BIBAs finalists export £82m of goods

The North and Western Lancashire Chamber of Commerce, which organises the BIBAs, said the figure was the total amount of exports disclosed by firms in the running for its 17 prize categories.

Paul Stowers, Deputy Director at UK Trade and Investment North West, is chairman of the panel selecting the winner of the Exporter of the Year prize which visits finalists on Thursday. He said: “These figures for the exports of the BIBAs finalists are indicative of the strength of exporting in Lancashire and across the North West.

“Our statistics show that businesses which export are, on average, 34 per cent more productive, 75 per cent more innovative, undertake three times as much research and development  and are 12.5 per cent more resilient than businesses that don’t export.”

The first panel, which is selecting the E-Business of the Year, visited the seven firms shortlisted for the prize yesterday with judges for the Manufacturer of the Year visiting its finalists today.

The judges will continue to ‘tour’ businesses until July 1, when the Business of the Year panel, made up of representatives of the awards’ headline sponsor, Superfast Lancashire, will visit finalists.

Following the visits each panel will select a winner which will be unveiled at the BIBAs’ prize-giving ceremony in September. Babs Murphy, chief executive of awards organisers said the identities of the winners would remain a closely-guarded secret.

She said: “When our panels have picked the winners it will bring to an end a judging process the like of which Lancashire has never seen before.”