A leading North East catering company has been picked out as the cream of the crop at a prestigious London awards ceremony.
Crosbys, located in Newcastle upon Tyne, has won The Catering Insight Distributor of the Year – North of England Award, sponsored by Blue Seal, at the Catering Insight Awards 2017.
Catering Insight is the only monthly magazine dedicated to the UK commercial catering equipment dealer, distributor and importer industry. The annual Catering Insight Awards celebrate the sector’s greatest achievements from the past 12 months, as voted for by the industry itself.
Crosbys was competing with other catering equipment dealers based from the Midlands northwards in England, who have shone over the past year, and who have gone above and beyond the call of duty in terms of design, service and installation.
Votes were collected from the most senior representatives at both supplier and distributor companies and the winners were announced during the black-tie gala ceremony on Thursday, November 23 at conference venue 8 Northumberland Avenue in London. The Awards were supported by Cedabond and MKN.
Catering Insight’s shortlist stated: “Newcastle distributor Crosbys has completed prestigious and varied projects this year, including the two Michelin star restaurant The Raby Hunt, installed in an incredible two-day window. Immense recent investment comprises increasing its projects team, van fleet and overhauling its website. Being awarded select Partner Status by Lincat and adding over £1m spend through ENSE partners evidences this growth, plus it has built a development kitchen for chefs with partner Delifresh.”
The award comes following a successful financial year for Crosbys, which was crowned the ‘Fastest Growing SME in the North East’ by the Journalnewspaper in 2016, after doubling its turnover within 18 months.
The firm has ambitious plans for further growth, and recently appointed new managing director Mark Gubbins to lead the company’s 46-strong team to new heights.
Roger Crosby, business development director of Crosbys said: “The Catering Insight Awards is one of the most important events in our industry’s calendar. We were shortlisted last year, so we were delighted to return this year and win, against some very tough competition. It is the perfect conclusion to a busy year for Crosbys and we can’t wait to see what 2018 will hold.”
Crosbys, which was founded in 1990 by Bob Crosby, has traditionally supplied the catering industry with crockery and cutlery. However, as the business evolved, it branched out into paper and janitorial supplies, as well as new kitchens and interiors via its dedicated Projects team.
More recently, the firm has been at the forefront of cutting edge waste disposal systems which are both eco-friendly and can deliver substantial cost savings to customers. Following ‘no obligation’ site surveys, several prominent North East businesses have trialled these solutions with impressive results, and, as word has spread, further trials are planned for December.
The firm has more than 2,000 customers in the North including Sir John Fitzgerald’s, Ladhar Group Newcastle, Marriott Hotels and Newcastle University, as well as a series of London restaurants and Michelin establishments across the UK and overseas. Work is also soon to start on installing a new Athanor Suite at the Six restaurant within the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art in Gateshead.
Crosbys, Unit 14, Brough Park Way, Newcastle upon Tyne NE6 2YF.
www.crosbys.co.uk Tel: 0191 228 4800, Facebook: Crosbys Catering Equipment Twitter: @Crosbys_BCA