Lancashire businesses set to be unveiled as champions in BIBAs this Friday

The Be Inspired Business Awards, The BIBAs, will hand out its iconic trophies in front of a sell-out audience at the Blackpool Tower on Friday night.

Professor Chris Pyke, executive dean of the Lancashire School of Business and Enterprise at the University of Central Lancashire said the event would be an opportunity to celebrate the achievements of the county’s business community which has battled through the past 18 months of the COVID-19 pandemic.

UCLan is sponsoring the Most Resilient Business of the Year at this year’s awards, one of the 19 categories to be presented.

Professor Sue Smith, director of the Centre for SME Development at UCLan said: “Throughout the application and interview process, we have heard so many inspiring stories of how businesses have innovated their way through the toughest period many of us can remember.

“To simply be in business after the past 18 months is a huge achievement and to be a finalist at a prestigious awards like The BIBAs is thoroughly well deserved.

“I cannot wait to be able to recognise these achievements at the awards’ ceremony night which promise to be the celebration Lancashire deserves.”

The awards will welcome over 1,000 guests to the Tower Ballroom with organisers insisting all attendees will have to show a negative COVID-19 to gain entry.

A testing station will be available on the night but guests have been warned to expect a delay of up to 30 minutes to wait for the test result.

The finalists include North West supermarket chain Booths which is one of eight businesses in the running for the BIBAs’ Business of the Year Award, along with Burnley-based Panaz, Blackpool haulage firm Fox Brothers and Connect 2 Cleanrooms based in Lancaster.

Each winner will receive a £2,000 cash prize taken from the profits generated by the awards.

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