It really was a family affair in the true sense of the word at the first Business Eye Family Business Awards, as Alan Mercer of Hillmount attended the glittering awards ceremony accompanied by his three month old daughter.

The event was meticulously executed in typical Business Eye fashion, with toe tapping and crowd pleasing entertainment, and the atmosphere created by the 400 strong audience, made up of the best of businesses from across Northern Ireland, was palpable.

Speaking about being named Large Business ‘Next Generation Family Business Leader’, Alan Mercer, fourth generation Managing Director of Hillmount, said: “I am absolutely honoured and humbled to be awarded the title of ‘Next Generation Family Business Leader’ as the competition was certainly strong in this category.

“At Hillmount we are a family business in the true sense of family and in that spirit it was fitting that my guest at the awards was our three month old daughter! I think she’s the youngest guest ever to have attended the Business Eye Awards!

“I want to pay tribute to the staff at Hillmount for their dedication and who have assisted our family for the past 82 years in making Hillmount the multi award winning business that it is today. My great grandfather would be so proud of what we have achieved since he established the business in 1940. And I want to congratulate Richard and Brenda Buckley on the first Family Business Awards. It was a spectacular evening and an incredible opportunity for business leaders to celebrate their successes during what is probably one of the most difficult and challenging of times that businesses here have found themselves operating in.”

Hillmount is a fourth generation garden lifestyle business established by Hill Mercer in 1940. Their portfolio includes three garden centres in Northern Ireland - Bangor, Belfast and Ards - and a newly opened garden lifestyle store in Cheshire, England.

www.hillmount.co.uk, www.facebook.com/hillmount, www.instagram.com/hillmountbelfast