One of the leading commercial nurseries in the UK, Johnsons of Whixley, is celebrating after its marketing activity received a prestigious accolade in a national awards competition.
The horticultural business, based between York and Harrogate, has partnered with public relations firm, Faith PR, for the past four years to drive forward its PR, marketing and social activity.
Faith PR, based in West Yorkshire, has been working alongside Johnsons to enhance its strategic communications and cultivate the rooted reputation for the Yorkshire commercial nursery.
Following turnover for the year ending 2017 increasing by over 17 per cent to £12.4m – its most profitable year to date – as well as Johnsons adding 500 new customers to its 4,700-strong database of existing and historical customers and seeing the forward order book value increased by £1m to £4.6m, the partnership won a Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) PRide 2018 gold award in the ‘Corporate and Business Communications Campaign’ category.
Graham Richardson, group director at Johnsons of Whixley, said: “This is a prestigious award and believe that it is a fitting accolade. With Faith’s expertise and perseverance, our marketing and PR function has transformed from an afterthought to an integral element of our operational business. We are firmly of the opinion that this has contributed significantly to business success.”
The CIPR PRide Awards recognise outstanding work within the public relations industry that delivers impactful results for companies and organisations across the UK and demonstrates the value of PR to the wider business world. The annual awards take place across nine separate regions and are judged by a panel of PR industry experts.
All shortlisted nominees were invited to a black-tie ceremony at Leeds’ Queen’s Hotel on Thursday, 22nd November, where the winners were announced.
Faith PR, which is based in Brighouse and services regional, national and international clients across B2C and B2B sectors, was also shortlisted in the awards’ ‘Outstanding Small Public Relations Company’ category for Yorkshire and Lincolnshire for the third time in its 11-year history.
Stefanie Hopkins, Faith PR founder, said: “Johnsons is a fantastic business to work alongside and this award is a testament to the team’s hard-work and determination and underlines our ongoing partnership with such a fine Yorkshire business. Our aim is to not only enhance their communications activity, but also impact directly on the bottom line.”
