The Bed Industry Awards, which aim to honour the brightest and best enterprises in the UK bed market, are back for 2023, with the National Bed Federation (NBF) seeking entries for 10 categories.
The awards showcase the best in inspiration, design and innovation from bed manufacturers, suppliers and retailers. The awards are free to enter, and all entries are submitted online.
This year, there are five awards for NBF member manufacturers and component suppliers, and five awards for retailers that predominantly stock NBF member brands.
The accolades of Bed Manufacturer of the Year and Component Supplier of the Year are once again for the taking by NBF members. These awards recognise the achievements and innovations at a company level.
Following its debut in 2022, the NBF Member Sales Agent/Rep of the Year award returns to recognise an individual’s achievements within their business. This award is open to sales agents/reps and area managers of NBF manufacturer companies and NBF component supplier companies. Nominations can come from a bed retailer, NBF members, or the sales agent/rep’s own company.
Returning this year for NBF manufacturers and suppliers exhibiting at the show are the coveted Bed Product of the Year, including mattresses, headboards, frames and sofabeds – and Component Product of the Year, awarded to the most innovative component product or machine used in manufacturing a finished product.
New for 2023 is the Ad of the Year award, open to NBF Retail Champions stocking predominantly NBF brands, and NBF Brand Associate members. Entries can be for a print ad (such as in newspapers, magazines or billboards), radio and television ads, or digital ads (such as via social media).
Back for 2023 is the Small NBF Retail Champion of the Year Award for retailers with four stores or fewer, and the Large NBF Retail Champion of the Year Award for retailers with 5-20 stores. These awards are open to all retailers signed up to the NBF’s Retail Champions Scheme, which supports businesses whose product offer is from at least 50% NBF-approved brands.
Businesses with more than 20 stores are encouraged to enter the National Bed Retailer of the Year Award, and businesses where at least 80% of the sales are transacted via the internet are encouraged to enter the Online Bed Retailer of the Year Award.
NBF executive director Tristine Hargreaves shares her encouragement for the bed trade to enter the awards, saying: “The NBF’s Bed Industry Awards are among the most coveted accolades for our members and bed retailers. Winning an award sets you apart from your competitors and is a fantastic platform from which to further promote your company and brands. Each year we continue to be hugely impressed by the standard of the entries, and we’re sure 2023 will be no different.
“The awards are always keenly contested, but you’ve got to be in it to win it, so it’s time to start planning your entries – just remember to read the criteria and our top tips carefully!”
A shortlist of all the retailer awards will be published before the NBF Bed Show at Telford International Centre, and the winners will be announced at the show's gala dinner and awards ceremony on Tuesday 26th September.
More information on all the 2023 awards, including how to enter and detailed criteria for each category, are available on the Bed Show website. Deadlines vary depending on the award, starting with Friday 21st July.
