IT is the highlight of the town’s business calendar and celebrates the fantastic achievements of companies of all sizes.

But amidst all the glamour and festivities the Bolton Business Awards can also have incredible impacts, and give hard-working firms a well-deserved and money-can’t-buy boost. Among the winners of last year’s awards was Pure Fabs ­— a Horwich-based company specialising in ductwork ­— who won the Manufacturer of the Year Award.

Peter Connor, director of Pure Fabs, said: “It’s very difficult to put anything like a monetary value on winning this award, but locally it has certainly raised our profile and has made a difference when visitors come as our award is proudly displayed in our reception, and this nearly always gets a mention.

“Professionally, it has made many more businesses aware of us, our social media views sky rocketed in the weeks afterwards, and it certainly added a few boxes being ticked on an customer audit that was carried out shortly after we won this award. It also confirms to our customers, that we have received external recognition for our values and the products we supply.

“Internally, it gives the team here the recognition they deserve – considering the amount of manufacturing that goes on in the Bolton area, to be a part of the Manufacturer of the Year is something that each and every one of us takes great pride in.

“We do like to have it at the bottom of our emails, as a reminder to the recipient they are in communication with an award winning manufacturer.”

Bolton’s Market Place picked up the Retailer of the Year award at last year’s ceremony. Nikki Wilson-Cook, centre manager at Bolton Market Place, said: “We were delighted to win the Retailer of The Year award at last year’s Bolton Business Awards. As a company we’re focused on continually moving Market Place forward to ensure it’s a thriving, fun and entertaining place for people to come and spend some time in Bolton.

"The investment in the centre and the brands we have been able to entice to the town has all helped raise Bolton’s perception – encouraging further investment in the town as a whole and ultimately encouraging greater employment. 2019 will be an exciting year for us again, and I’ve no doubt we will want to enter this category again.”