Merton Business Awards 2011 launched for 'forgotten borough for business'

The Merton Business Awards 2011 has been opened for entries, with the support of Merton Council and Merton Chamber of Commerce, after the last year’s inaugural competition held at The All England Club, Wimbledon, was hailed as a success.

Diana Sterck, chief executive of Merton Chamber of Commerce, said: “It’s about celebrating and showcasing the talent in Merton businesses.

“Merton is quite often ‘the forgotten borough’ in south London.

"There is a tremendous amount of great business but it doesn’t often get a great profile, but that is what these awards are all about.”

South London Business’ chief executive, Peter Pledger, said: “These awards provide a vehicle for businesses to promote themselves and to stimulate the economy across the borough of Merton.

“Last year we took a risk in launching the awards – some people said it couldn’t be done- but on the night there were 280 businessmen and women at the All England Lawn Tennis Club for the awards ceremony and hundreds of entries, which created a real buzz in the Merton Business community even during a time of recession. Let’s do this even better in 2011.”

D Leader of Merton Council, Councillor Stephen Alambritis, said it was his ambition to make Merton “one of the most business-oriented boroughs in the country”.

He said: “The fantastic thing about awards is that they make business look at themselves and realise what they have achieved; they involve the whole organisation in the entry which is very motivating.

"The businesses are all winners on the night.”

The awards are open to all businesses based in Merton and recognise forward-looking and innovative forms, as well as individuals who have shown commitment and determination to drive their business forward.

Full details of how to enter the awards are available at mertonbusinessawards.co.uk.

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