UKFT members ERIBÉ Knitwear, interior fabrics specialist Fermoie, luxury wool and cashmere company Johnstons of Elgin and giftware company Wrendale Designs have been awarded the King’s Award for Enterprise 2024, the highest official UK award for British businesses.

The King’s Awards for Enterprise, previously known as The Queen’s Awards for Enterprise, were renamed last year to reflect His Majesty The King’s desire to continue the legacy of HM Queen Elizabeth II’s by recognising outstanding UK businesses. The Award programme, now in its 58th year, is the most prestigious business award in the country, with successful businesses able to use the esteemed King’s Awards Emblem for the next five years. It celebrates the success of exciting and innovative businesses which are leading the way with pioneering products or services.

Scottish Borders based ERIBÉ Knitwear started trading in 1986 from Rosemary Eribé’s student flat in Galashiels. 38 years on, ERIBÉ has become a well-established design house and manufacturer with collections at over 600 stores in 27 countries worldwide. In 2019 they set up ERIBÉ Manufacturing, a purpose built knitwear factory, harnessing local skills and expertise. Knitting with the finest natural yarns spun in Yorkshire, ERIBÉ Knitwear is recognised by their distinctive design and use of colours. The company has ten sales agents who work closely with ERIBÉ’s sales team and participate in key trade fairs. Their online trade portal supports agents and trade customers to access information and promotional materials for their own use. Overseas sales have grown by 387% over the six year application period and in the final year of application 56% of total sales were exported.

Rosemary Eribé, CEO and founder at ERIBÉ Knitwear, said: “Being awarded the King’s Award for Enterprise in International Trade is a real honour. It is about all of us, the award recognises how focused teamwork can create such magic and success. We see this award as celebrating and recognising the incredible work done by our retailers, suppliers, agents, and team ERIBÉ in bringing stunning knitwear to our customers.”

Johnstons of Elgin’s CEO Chris Gaffney, said: “I am delighted to see the hard work of our teams recognised with this prestigious award.  Our company has been outward looking and driven to find new markets since its earliest days, ever since our founder Alexander Johnston loaded his cart to transport our woollen fabric to the local port and on to Nova Scotia, Canada, in 1813. We are proud that Johnstons of Elgin is known in countries throughout the globe as a maker of the highest quality. It is a particular honour for us to hold two Enterprise awards simultaneously, adding the King’s Award for International Trade to the award for Sustainable Development that we received in 2021 from the late Queen Elizabeth II.”

Jamie Shawcross, commercial director at Fermoie, said: “We’re thrilled and honoured to receive the King’s Award for Enterprise. We’ve worked incredibly hard to build our company and develop our export business, which has grown eightfold in just four years and now accounts for over half our annual turnover. We’re delighted that our hand-drawn artwork, distinctive colours and beautiful fabrics, all manufactured entirely in-house here in the UK, have found such a receptive audience right across the world.”

Hannah Dale, founder of Wrendale Designs, said: “Our award reflects our growth in international sales and is a testament to the hard work of our team, both across the world and here in Brigg and Scunthorpe. As always, there are so many people to thank for their hard work and dedication – I’m so proud of the team we have and for the loyal stockists that have supported us over the years, many of them stocking our products since I first launched Wrendale with a handful of greeting cards. I am looking forward to celebrating this amazing achievement with them!”

Enter the King’s Award for Enterprise

Applications for the 2025 King’s Awards for Enterprise are now open for outstanding achievement by UK businesses in the categories of:

• innovation
• international trade
• sustainable development
• promoting opportunity through social mobility

The deadline to enter is 12 September 2024. Find out more here.