Shaping Norfolk's Future Best New Business Award

Findafashion, which specialises in making clothing for the football supporters, scooped the best new business award, with judges saying they were “bowled over” by the firm’s enthusiasm and niche-product quality.

The company, tucked away in rural Blofield, boasts the second and third bestselling lines in Manchester United’s megastore behind the official range of club shirts and its products are also flying off the shelves at the club’s newest global outlet in Macau.

Its products incorporate clubs’ logos and badges in a subtle way and they are targeted at women and children.

Findafashion now does business with all Premiership clubs and most Championship clubs, including Norwich City and the company is in talks to foreign giants Barcelona and Juventus.

The judges in this category, which is sponsored by Shaping Norfolk’s Future, were looking for start-up companies that have been established for between one and three years that could demonstrate how they have turned good ideas into successful businesses.

They were looking in particular for innovation combined with market awareness and clear plans for future development, leading to increased turnover and growing staff numbers. 

Steve Hickey, Managing Director of Findafashion said: “Winning this award is welcome recognition for our company during what has been a very busy period for findafashion”.

“The prestigious nature of the award and the tough competition from local businesses has made it all the more satisfying to win”. 

“This will be very motivational to all our team and inspire them to achieve our future goals”.

The other finalists were Polar Composites, based at Suton, near Wymondham, which offers design, consultancy and production in the carbon fibre industry, and 3Sun, from Gorleston, which provides hi-tech control systems for operators in the oil, gas, petroleum and other industries.

Shaping Norfolk’s Future is a business-led partnership that works to create wealth and jobs in Norfolk. The organisation brings together the skills, knowledge, talent and flair of specialists from the county’s private, public and voluntary sectors, which take action to drive forward the county’s economy.

It aims to stimulate growth, lobby for better transport infrastructure, improve skills, raise the county’s business profile and co-ordinate business support.

Courtesy of EDP

22 October 2008