EADT Business Awards: Suffolk Business of the Year announced

While also taking the top spot in the Environment & Sustainability Award, Denny Bros impressed the judges as was chosen to receive this year's top accolade.

Based in a purpose-built headquarters in Bury St Edmunds, Denny Bros is an independent, employee-owned specialist printing company that uses state-of-the-art machinery and top industry-standard accreditations to  create new and innovative solutions for clients’ on-product communication needs.

As a proud Suffolk business, Denny Bros has passed on its strong values through the generations, adopting good business practices, managing its environmental impact and placing staff at the heart of decision-making.

Denny Bros was able to showcase to the judges its “compelling commitment to its staff and its sustainable practices”.

The judges were particularly impressed with “the use of data to track its environmental performance in line with its targets” and they said that they considered Denny Bros to “epitomise an excellent Suffolk business that supports its staff, the environment, its supply chain and community – a worthy winner of business of the year”.

Ashley Simpson, commercial director at Denny Bros said: “It’s completely surreal to be the overall winner of the awards tonight. 

“We just work nine-to-five and we’re just trying to do the best we can for the staff and create a great product, [so] for what we make so to be recognised from the outside is amazing.”

About the sponsors

Suffolk Chamber of Commerce

Established with the mission to support and promote local enterprises, Suffolk Chamber of Commerce has emerged as a vital partner in the success stories of countless businesses across the county.

Suffolk Chamber of Commerce is committed to giving companies across the county a place to be inspired, as well as the support needed to grow, and a space where every business belongs; as the voice of Suffolk business.

Sizewell C

Sizewell C will be a new nuclear power station in Suffolk capable of supplying six million homes with low-carbon electricity for at least 60 years. The government became a joint shareholder with EDF in November 2022.

The new power station will deliver 1,500 apprenticeships and 7,900 jobs at peak construction, with at least a third of the workforce coming from the local area. Once the power station is operational, there will be 900 rewarding skilled local jobs.

The runners up

Second place: The Hotel Folk

The Hotel Folk is a group of six hotels located across the Suffolk coast and countryside.

The group underwent a complete rebrand and relaunch in 2019, thanks to now CEO David Scott, with a large investment in IT and dynamic marketing systems.

It also launched a bespoke training facility as part of its new focus on people.

The judges said that “this is an impressive company – clearly customer focused and with a dedicated lean towards the environment”. They added that “innovation is at the forefront of this business with the new systems and learning platforms” and commended The Hotel Folk on its charity, employee awareness and training.

Third place: Location Works

Location Works is a father-anddaughter-run agency with offices in Eye and London. It specialises in finding locations for filming, television, photo shoots and events.

Location Works’ Metworks project provided an opportunity for productions to film on a hospital set in an empty building during the pandemic, when filming in an actual hospital was impossible.

The space is still used today for artists to showcase their work.

The judges said it was “great to hear about Location Works’ innovative approach,” for example with Metworks, and had high praise for the business’ “very impressive portfolio of locations that has been used in many popular TV programmes watched by millions of viewers”.

To find out more about all the winners, please click here.

For more on the EADT Business Awards, please visit the website.