
For more information on Nelsons, visit www.nelsonsnaturalworld.com
UK & Ireland 