The Business Awards for Wales are an initiative of the IWA and the Western Mail, in association with PwC
The best in Welsh business and entrepreneurship will be honoured at an awards ceremony this Friday.
The inaugural IWA/Western Mail Business Awards, presented by Chris Corcoran will be staged at the Coal Exchange in Cardiff.
In all nine category winners will be unveiled.
The Excellence in e-Commerce Award is being sponsored by Gravit-e – which is a subsidiary of Nantgarw-based FD Systems.
The awards recognise innovative use of e-commerce by a Welsh business.
The finalists are Carmarthen-based Wellbeing Skincare, Monmouthshire Building Society and Wrexham-based Country House Wedding Venues.
Wellbeing Skin, which was established in 2009, is a manufacturer of organic and natural skincare products using crops and plants grown in Wales. More than 90% of its sales are derived online with more than half in China.
Country House Wedding Venues which was launched in 1996, is the UK’s leading online provider of venues for weddings via its website www.wedding-venues.co.uk – which provides details on more than 1,500 venues across the UK. It has also designed and hosts an additional 200 sites for clients.
Newport-headquartered building society, the Monmouthshire Building Society, has invested heavily in its online presence in recent years. Its e-commerce initiatives have helped to increase its UK market share in the key business areas of mortgages and savings.
Its innovations include an online “mortgage decision in principle” application as well as allowing customers to vote online at annual general meetings
The sponsor’s founder and commercial director, Nigel Griffiths, said: “Gravit-e, the e-commerce division of FD Systems, is delighted to be supporting the IWA Western Mail 2011 Business Awards through the sponsorship of the Excellence in e-Commerce Award.
“In these difficult economic times we recognise more than ever the importance of rewarding companies that are succeeding in the marketplace, despite the challenging conditions businesses are facing throughout Wales and the rest of the UK. E-commerce offers businesses the chance to develop their traditional business models and explore new routes to market in a bid to both grow and survive. It is a great pleasure for us to be involved in these awards championing the success of Welsh business.”
