Up-and-coming ‘Online Flower Business’ Makes Awards Shortlist

Sept. 25, 2009 - PRLog -- Thriving UK online business Flowerssimply has been unveiled as a finalist at the Startups Awards 2009 in the ‘The Adversity Award’ category, handing it the chance to win the £5,000 top prize.

“Flowerssimply’s place among the finalists of this year’s Startups Awards is testament to the company’s originality, flair and strong prospects for growth. With such strong competition, to have reached this stage is, in itself, a superb achievement,” says Sara Rizk, deputy editor, Startups.co.uk.

Flowerssimply is an online flower and gift company which competes with major corporate companies such as Interflora, Teleflorist, M&S and Flowers Direct. Orders from around the world are placed with local florists for personal delivery by hand to homes and office across the UK. Flowerssimply’s objective is to provide a simplistic online buying experience in both Welsh and English, with total commitment to quality and customer care.

The Startups Awards 2009, organised by Startups.co.uk, comprises of 12 categories, each showcasing the best new businesses in the UK. The overall winner will walk away with a £5,000 cheque.

The winners will be unveiled at a prestigious awards ceremony and three-course luncheon to be held at the Marriot Hotel, Grosvenor Square on Friday 13 November, 2009.

Marie Forster, Owner, Flowerssimply comments: “We are thrilled to be a finalist in the ‘The Adversity Award’ category and very much look forward to the awards ceremony in November. It’s great that all our dedication and hard work has been recognised by Startups.co.uk, and we’re delighted to be in with a chance of not only winning the category but also the much-coveted ‘Startups Business of the Year’ prize. Living in a remote, rural location and running the business from offices located on site has seen a number of major challenges and hurdles including power cuts, access roads flooding and intermittent telephone and broadband access. Not easy when your business is solely e-commerce!”

Startups.co.uk is the UK’s largest independent online resource for budding entrepreneurs and the Startups Awards is one of the leading events on the small business calendar.

To be eligible to enter the Startups Awards 2009, businesses must have been trading for less than three years, be privately owned, and employ fewer than 60 people.

This year’s judging panel consists of some of the UK’s most successful entrepreneurs, including Doug Richard, founder of School for Schools and former Dragons Den Dragon, Margaret Manning, CEO, Reading Room and Will King, founder King of Shaves.

The judges look at a wide range of criteria; in particular, business success either by increase in sales and unit volume, market research and identification of customer focus, organisational and team building effectiveness, strategic planning, overcoming obstacles and barriers to success, visionary leadership and social and community responsibility.

Visit: http://www.flowerssimply.com, http://www.flowerssimply.com/moreaboutus.asp

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About Flowerssimply:
• A start-up online flower and gift business run from a home based office in Snowdonia National Park, North Wales.
• Set up in September 2007 by husband and wife team Marie & Ray Forster whose backgrounds are in IT and Marketing and have worked for a number of large corporate companies both in the UK and abroad.
• Having researched the main competitors (Interflora, Teleflorist, M&S, Flowers Direct) Flowerssimply’s objective was to launch a site that was clear, simple and easy to use, providing a simplistic online buying experience with great personal customer care.
• First large e-commerce flower & gift site to be launched in Welsh as well as English.
http://www.flowerssimply.com