Member Awards
Entries have now closed.
Winners will be announced Tuesday 23rd September following the Gala Dinner.
Keep up to date with announcements in our ‘Award News’ below.
The Award Categories
Bed Manufacturer of the Year – CLOSED
The judges will be looking for the company that demonstrates success over the 12-month period from July 2024 to June 2025. Within your entry, you should consider covering key areas of your business, such as:
Financial performance – headline numbers for the qualifying period.
Corporate Social Responsibility – sustainability, investment & employment, customer service.
New product innovation – what innovations/new product designs have you developed for 2024-25?
Marketing – what are your standout marketing moments for 2024-25?
Other – tell us about any other standout moments for your business.
Please note, that if you are shortlisted for the Bed Manufacturer of the Year Award, you will be asked to put forward a spokesperson to discuss your entry via an online meeting with the judges. Please ensure someone is available on 27th August between 11 am – 2 pm. The meeting will last 15 – 20 minutes max.
Supplier of the Year – CLOSED
The judges will be looking for the company that demonstrates success over the 12-month period from July 2024 to June 2025. Within your entry, you should consider covering key areas of your business, such as:
Financial performance – headline numbers for the qualifying period.
Corporate Social Responsibility – sustainability, investment & employment, customer service.
New product innovation – what innovations/new product designs have you developed for 2024-25?
Marketing – what are your standout marketing moments for 2024-25?
Other – tell us about any other standout moments for your business.
Please note, that if you are shortlisted for the Supplier of the Year, you will be asked to put forward a spokesperson to discuss your entry via an online meeting with the judges. Please ensure someone is available on 27th August between 11 am – 2 pm. The meeting will last 15 – 20 minutes max.
Bed Product of the Year – CLOSED
This award is only open to NBF members who will be exhibiting at the Bed Show, recognising the manufacturer with the most outstanding new product launched since the 2024 Bed Show or due to be launched at this year’s Bed Show.
It may be a complete bed set, a mattress, bed frame, sofa bed or headboard.
The judges will be scoring the entries on the following criteria so please ensure you address these in your entry:
Aesthetics
Materials used
Eco-design credentials
Innovation
Value
Target customer
Marketing support
Other
Component Product of the Year – CLOSED
This award is open to NBF supplier members only, who will be exhibiting at the Bed Show. It will be awarded to the most innovative component product or machine used in manufacturing a finished product (e.g., spring, foam, fabric, fibre, slat, castor etc). It must have been launched since the 2024 Bed Show or will be launched at this year’s Bed Show and will be made widely available commercially.
The judges will be scoring the entries on the following criteria so please ensure you address these in your entry:
Innovation
Eco-design credentials
Filling a perceived gap in the market
Value
Marketing support
Other
The Judges
Steve Adams (Mattress Online)
Judging Bed Product of the Year
About Steve Adams
Steve is the founder and CEO of Mattress Online, one of the UK’s leading online mattress retailers. With over 20 years’ e-commerce experience, Steve has transformed Mattress Online into the award-winning, multi-million-pound retailer that we know today.
Successfully navigating diverse market challenges, Steve’s tenacity and innovative spirit have been instrumental in scaling Mattress Online into a highly-profitable business.
Steve’s vision for development and expansion heralds the next generation of Mattress Online’s evolution. Increasing market share, boosting the management team and elevating customer experience will be key to Mattress Online’s future success.
Brian Ahern (BFC, FIRA, FMC)
Judging Bed Manufacturer and Supplier of the Year
About Brian Ahern
Brian had an early career in the electrical wholesaling industry, before spending 18 years at a cabinet furniture manufacturer. With an extensive background in the furniture industry, Brian has since held various positions in different organisations, including The Furniture Makers’ Company 2024-25, the British Furniture Association and the Furniture Industry Research Association. Brian is also on the board of the British Furniture Confederation and joined The Furniture Makers’ Company in 2003.
Natalie Armstrong (Sealy UK)
Judging Component Product of the Year
About Natalie Armstrong
Natalie is the Product Development Manager at Sealy UK. She leads new product development initiatives from conception to launch and has a keen understanding of what makes an award-winning product. With her expertise, Sealy won the Bed Product of the Year award in 2022.
Danny Blackmore (Silentnight)
Judging Component Product of the Year
About Danny Blackmore
Danny has worked in the industry for 30 years across a wide range of roles, beginning in operations, before going on to Silentnight’s Change Management team to work on a series of cross-functional projects. Danny went on to implement a new enterprise resource planning system, which provided a real in-depth perspective on all the business processes that support and drive all the functions and decisions. In recent years, Danny has worked on new product development, implementation and compliance, and taking on the role of Head of Change before his current position as Operations Director.
Sue Davies (Sue Davies Design Solutions)
Judging Bed Product of the Year
About Sue Davies
Sue trained as a surface pattern/textile designer and her first job was working at Hilden manufacturing as a woven cad designer and fabric developer for mattress tickings and upholstery fabric. In 2002 she went on to become Group Textile Design Manager for the Silentnight Group until 2012 when she set up her own business. She now designs products for various bed companies and is also an agent for BekaertDeslee, assisting in sales, design and new ticking and cover development for the UK bed market.
James Dunne (Prestige Beds)
Judging Bed Product of the Year
About James Dunne
James joined the family business full time in 2005 at 18, following a conversation with his father and late grandfather. Starting out as a delivery driver, which he enjoyed for four years, James was promoted to sales before getting more involved in marketing, buying, merchandising and e-commerce in his mid – late twenties. James took up his current role as operations director in 2018, after almost 18 years in the business.
Paul Farley (Furniture News)
Judging Bed Product of the Year
About Paul Farley
Paul Farley joined Furniture News in 2006 and has been its editor since 2008. The magazine is the longest established of today’s furniture trade titles, starting life as Pine News International in 1986 and expanding its coverage across all domestic furniture as Furniture News from 2001.
A veteran NBF Award judge, Paul also co-ordinates The Furniture Awards, and is the Secretary General of the International Alliance of Furnishing Publications (IAFP).
Joanna Fielding (Association Independent Stores (AIS))
Judging Bed Product of the Year
About Joanna Fielding
Joanna Fielding, beds category manager at Associated Independent Stores (AIS). With a degree in surface design and experience in fashion, Joanna broadened her expertise with a business master’s tailored for the creative industries. This qualification opened doors to a pivotal role in product development at Furniture Wholesale Group (FWG), where she excelled in design, development and project management, before joining AIS.
Jonathan Hindle (Chairman of the BFC, MD & President of KI Europe)
Judging Bed Manufacturer and Supplier of the Year
About Jonathan Hindle
Jonathan originally trained as a designer and practiced at leading architectural and design and build companies before moving into sales and marketing in fit-out, property development and office furniture design & manufacture. Jonathan founded the Design Guild Mark in 2007 and established the corporate membership and fundraising programmes at The Furniture Makers’ Company
Dave Morris (Sleepeezee)
Judging Component Product of the Year
About Dave Morris
Dave has over 30 years’ valuable experience of working in the bed industry at Sleepeezee and has been involved in production, logistics, quality assurance, purchasing and product development.
Richard Naylor (Hawksfield Ltd)
Judging Bed Manufacturer and Supplier of the Year
About Richard Naylor
Richard Naylor is CEO and founder of Hawksfield Ltd and Hawksfield Innovations Ltd. The former offers transparent sustainability outsourcing services for small to medium enterprises, and the latter develops patented design solutions for the mattress industry. With over 20 years of commercial experience in the UK furniture industry, Richard is a specialist in circular design and materials, and passionate about helping the UK furniture industry become more sustainable.
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