Over 200 local business people gathered for the Merton Best Business Awards at the prestigious All England Tennis Club.
Merton College sponsored the Best Hospitality Business which was a public vote category.
Kathryn Elliot, Head of Business Development at STCG, commented, " The standard of entrants was extremely high. The borough’s hospitality venues did a fantastic job throughout the pandemic in really difficult circumstances. However, the deserved winner was Vintage Fish in Wimbledon who really went above and beyond for their customers, continuously providing an excellent service."
The sold-out event was a wonderful opportunity for the Merton business community to get together and let their hair down, as MOBO-award winning artist and entrepreneur, Rachel Kerr, handed awards to the winners in categories such as Team Spirit, The Extra Mile and Kindness in the Community.
The MBBAs were redesigned for 2021 to recognise the challenges faced by businesses during the pandemic. A range of new categories and an easier application process attracted the highest ever number of applications in the Awards’ nine-year history – testament to the resilience and determination of Merton’s businesses in the face of such difficult operating conditions.
It was a great night for Wimbledon’s healthy eating haven, Lu-Ma Café, who came away with category awards for ‘Star of the Year’ and ‘In the Face of Adversity’, and were crowned Overall Winner. The judges were impressed by their ability to adapt their business to cope with the pandemic as well as introducing support for mental health and wellbeing.
Wimbledon Bookfest took home the ‘Arts & Culture’ award, the ‘Climate Action’ award went to Cullens Clearances for taking steps during the pandemic to reduce their carbon footprint. The Dons Local Action Group won both the ‘Breakthrough Charity’ award and the ‘Kindness in the Community’ award for their exceptional work during the pandemic.
Diana Sterck, CEO of Merton Chamber of Commerce and the organiser of the Merton Best Business Awards, commented, “It was touch-and-go as to whether we’d be able to celebrate in person this year, but we were delighted to host such a wonderful evening for our local businesses. Many congratulations to all the winners and to everyone that made it to the finals; and huge thanks to our sponsors and partners for their support.”
For the full list of runners-up and winners, visit mertonbestbusiness.co.uk.
