Curious Universe was awarded Business of the Year for SMEs in the prestigious Lloyds Bank British Business Excellence Awards.

Photo: Steve Pope

Arts, crafts, books and toy company Curious Universe fought off stiff national competition to be awarded Business of the Year in the Small to Medium Sized category in the UK at the awards ceremony hosted by Sir Trevor McDonald and sponsored by Lloyds Bank.

Celebrating the contribution of SMEs to the UK economy, this award recognises business that have maintained consistent growth and strong financial performance, understands its customer, has an engaged workforce with effective leadership, demonstrates effective use of technology and digital media to engage with its stakeholders (customers, employees, etc.) and is continually innovating to support future growth.

The Lloyds Bank British Business Excellence Awards is the UK’s most prestigious awards programme celebrating the innovation, success, and resilience of British business. From entrepreneurs, Micro, SMEs and Mid-Market, right up to FTSE 100, this established awards programme covers all businesses across the UK. The ceremony was held at London’s Grosvenor House on 8th November.

Already the recipient of multiple accolades this year including being listed in the Sunday Times 100 in recognition of the company’s significant achievement and growth, plus winners of the Bath Business Awards SME of the year, Curious Universe was up against 12 national finalists to win the coveted title.

“This award is recognition of the great work that everyone in the company puts in,” commented John Styring, Founder and CEO of Curious Universe. “To come out on top against such a high quality field is a massive endorsement from the judges for what we have achieved so far in our relatively short life. Everyone in the company works their socks off to create great products to give enjoyment and pleasure to the end consumer. It’s been a tough few years for everyone in the country with lots of uncertainty so it has been great to have flourished during this time. With tough times ahead, we are pleased to have a strong business plan and great products and continue to provide an exciting and vibrant workplace to nurture creativity.”

John Styring recently spoke to Toy World’s Sam Giltrow about the company’s success and its plans to increase its presence in the toy arena. You can read the article in November’s issue here.